Written by Brenda Lorenz and a special thank you to Cartersville’s – The Daily Tribune photographer Randy Parker
GLOWBAND “GRAND” AT THE GRAND THEATRE
Immaculate, flawless, rich, pure – that’s the remarkable Glowband! Their “Experience the Eagles” show at The Grand Theatre in Cartersville Saturday night was a huge success selling 505 of 511 tickets! If you were there, you were also treated to some of your favorite classic rock hits from their Southern Rock Revue show and even a few songs from their “Movin’ & Groovin’ Songs of the 60s”. You just don’t get this kind of live, on-stage, perfected mixture of hits unless it’s Glowband.
The eight world-class performers of Glowband are: Robert Taylor, (Music Director, Violin, Guitar, Vocals), Tim Tice, (Lead Vocalist), Lisa Manuli (Lead Vocalist), Jewel Lucien (Lead Vocalist), David Shaver (Keyboards, guitar, backup vocals), Michael Ahmann (Bass, Guitar, Drums), Curbe Dreher (Guitar, Bass, Keys), and Michael Shealy (Drums). They each have a vibrant gift they bring to the stage every single time. The choir of voices unified in harmony absolutely take you to church! The instrumental prowess is nothing short of masterful!
As they took the stage Saturday evening one by one, the classy vibrancy of the red boots and red shirts was an indication of the red hot show they were about to present. Eliciting three standing ovations throughout the evening and ending the night with yet another one after the final song, “Life in the Fast Lane”, this was a testament to the connection that Glowband always makes with their audience.
From the moment of the first note of the first song, “Heartache Tonight”, that theatre was alive! Strangers became friends as the crowd instantly connected with the band and with each other. Other songs in their expansive Eagles repertoire Saturday night included, “I Can’t Tell You Why”, “One Of These Nights”, “Tequila Sunrise”, and the most iconic Eagles hit of all, “Hotel California”. It’s always fun to see the reaction of people when they hear the beginning of certain songs – memories of back in the day – which is why these are, as Glowband calls them, songs that live forever.
As Jewel prepared for, “Take It To The Limit”, she reminded the audience that sometimes you have to do just that. “Push to do something better and get stronger.” It was obvious that this wasn’t just words she thought would sound good, but words that meant something to her and to all of Glowband – something the whole band seems to do every show. As they started the song, a couple near me took to an out-of-the-way spot and shared the moment in a dance. All of this gave this Eagles classic hit a whole new feel. THIS is the epitome of Glowband. They have a way of taking these mega hit songs that everyone knows and loves, performing them with style, grace, and excitement – while putting that Glowband touch on them.
“Already Gone”, “Peaceful Easy Feeling”, and “Witchy Woman” were also huge crowd pleasers. This particular song needed no introduction, (as many didn’t) but was just mentioned, and explained by Tim, as being one of the main reasons they put this band together in the first place. A brief pause – no instrumental intro – for a couple seconds all was quiet as the audience anticipated what was coming – then – the chill-inducing harmonies that literally exploded off that stage was all you needed to immediately identify this one. Yep, “7 Bridges Road”. Impeccable!
Two of their “Southern Rock Revue” selections were, “The South’s Gonna Do It Again”, and “The Devil Went Down To Georgia”. I thought the smoke alarms might go off because I’m pretty sure Robert had that fiddle smoking! “Hold on Loosely”, “Jessica” and “Whipping Post” were a few of the others. I mentioned before that there were three standing ovations throughout the evening. “Whipping Post” was one! What a performance this was! One for the ages!
You know how, no matter what concert you may be at, some guy starts yelling, “FREEBIRD!” usually in jest – well – guess what? Just before intermission, “Freebird” it was! Out came the “lighters” – but in this case it was cell phone lights – swaying back and forth – hands in the air! Another one for the ages!
Eloquent, bold, breathtaking. So focused, yet they have so much fun and are so engaging at the same time. After playing together for 11 years, Glowband has a cohesive bond with each other, much like a family – and it shows! This was such an appropriate venue for such a class act – a “grand” performance at The Grand!