A Spectrum

Well, I saw John Williams last Saturday and it was awesome! Tom and I drove into the city and got there a little early so we walked around Millennium Park, ate at Corner Bakery, and browsed through Carson, Pierre, and Scott before going to the Symphony Center. We explored before we found our seats. There was a ballroom on the second floor that overlooked Michigan Avenue so we sat in there for a while. I took a couple pictures of this couple who were very nicely dressed (ball gown and tuxedo). (I took the pictures for them, I try not to randomly snap photos of people ;) I think they were celebrating something.

We had great seats in the 7th row, not on the very edge but not too close to center that we had to stare at his back the entire time. He welcomed us to "a night of film music without the distraction of the film." ;) He started with The Cowboys Overture, Excerpts from Close Encounters of the Third Kind and War of the Worlds. Then they played four songs from other composers including the Theme from Star Trek and The Magnificent Seven. Both fun, the other two I hadn't heard of. However, after intermission was the best piece that I wasn't expecting. It was called Tribute to the Film Composer and it was a medley of all sorts of film music: Pink Panther, Theme from Exodus, E.T, Star Wars, The Godfather, etc. Then it was the 1941 march and Jaws. He rounded out the night with three pieces from Harry Potter and three from Star Wars (including Darth Vader's Theme, Anakin's Theme, and Throne Room and End Title).

Then, of course, how can you not encore John Williams. The first encore he play The Mission Theme in its entirety which is the NBC News theme and another piece from Star Wars, Princess Leia's Theme. For the second encore, what else but Indiana Jones. The audience of course wanted more ;), but he came out the last time put his hands together on his cheek (bedtime ;) and had the concertmaster walk out with him.

I cried several times (sorry Tom), but just listening to a CD sometimes makes me cry, what do you expect. It was a wonderful night!