Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Comfort and Joy Tour: December 2, 2016: Batavia, IL


Comfort and Joy Tour
December 2, 2016
Batavia Fine Arts Center
Batavia, IL
7:30 PM CST

Preview:
Four states that aren't really close to each other - Whew! The tour and Kris come to Batavia, IL (a Chicago suburb) tonight.

Updated with media on 12/6/2016

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Comfort and Joy Tour: December 1, 2016: Pittsburgh, PA


Comfort and Joy Tour
December 1, 2016
Byham Theater
Pittsburgh, PA
7:30 PM EST

Preview:
In two days, Kris will have gone from Florida's sunny beaches to Texas to Pittsburgh. Whew! Specical to this stop, there is a local radio station running a meet Kris contest - so I've included all the links you'd need for that in this post.

Updated on 12/3/2016 with set list and media from radio station visit.

Monday, November 28, 2016

Comfort and Joy Tour: November 30, 2016: Fort Worth, TX


Comfort and Joy Tour
November 30, 2016
Bass Performance Hall
Fort Worth, TX
7:30 PM CST

Preview:
Kris has to leave the beaches of the Florida suncoast behind and head to Fort Worth, Texas for the Comfort and Joy Tour's next stop.

Updated 12/6/2016. This particular stop gave us great videos of Peace Where the Heart Is, linked below.

Saturday, November 26, 2016

Comfort and Joy Tour: November 29, 2016: Sarasota, FL


Comfort and Joy Tour
November 29, 2016
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
Sarasota, FL
7:30 PM EST

Preview:
Kris begins his run with Jim Brickman's Comfort and Joy holiday tour in one of my absolute favorite places in the world (and definitely in Florida) - the resort town of Sarasota (about an hour or so south of Tampa and about a 1/2 hour south of our family's vacation home). Luckily for you guys, I will be there (thanks American Airlines for that fare sale!) and will give you a full report. I've never been to this venue but have driven by it often and wondered. It's right on beautiful Sarasota Bay near downtown.

If you haven't already seen my post on the Jim Brickman tour, do look it over - my coverage will be different than you are used to. I'm not doing lists, and I wouldn't expect live tweets, fan videos or streams - There was a strict anti-video, anti-phone policy in effect until Jim relaxed it for the final 3 songs..

My notes on the show: It was good and I enjoyed the whole show. Be aware if you go: It's not like a routine club show; it's more like a night at the theatre (dress accordingly please) and the music overall is adult contemporary. The Sarasota crowd loved it and showed a lot of appreciation for Kris' vocals (which were superb). He does a solo and a group number in first half, and a solo and several group numbers in second half. There's banter and costume changes. Strict no phones or cameras rule, which Jim relaxed for the final few numbers. So I did take some IG videos & many people took photos. I've noted what Kris sings in the set list; and added my comments on those numbers. Different type of show from your usual club solo headlining show, but he sounds fantastic and it's the holiday season, so I recommend checking it out!
UPDATED 12/6/2016 with corrected set list and media

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Happy Thanksgiving! My Plans for Covering the Comfort and Joy Tour


With the mall shows over, it's time to plan for the next thing on Kris' agenda: The Comfort and Joy Tour with Jim Brickman, who is a prolific adult contemporary artist and radio show host. Back in October, Jim released a Christmas original song entitled A Little Bit of Christmas, which features a terrific vocal from Kris. He also announced that Kris would be a special guest on select stops on his Comfort and Joy tour. Jim's tour page says it's like a "Christmas card come to life." Sounds good to me; I love Christmas-y things!

I recommend you check Kris' official website for a list of which stops Kris will be at and ticket links, but here's the picture Jim posted on Instagram (if the city has a star, Kris will be there).


Kris' preview: When I spoke with Kris after his excellent solo holiday show in McLean, VA last week, he seemed very excited about the shows with Jim. While not being too specific, he did indicate that he thought it would be very cool and something we'd enjoy! He did make sure that I knew that he will be singing "Jim's songs."  I told him that I personally really like A Little Bit of Christmas, and promised to bone up on the rest of Jim's catalog. Kris also tweeted a friend of mine that there will indeed be Somethin' About Christmas CDs for sale during the shows, for those who wanted to purchase those.

Update: Kris' street team tweets that Kris will be at Jim's meet and greets. I'd contact them with any questions you have about that.

What to expect from my coverage of the tour? I'm not really sure! I'd started twitter lists, but now I don't think they will be the way to go. I'm happy to say I'll be at the first show (conveniently located near my vacation home, yay), but a friend of mine who is a big Jim fan warns me that these aren't rock shows or venues and fans should not plan on streams or videos, as these venues might not permit it and it will feel out of place to do it. (Think a night at the theatre instead.) I will be sure to give you guys a good review of that show, and hopefully, it will come with a program so I can tell you what's being sung or performed and by whom after the show.

As of now, I'm not planning to make a twitter list active for each show; I don't expect live tweets from them. Instead, I will do a basic post for each show, with the information you need about it so you can know and go, and then add whatever media, etc; there is to add. (Of course if streams or videos do pop up, they'll be added too.)

Also, an admin. note: I will be on vacation in sunny Florida without a computer those first four shows, and plan to schedule those posts in advance. The main live coverage will be via my Twitter and Instagram accounts to start, with updates to the posts to follow once I'm home.

For now though, before we begin the Comfort and Joy Christmas shows, it is time to enjoy Thanksgiving with friends and family! I wish you all a wonderful holiday. - KAL