Sunday I worked with the American Idol runner up Jennifer (can't rmember last name) at a private party at a very rich people's country club in the west burbs of Chicago. The country club pres owns a retail company and had a company party, and hired and flew the act in on his private jet.
Now follow the story, it's short. But it's amazing
During the performance, Jennifer goes into the crowd to try to converse and work the audience really trying to be funny (that's not her best virtue, she should fire her idiot manager like yesterday)
ANYWAY, she starts up a Gladys Night tune,... now what follow is I swear to god the truth.
In the audience sits an Arab\Muslim woman complete with old tan Vail\head-dress.... whole nine yards. It doesn't take more then a glance to see who she is.
Jennifer walks up to several people to each sing a line int he song, then to her to see if she'll help sing the song. This woman not only knew the next line in the tune, but belted it out like any American could have.
The room dropped to it's knees in shock. I mean this crowd cut loose because it was just amazing thing to see. Jennifer follows the crowd and hands the Muslim woman the mic and she sang the whole song at the top of her lungs, a few bad notes left and right, but it just didn't matter. Every single rich snob in the room stood and gave her an ovation. Some people wiped tears from their eyes.
I know this was not a plant, I was first in and last to leave, she was just anyone....it was real and it was one of the most awesome things I've seen in the entertainment business in 28 years of being a concert audio engineer.
This is one of those memories that will stick. And the next time I get the same question asked 100000000000 times before about who's my favorite performer to worked with, she's going to be on the list.
I know it's hard to get the full picture from my text, you just have to try to imagine a Muslim woman with vail belting out Gladis Night, Midnight Train.
