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6th August 2011

USA Tour 2011 – Part Two

Friday was a ‘concert day’ for us. A ‘concert day’ consists of relaxation in the morning, followed by a big lunch and a sound check in the afternoon. In the morning we went to the Minneapolis Media Institute, where we saw loads of iMacs, mixing desks, and tons of electronic music gear where students learn how to mix a song for release on radio or CD. It was really good and interesting, particularly for us boys who are interested in carrying on and using these for our own ends eventually.

We were also treated to a mini jazz concert performed by Paul Peterson – who had been the conductor at the Starkey concert – playing bass, his mother (an amazing jazz pianist), Simon (our drummer who specialises in jazz), and the famous singer Tom Tipton! So it was a great, music-packed morning. But the afternoon yielded only our musical fruit, for we had a sound check and a concert to do. The venue for this concert was the Cathedral of Saint Paul. What a beautiful building. Honestly, it was so grand, so spacious, and the acoustic was fantastic. It really added to our ethereal sound; plainsong-based songs like Lamentione and Te Lucis really stood out and sounded magical. And we had an excellent turnout, considering the size of the place! It was a very successful concert.

Well, that was two concerts down, and a gala performance. The next day we drove up to Chicago, Illinois. It took most of the day, but it wasn’t so bad; we had Happy Feet on DVD to watch, besides many more films, and a few people (like myself) slept throughout. Except for lunch, where we stopped off at our beloved Cracker Barrel. If it has not been aforementioned, the Cracker Barrel is our favourite stop-off place on long-haul coach journeys. Anyway, when we got close enough we could see the Willis and John Hancock towers peaking out over the horizon. Another amazing thing we experienced in Chicago was the Ritz Hotel where we stayed – whose chain, Four Seasons, have given us a lot of help for the whole tour. Even luxury is not a luxurious enough word to describe the place! It was posh down to the shaving cream and little tubs of complimentary shampoo! And the view from every window was amazing – but that is because Chicago is a beautiful city.

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We woke up quite early on Sunday morning to go to the Moody Church. It was a spectacular and unusual church; it’s shaped like a big tent, like the ones D. L. Moody used to preach in in the 1800s. It’s got quite a low ceiling, but it’s very wide and sort of domed. And it’s also made out of brick, which are a very humble material to make a church out of. We were there to sing a few things in the service: Gloria, Exultate, Glory to Thee and How Shall I Sing. They all went down very well with the congregation. Everyone there was so welcoming and it made us feel less nervous when up on stage. The rest of the day was normal ‘concert day’ routine, and we did a concert in the Rockefeller chapel, near where President Barrack Obama grew up. We saw some faces from the service in the morning at the concert, which was encouraging, and also our faithful fans who are always there. That concert went smoothly as well, and the grandeur of the place certainly enriched the atmosphere.

The next day was a fairly late start, followed by a trip to the big Science Museum in Chicago. We spent most of the day there, because it was so big – and we STILL didn’t manage to see everything! One really cool part was a toy-making machine, and you could make your own gyroscope-spinning-top-type-thing (I don’t really know what it is, but when it spins on the inside the outside remains still and it can balance on a fine tip). That was really cool. There was also a really interesting exhibition on the U-boats used by the Nazis in WWII, and there was an enormous one in another room, which the Americans had captured.

It was all really interesting and lots of fun; most of it was interactive, so you really felt like you were a part of what was going on.

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After the Museum we went on a 90-minute boat ride down the Chicago river. It’s amazing – if you’re in Chicago, I would recommend it! To your left and right there are fantastic buildings, and then you go out from the lock into the lake where you can see the whole of Chicago – we went just as the sun touched the horizon, which was really beautiful. Afterwards we went to a buffet where two women had an argument towards the end, and one threw a chair so the police were called, which wasn’t so beautiful. But it was funny from a safe distance!

 


16 Comments on “USA Tour 2011 – Part Two

Yuni Maria
6th August 2011 at 1:55 pm

Another great writing. 🙂

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Maarten Das
6th August 2011 at 2:29 pm

Once again, nice blog! Stone is indeed a humble material to build a church out of – you should come to my domed brick parish church in Utrecht 😀

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Mery Dewi Hutahaean
6th August 2011 at 3:11 pm

Glad to know that you had so much fun , lads! Keep spreading the good music to touch people’s heart. Wish you will come to Indonesia one day, please let me know if you will 🙂

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Natsumi
6th August 2011 at 3:30 pm

Whoa it sounds like u guys enjoyed your trip to Chicago and St. Paul 🙂
and the last bit on the buffet fight is hilarious and im glad y’all were safe, but ur concert was AMAZING XD

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Robert Cooper
6th August 2011 at 4:24 pm

Libera Boys, I love your blog. It makes us feel your joy at what you do, not just in the performing, but in all the other parts of tour as well. Thank you for taking the time to put it all down and with such expression. Looking forward to the next installment.

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Liv
6th August 2011 at 5:21 pm

HILARIOUS!! Really, quite well-written and loads of fun to read. I really enjoyed this! Good job, whoever the writer is. You boys sound like you’re having tons of fun. I’m glad you’re enjoying the US! 🙂
Keep up the good (and always amazing) work!

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Michael
7th August 2011 at 7:16 am

Thanks for the great report. Appreciate you’re still writing while on tour. Looking forward to the concert in Frisco this night. I hope you get the chance to do a M&G again 🙂

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Jay
7th August 2011 at 1:03 pm

I am looking forward to tonight’s show in Frisco. I saw you last year in Dallas and I hope to be at every show that you bring here (or at least every North Texas show). I can never thank you enough for what you give to us but know that I, and many others, will be forever grateful for the peace you bring us through your music.

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Antonio Volnei de Campos
7th August 2011 at 11:17 pm

Looking for a certain Abba song on youtube, I came across this video a group that immediately fascinated me. I had the curiosity to look more and more each new video was satisfeito.Gostaria to congratulate you for this wonderful work and I hope that one day will be presented in Brazil so I can watch them pessoalmente.Para able to communicate with you I used a Google translation feature for this reason my English may not be perfect since it does not Domino. No more a big hug to these wonderful singing angels

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Libera Fans UK
7th August 2011 at 11:58 pm

Thank you boys for your Blogs, it is always great to hear from you, keep safe and have a great tour.

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Tom Snyder
8th August 2011 at 2:26 am

Been a fan for years! I hope to see you all in Houston this week. You all are great!!

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monique
8th August 2011 at 2:30 am

You made it to Frisco!!! I have loved ya’ll for so long! Tonight even though I am not able to be with you I am in spirit. Strickly financial reasons I am afraid. Every consider giving away a ticket to your faithful? As I am listening and dreaming of what it must be like listening to you in person, my heart fills with gratitude. “Be still my soul” I know in my heart that I will see you someday. As I imagine leaving walking on air, as I hope that many tonight will be doing right now as it’s about time for your ending songs. THANK YOU for coming to Frisco. Braving the heat even though you probally had no clue it could be so hot in Texas. Libera you are comfort to me in some of my darkest moments. Thanks for “stay with me” can you guess I am listening to The best of Libera disc 2? I will surely check to see how it went for you on this year’s tour, especially how you liked Frisco.

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Cara
8th August 2011 at 6:15 am

Literally laughed out loud at this one. Glad you’re having a great tour, seeing lots of cool sites, and avoiding MOST of the trouble. 🙂 Keep singing!

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frater
8th August 2011 at 7:09 am

LIBERA IS THE BEST OF THE BEST!!!!! GO AHEAD CHAMPIONS , GOD IS WITH YOU!

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Laura
12th August 2011 at 8:43 pm

Cracker Barrel is one of my favorites, too!

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Fanuel Jeane
5th September 2011 at 4:40 pm

Well, i think i agreed with all the comments here, you are blessing everyday 😀
hope you can come and have fun in Indonesia..
God Bless.. :))

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