He did it again...

Sitting in my bedroom after a long day of festivities and excitement, I was comforted by the memories I had made only a few hours earlier. I could not help but smile as I recalled that rush of adrenaline that flows through my body when watching Barry work his craft in such a new and exciting way that it seems as though the familiar songs I love, are in fact foreign. With each performance comes a memory I will always cherish and with each memory my love and amazement for the musician and performer Barry is only grows stronger.

I sat there in pure amazement as I watched him, it really is indescribable the feeling that accompanies Barry's performances. It is that feeling I experience when I cannot believe he is actually in front of me when seeing him in concert or elsewhere. Though he was not in front of me in person, the magic he is able to bring forth through his music and his electrifying stage presence, it feels as though he is.

People have always asked me why I would want to see him in concert as often as I do, as he sings the same songs and it all seems the same. The truth is, it is not. With each performance he seems to reinvent familiar songs such as "It's a Miracle" or "This One's For You." To me it is a mystery to how he does it, but when watching the opening medley last night, it felt as though I was seeing him perform those songs for the first time. Perhaps it was the beautiful symphony accompanying him or the occasion he was performing for, but whatever it was it had an impact on me that made me realize why I am truly a fan of his. It always has been and will always be his ability to make you "feel" something. He made those songs into patriotic themes rather than love songs. Each song became a song of hope, something that cannot be easily done with songs such as "Somewhere in the Night."

The moment though that truly took my breath away was "Let Freedom Ring." I have seen videos of him performing that song in the past such as President Clinton's inauguration, but never like this. With the combination of the fireworks encircling the Washington Monument and Barry's compelling patriotic theme, I was truly speechless. I sat there stunned for a few minutes after he had left the stage because the music was just so beautiful and left you thinking for a moment because the message of the song speaks volumes. I believe it was apparent through his performance how thrilled he was to have a whole symphony playing the very notes he wrote and how honored he was to be performing at a place with such symbolic scenary surrounding him.

This was a truly astounding performance that perhaps even made some people look at him again as something else besides some "cheesy romantic." Who knows, but I know that he never ceases to amaze me. Through performances like this I am reminded why his music captured my heart over a year and a half ago. He makes you forget the bad, remember the good, and most of all learn that music will always be a part of you.