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Eric Visits Local Kids Performing "Footloose"


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I agree Bernie, I would have liked to "hear" him at the piano. But ask the parents of the kids who were shown...I'm sure they'd beg to differ with me. wink

However, it was a wonderful sound bite of Eric looking ever so handsome and sounding ever so...."schmexy!"

And yes Catnip...a beautiful heart really does go along with a beautiful man, inside and out.

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To answer some of the questions about Eric's visit with the Cleveland kids performing "Footloose" this week, I'll start by saying he was just terrific. I had the privilege of meeting him in the parking lot, introducing him to the company, and holding the mic when he decided to sing "Almost Paradise" at the piano!

What most people may not know is that not only did Eric visit the kids, but he also provided a written piece for our teacher prepartion guide where he told how he and Dean Pitchford wrote "Almost Paradise," the love theme from "Footloose."

After the introduction, Eric told the kids the story of writing "Almost Paradise," adding a few tidbits not in the written guide, then he spoke about songwriting in general.

As he was talking, he impromptu got up and went to the piano, and the kids burst into applause. I quickly turned the piano sideways so the kids could better see him at the keyboard.

Applause broke out when he started playing. He played pieces from "All By Myself," discussing how he composed it, the classical influences, etc. I then asked him if he would sing "Go All The Way," as it was the 40th anniversary of that record's release, and he sang and played a few verses and chorus (explaining that he wrote the shortest verse ever so the record execs would hear his chorus 45 seconds into the song - it worked!). Finally, the kids asked him to sing "Almost Paradise," which a talented duo had earlier performed for him. Can you imagine performing "Almost Paradise" for Eric Carmen? Well those two high school kids did, and were just terrific! The entire company also performed the opening number from "Footloose" for Eric, who was an attentive audience!

Eric was so gracious with his time and talent, I'm so grateful he's bringing his family to the show. He gave those kids insights they will never forget.

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To answer some of the questions about Eric's visit with the Cleveland kids performing "Footloose" this week, I'll start by saying he was just terrific. I had the privilege of meeting him in the parking lot, introducing him to the company, and holding the mic when he decided to sing "Almost Paradise" at the piano!

What most people may not know is that not only did Eric visit the kids, but he also provided a written piece for our teacher prepartion guide where he told how he and Dean Pitchford wrote "Almost Paradise," the love theme from "Footloose."

After the introduction, Eric told the kids the story of writing "Almost Paradise," adding a few tidbits not in the written guide, then he spoke about songwriting in general.

As he was talking, he impromptu got up and went to the piano, and the kids burst into applause. I quickly turned the piano sideways so the kids could better see him at the keyboard.

Applause broke out when he started playing. He played pieces from "All By Myself," discussing how he composed it, the classical influences, etc. I then asked him if he would sing "Go All The Way," as it was the 40th anniversary of that record's release, and he sang and played a few verses and chorus (explaining that he wrote the shortest verse ever so the record execs would hear his chorus 45 seconds into the song - it worked!). Finally, the kids asked him to sing "Almost Paradise," which a talented duo had earlier performed for him. Can you imagine performing "Almost Paradise" for Eric Carmen? Well those two high school kids did, and were just terrific! The entire company also performed the opening number from "Footloose" for Eric, who was an attentive audience!

Eric was so gracious with his time and talent, I'm so grateful he's bringing his family to the show. He gave those kids insights they will never forget.

Great post! Thank you for the details and description. Man, that must have been a kick to hear Eric perform in such an intimate setting. I saw Billy Joel do that sort of thing, though it was in a slightly bigger setting --- but he talked about how he wrote certain songs ("Summer Highland Falls" among them) and about how the Beatles and J.S. Bach influenced him, and he played piano to illustrate his points.

Anyway, sounds like it was an unforgettable afternoon for all those kids. Thanks again. (And welcome, too!)

Best,

Larry

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Dan E. Buoy,

Thank you so much for taking the time to share about Eric's visit! You have found the right audience; we appreciate every little detail about what Eric is up to. What a wonderful thing for you and those students; who knows what this might inspire one of them to do?

:thanx: Jean

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