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Jackie will appear at PBS TV station WQED in Pittsbugh for a 2 hour pledge drive and she will sing several songs. Tickets are $40.00 and a M&G will be scheduled. Light refreshments will be available. Even though it is billed as a "Private" event, the general public is invited. Link for tickets: http://www.wqed.org/about/events/?type=community&date=2015-02-04
Review from fischerman111:
"Here are a few thoughts/observations/memories from last night's event at the WQED studio in Pittsburgh. Sorry for the delay - this turned out to be longer than I had planned. And just to confirm what is presumably already obvious, the event was NOT broadcast on TV or radio.
First, let's get the important stuff out of the way. Len's Meet and Greet photo shows quite well how Jackie wore her hair, but despite the reddish tint to her hair color as shown in the picture, caused by the lighting, it was very blonde. I expected Jackie to be dressed rather casually, since this was a very informal setting that was not being broadcast, but as always, she wore a very beautiful dress. Len's picture has good definition, so if you click on it to open it up, and then enlarge the view, you can get a pretty good idea of what the dress was like. The beading was silvery-gray and much more "sparkley" than it shows in the picture.
Also, the dress was knee-length, with some decorative fringe along the bottom hem. Unfortunately, no photographs or videos were allowed, so it's unlikely that you'll see a full-length picture of the dress, at least not right away. The station did take several videos throughout the event, which I assume they will use in future promotional spots, so we might be able to see them in the future - if not on the Internet, at least on WQED-TV in Pittsburgh.
Jackie wore minimal jewelry - diamond studs in her ears, a single ring, with no necklace or bracelet. Her shoes, however, were spectacular. I'm not very knowledgeable about women's footwear, so I'm not sure how to describe them in words. I would call them "strappy" open-toed heels covered in rhinestones.
Now to the venue. The setup in the studio was very informal. The "stage" was a small raised platform, maybe about 8' by 10', and about 15" high. There were about 100 chairs set up in front of the platform. I was the second person in line, so I was able to sit in the front row, directly in front of the raised platform. If I stretched my legs out, I could have kicked the front of the platform. Jackie stood in the center of the platform. She was directly in front of me, no more than 10' away. It would be like having her sing in your living room.
Jackie used a hand-held mike, and sang along with recorded instrumental tracks. They kept the background tracks at a nice low level, so we could really focus on Jackie's voice. Although the setting was informal, we were in the studio of a major PBS TV and radio station, so the sound system was excellent.
So, on to the performance. Jackie sang three songs. She started with "Your Love." Even without an orchestra, or any of the other trappings of a formal concert, such as sound mixing or fancy lighting, her rendition was as moving and beautiful as ever. Watching her perform "Your Love" on the DVD often moves me to tears, but I managed to keep my emotions in check last night - I didn't want to distract anyone else - or myself, for that matter - from the performance.
Jackie then addressed the audience. She told us not to worry if we didn't understand the lyrics of the next song, because she would be singing in French. I think everyone in the audience probably knew what song she was about to sing, but just to be sure, she confirmed that she would be singing "Je t'aime." She then said that since the title means "I love you," she was dedicating the song to us, the audience, because she loved all of us. It was a very genuine and classy gesture - totally "Jackie-ish."
Despite the informal setting and small audience, her performance of "Je t'aime" was as expressive and emotionally powerful as her performance of the song at Longwood Gardens that was taped for TV and the DVD. Jackie never fails to deliver 110%. Jackie finished off the set with a soaring rendition of "Ave Maria." Three songs, three different languages!
After Jackie left the studio, there was no announcement of a "meet and greet," but one of the station representatives told me to hang around for a little while. Apparently, they wanted to wait for the audience to thin out a little bit. About 15 minutes later, the remaining audience members (maybe about 40), were asked to line up, and shortly after that, Jackie came back out into the studio, and took a seat by a tall table. A security guard stood close by, and her father stood off to the side about 10 feet away. He chatted with several fans, and I was able to say a quick hello to him.
We were reminded not to hug Jackie or put an arm around her when we posed for a picture, and we were also asked to be respectful of her time, because Jackie had school the next day (!) It was a very nice meet and greet for a couple of reasons. First, Jackie took the time to sign autographs and chatted with each of us for a few minutes if we were so inclined. Also, we weren't forced to leave the room after our turn with Jackie. We could continue to "hang out" with other fans, and watch the rest of the pictures being taken. I was at a meet and greet in Atlantic City 3 years ago, and I got about 10 seconds with Jackie, and had to leave the room immediately. This was much more relaxed and pleasant. By the way, I believe that Jackie recognized Len Rausch, because he got "special" treatment (lol) - a studio photographer videotaped him as he chatted with Jackie.(Note: I just read Len's tweets regarding the evening, and he confirmed that Jackie remembered him from prior Meet and Greets).
Finally, as I was getting ready to leave, I had an interesting experience. I was interviewed by a studio representative, and they videotaped the interview. (We were asked to sign releases before we went into the studio). I was very nervous and a bit tongue-tied, so I doubt if they will use any of the footage, but who knows? Maybe they have something like "Autotune" to make interviewees sound witty and charming!
That's about it - I think I'll end with a question. Who do you think is crazier? Me, for flying to Pittsburgh from Boston, spending the night there, and returning home today, or Len Rausch, for driving to Pittsburgh from Roanoke, Virginia and back again, making the complete round trip last night, 6 hours each way? Actually, it wouldn't surprise me if there were one or more fans there last night from this group who traveled even farther. If you're out there, and you're willing to `fess up to your insanity, come forth and be heard!"
Review from fischerman111:
"Here are a few thoughts/observations/memories from last night's event at the WQED studio in Pittsburgh. Sorry for the delay - this turned out to be longer than I had planned. And just to confirm what is presumably already obvious, the event was NOT broadcast on TV or radio.
First, let's get the important stuff out of the way. Len's Meet and Greet photo shows quite well how Jackie wore her hair, but despite the reddish tint to her hair color as shown in the picture, caused by the lighting, it was very blonde. I expected Jackie to be dressed rather casually, since this was a very informal setting that was not being broadcast, but as always, she wore a very beautiful dress. Len's picture has good definition, so if you click on it to open it up, and then enlarge the view, you can get a pretty good idea of what the dress was like. The beading was silvery-gray and much more "sparkley" than it shows in the picture.
Also, the dress was knee-length, with some decorative fringe along the bottom hem. Unfortunately, no photographs or videos were allowed, so it's unlikely that you'll see a full-length picture of the dress, at least not right away. The station did take several videos throughout the event, which I assume they will use in future promotional spots, so we might be able to see them in the future - if not on the Internet, at least on WQED-TV in Pittsburgh.
Jackie wore minimal jewelry - diamond studs in her ears, a single ring, with no necklace or bracelet. Her shoes, however, were spectacular. I'm not very knowledgeable about women's footwear, so I'm not sure how to describe them in words. I would call them "strappy" open-toed heels covered in rhinestones.
Now to the venue. The setup in the studio was very informal. The "stage" was a small raised platform, maybe about 8' by 10', and about 15" high. There were about 100 chairs set up in front of the platform. I was the second person in line, so I was able to sit in the front row, directly in front of the raised platform. If I stretched my legs out, I could have kicked the front of the platform. Jackie stood in the center of the platform. She was directly in front of me, no more than 10' away. It would be like having her sing in your living room.
Jackie used a hand-held mike, and sang along with recorded instrumental tracks. They kept the background tracks at a nice low level, so we could really focus on Jackie's voice. Although the setting was informal, we were in the studio of a major PBS TV and radio station, so the sound system was excellent.
So, on to the performance. Jackie sang three songs. She started with "Your Love." Even without an orchestra, or any of the other trappings of a formal concert, such as sound mixing or fancy lighting, her rendition was as moving and beautiful as ever. Watching her perform "Your Love" on the DVD often moves me to tears, but I managed to keep my emotions in check last night - I didn't want to distract anyone else - or myself, for that matter - from the performance.
Jackie then addressed the audience. She told us not to worry if we didn't understand the lyrics of the next song, because she would be singing in French. I think everyone in the audience probably knew what song she was about to sing, but just to be sure, she confirmed that she would be singing "Je t'aime." She then said that since the title means "I love you," she was dedicating the song to us, the audience, because she loved all of us. It was a very genuine and classy gesture - totally "Jackie-ish."
Despite the informal setting and small audience, her performance of "Je t'aime" was as expressive and emotionally powerful as her performance of the song at Longwood Gardens that was taped for TV and the DVD. Jackie never fails to deliver 110%. Jackie finished off the set with a soaring rendition of "Ave Maria." Three songs, three different languages!
After Jackie left the studio, there was no announcement of a "meet and greet," but one of the station representatives told me to hang around for a little while. Apparently, they wanted to wait for the audience to thin out a little bit. About 15 minutes later, the remaining audience members (maybe about 40), were asked to line up, and shortly after that, Jackie came back out into the studio, and took a seat by a tall table. A security guard stood close by, and her father stood off to the side about 10 feet away. He chatted with several fans, and I was able to say a quick hello to him.
We were reminded not to hug Jackie or put an arm around her when we posed for a picture, and we were also asked to be respectful of her time, because Jackie had school the next day (!) It was a very nice meet and greet for a couple of reasons. First, Jackie took the time to sign autographs and chatted with each of us for a few minutes if we were so inclined. Also, we weren't forced to leave the room after our turn with Jackie. We could continue to "hang out" with other fans, and watch the rest of the pictures being taken. I was at a meet and greet in Atlantic City 3 years ago, and I got about 10 seconds with Jackie, and had to leave the room immediately. This was much more relaxed and pleasant. By the way, I believe that Jackie recognized Len Rausch, because he got "special" treatment (lol) - a studio photographer videotaped him as he chatted with Jackie.(Note: I just read Len's tweets regarding the evening, and he confirmed that Jackie remembered him from prior Meet and Greets).
Finally, as I was getting ready to leave, I had an interesting experience. I was interviewed by a studio representative, and they videotaped the interview. (We were asked to sign releases before we went into the studio). I was very nervous and a bit tongue-tied, so I doubt if they will use any of the footage, but who knows? Maybe they have something like "Autotune" to make interviewees sound witty and charming!
That's about it - I think I'll end with a question. Who do you think is crazier? Me, for flying to Pittsburgh from Boston, spending the night there, and returning home today, or Len Rausch, for driving to Pittsburgh from Roanoke, Virginia and back again, making the complete round trip last night, 6 hours each way? Actually, it wouldn't surprise me if there were one or more fans there last night from this group who traveled even farther. If you're out there, and you're willing to `fess up to your insanity, come forth and be heard!"
