Reviewer: Chloë Cerva
Venue: The Temple Theatre
The Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra traded its usual concert-hall seriousness for something much closer to a rock show Friday night at Saginaw’s Temple Theatre. Joined by Canadian rock ensemble Peter Brennan’s Jeans ‘n Classics and, for the Queen portion of the evening, the Saginaw Choral Society, the orchestra brought a lively night of classic rock that had the audience singing, wiggling, and buzzing from beginning to end.
The first half of the evening was dedicated to Journey, with a string of nine favorites, including “Anyway You Want It”, “Lights”, “Open Arms”, building toward the inevitable crowd-pleaser, “Don’t Stop Believin’.” Everyone knew it was coming and just like a lively wedding or a Karaoke bar on a Saturday night, the audience sang out all the words together openly and excitedly. The combination of the rock band and the symphony orchestra gave these songs a larger, fuller sound while still preserving the driving guitar, bass, synths, and drums that makes Journey so recognizable. Rainbow colored lighting that changed through each song transformed the theater into a proper rock venue. The energy in the room was unmistakable going into intermission. The concession line was buzzing, people grabbing snacks and drinks and chattering about how impressive the show was.
The second half was dedicated to Queen!
As someone who is more of a Queen fan, the second half felt especially exciting. Queen’s music has a playfulness and theatricality that makes it feel wonderfully unpredictable. The lyrics are sung in a seductive, eccentric style and I find their music quirky in the best way. That personality came through beautifully in the performance. The vocalist was remarkable, having incredible range and endurance. There were moments I would close my eyes and it felt like I was listening to Freddie Mercury belting out top notes at Live Aid in 1985. The Saginaw Choral Society added tremendous depth to the arrangements, while the symphony gave the songs an expansive, almost cinematic quality.
During the song “Don’t Stop Me Now” the performers incorporated choreography that got the audience involved, and everyone around me in the audience was into it and doing the moves. It was clear the performers were having a blast, dancing around, even Fouad Fakhouri, our music director and conductor, was wearing his Queen T-Shirt. The end of the show was “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which was exactly the kind of grand finale the concert needed. When the final notes ended, the crowd immediately rose to its feet in a standing ovation. The applause was enough to bring the singer back out to give us one more treat, an encore of the hit song “Fat Bottomed Girls,” sending everyone home on an appropriately rowdy note.
Lot’s of lovers holding hands walking out of the venue, some wearing studded heels or leather pants. The overall mood felt genuinely joyful. The musicians were still bringing the precision and talent of a symphony orchestra, but they were clearly giving themselves permission to let loose. It was a reminder that orchestral music doesn’t always have to be extremely formal or solemn. Sometimes, it can simply be loud, colorful, ridiculous, beautiful and a whole lot of fun.