Rock Tour 2 - Walsall

After a week back in the office, the Rock team attempted to gather at the Methodist Central Hall in Walsall for 5pm on a Friday evening. These Friday night starts are always interesting, especially when they involve the M6 near Birmingham...

It was great having Ann Walters back after she missed the Aldershot and Witney performances. She was desperately needed as by the choir rehearsal we were still two dancers down - Sally and Anna were due in on the train and hadn't yet made it. Anna ran in just in time for the opening song of the rehearsal, and thankfully Sally made it by the performance. So much for Ann taking it easy!

Those of us who made it on time were treated to a wonderful meal of jacket potatoes and fillings. We also had a good look round the central hall. The auditorium itself is an interesting space with tiered seating at the back and on either side, as well as some seating on the flat in front of a low stage which normally holds the communion table, font, pulpit and lectern. It would be a perfect venue for snooker... The instrumentalists ended up being placed far up by the organ console on on the top of the tiering stage right, and the choir filled the tiered seating stage left. The audience then filled the remaining seats. Tickets sold so well some audience even ended up behind the tenors and bases!

The choir, trained by Penny King, did remarkably well. In rehearsal the men had been outnumbered - 6 men to about 80 sopranos and altos! On the night they were supplemented by a few from Kidderminster and Birmingham, and they sounded fabulous. It was great being on stage and hearing that wall of sound coming from your left.

The performance went very well. Alan, our team leader, had managed to get a seat next to his wife Sue on the front row of the audience. He generally cries whenever his daughter Rachel comes on stage, and at the crucifixion scene - but normally he is far enough away from the stage for the cast not to see...

It was also wonderful to see so many of the touring party chatting with the audience after the performance. This is something that seems to have really grown during Rock, and has led to lots of prayer ministry opportunities. God is really using the musical.

Thanks go to Penny King and her husband Peter for all their hard work, as well as the hard work of all the team supporting them. It was a great evening.