Comments about ‘Mormon Tabernacle Choir, guests unwrap musical magic’

What a great article. I can't wait to watch this production Sunday morning as part of Music and the Spoken Word. What a continuing great ambassador for the church this great choir is. As Pres. Hinckley said, "the greatest choir in the world."

Make sure you go early as traffic last night prevented some from attending.

I loved the choir!! They did a great job.... Natalie cole on the other hand....

She just didn't do very well. compared with Brian Stokes Mitchell (last years guest artist) she was NOT engaging to the audience.... and her vocals sounded screechy. I like some of her past stuff, but MAN! 80,000 people are gunna see that concert and nearly all of them be disappointed.

I attended the "dress rehearsal" last evening and was awestruck by the performances. The traffic from Orem to downtown SLC was brutal. The parking impossible, the lines into the Conference Center long and the security check tolerable. I left my home at 5:30 and got into my seat at 7:50 pm, but believe me, it was worth it. For me, Richard Elliott's organ solo, "Good King Wenceslas" stole the show. Those of you with tickets are truly fortunate.

I wish we could be there but living here in CA it would difficult. I wish "Awed in Orem" would complain...Until you live everyday and expereince the traffic in CA, you can't complain and then on top of that you are able to attend such an incrediable event...in your back yard. Please don't complain about the blessings you have.

Re: just me: Unless I missed it in the article, I didn't catch why Natalie Cole was picked in the first place. I did read how Mack Wilbert apparently contacted McCullough, but I didn't catch why Cole? Any insight? Again, can't wait to catch the broadcast Sunday morning!

I beg to differ. I was there last night and Natalie was terrific. She is not an opera singer. She is a pop and jazz artist. She did great. She was engaging and seemed to love every minute of it. Those attending are in for a treat!

OK, kids: let's not tear apart a free concert that is offered as a gift to the public.

It is a great blessing to live so close and have this opportunity. Still, it can be a very tiresome and frustrating experience just to get to the Conference Center on time and actually get a seat. I do not understand why merely stating that it was a long evening just to get there is seen as complaining by others. My sisters and I were okay with not getting seats, but we felt great sadness for the elderly couple that was in front of us all the way up the escalators to the balcony. When we got to the top, we joined a large crowd of people with nowhere to sit unless you were fortunate enough to have someone saving you a seat. This is the way it works. It says it on the tickets. But I couldn't help wondering what happened to this couple and if they lost their opportunity simply because he is unable to walk as fast as other people.

Loved the concert. But... put 22,000 in one area, add on a symphony concert blocks away and a Jazz game a few more blocks away... and expect traffic.

The Choir was fantastic. The organists rendition of Tchaikovski's Nutcracker elements... amazing. Natalie Cole... well, charming but her high notes are a bit gone and she didn't have much energy. Still, wonderful event. Fantastic in fact.

what may be needed are alpha-numeric marking of all 21,000+ seats such as is done at arenas/stadiums, thereby avoiding the frantic rushing for seats and "stampeding" by the elderly.

I am surprised the tickets didn't give a preasigned seat. It had been that way before and it worked fine, more orderly. I wish I were able to see the concert in live. I saw Natalie Cole performing with Andrea Bocelli in his Christmas show and it was just as good as it gets. And the performance of Bocelli with the Choir... pure heaven!

Not preassigned? That stinks. this time my husband will not be going with me because of his wheelchair and because of it we never have had good seats always in the back on the balcony. Which the last time I was at the conference center I asked why it is not wheelchair accessable in the front on the lower level. The excuse it wasn't necessary because of the big screens. Sorry but even people with eye problems such as myself those big screens don't work. Aren't wheelchair bound people suppost to have access to all public areas in a building?

I knew we were in trouble when we didn't leave the house in Orem until 6, but somehow we did manage to get seated by 8, partly due to my dropping the others in our group off at the Conference Center and then parking 7 blocks away.

Normally I wouldn't fight the crowds, but our daughter is one of the dancers and we would have attended had the Utah Jazz been singing with the choir. I'll agree that the organ solo was very entertaining and Ms. Cole only marginally so.

The seats are only marked for sections, so you can sit anywhere in the section as long as there is still room. Otherwise they send you to another section that's not yet full. At least that has been my experience with pretty much any event I've attended at the Conference Center. The dilemna is that they want to make sure all the seats are filled for these free concerts, so they offer standby. The tickets state on them that you are only guaranteed a seat if you are in your seat by 30 minutes prior to the start. That was 7:30 last night. On the back it states that they start standby seating at that time. However, that was not true last year when I did standby. I was about 10th in the standby line and they started seating us about 5 minutes prior to the starts. I know they waited as long as possible because there were so many people just trying to get through security into the building. I think maybe it is time to assign seats for these concerts. It's so hard to get the tickets anyway.

I have been trying for 2 years to get tickets, but they are computer generated and again was not picked. You who live in Utah...please do not complain. There are lots of us out-of-towners who would love the chance to be there. I guess I will have to wait until the CD comes out..again.

The smooth singing Natalie Cole brought the Spirit of Christmas to the Conference center with her heart felt mesmerizing rendition of The Holly and the Ivy and The Christmas Song.It is accurate to say that the other music performed by the choir was world class and inspiring.Along with the dancers and colorful scenery, everything added up to a exhilarating and very memorable evening.

It was a great concert. Quit complaining.

It was incredible, the sound was phenomenal, and Natalie's story about singing Christmas carol's with her family that her father wrote was very moving. Even though there was a serious crowd to get into the building, and even a little bit of a rush when the closed the doors, the ushers and everyone else there were helpful and kind to everyone who didn't get there quite on time. Thanks for the concert, it was truly wonderful.

Since they are free tickets, the Conference Center has a formula of what percent to "over book" the conference center. Say it is 5%. That means if everyone shows up, you won't get seated. It is a first come, first served situation. They know over the years that a certain percentage never shows up. I wish they would simply book 100% (nothing over) and let standby have the seats that are left. It would still fill up. The standby last night didn't let one person in. Not sure what happened tonight.

Oh well, it is an incredible event. But get there VERY early or your ticket is useless.

Pay for the tickets, I see you have a beef. But Free is free :)