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12th August 2011

USA Tour 2011 – Part Four

Saturday we spent all day in our Four Seasons amazing hotel/spa place, which was apparently the sixth best resort in the whole of the U.S!  Well, it might as well have been first, with all the facilities available: huge tennis courts, about four swimming pools, many squash and racquetball courts, and of course the gym. There were also some saunas and Jacuzzis to look forward to in addition to these delights. So we spent the whole day making what we could of these sporting areas of joy, and we made use of the luxurious, cooling swimming pools – although, the Jacuzzi was WAY too hot, so we almost blistered in it!  But at least it made the outside normal temperature seem colder, if that’s even possible (outside was above 110oF).  Anyway, after the conventional splash about in the pool, we prepared for dinner at another buffet-ish place, but it had really nice ice cream instead of the usual fake stuff you get in those places.   We had to go to bed reasonably early because tomorrow’s start was at some unreasonable, ungodly hour…

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Being 6:30am in the summer may be quite bright, however the dark bags under our eyes did not compliment this.  The reason we were up so early was because we were due to go and join in two morning services at the Stonebriar Community Church.  We had a break between the services for croissants and juice. Between the services we went and handed flyers out to people who were leaving to advertise our concert there in the evening.  After the services we went to an old Libera favourite – Barnes and Noble.

However, one curious novelty was that we did not have our blue shirts with us; we had left our hotel wearing our robes, so we went shopping around the bookstore in our robes!

Many a surprised and questioning look was directed at us, and we were asked by loads of people why we were dressed the way we were. Hopefully that attracted some more people to come to the concert that night!  Speaking of which, in the afternoon we had a sound check, as per usual, and then the performance an hour or so later.

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An interesting feature of this church was that was rather theatre-like in appearance. So there was not a massive acoustic like in the basilica!  However, the concert went very well.  In fact, it is possible to say it was the best one of the tour so far! We had a signing afterwards, which is always fun – and many of us got to write on people’s phones or bags! That was rather a new thing, however the craze soon caught on!

The next day was a travel day, meaning that quite a lot of it was spent on the coach. Although, in the morning we used the pool and sports facilities again before we left.

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Anyway, we arrived in Houston to a pleasant surprise: the Cracker Barrel for dinner. You know, we wish so much that they had that food chain back home. Anyway, as we approached our hotel, we found out Four Seasons also owned this one!  What rapture and delight exceeded the boundaries of the coach cannot be described as we pulled up outside.Oh, happy day!  Well, night, as by the time we checked in and got to the rooms (which were outstandingly lavish) we just went to sleep. Ah, how comfortable those beds were! As you can see, the stresses of touring are just more than a man can bear.

We had a concert on Tuesday, however in the morning we went to a science museum and saw many fossils and skeletons of prehistoric animals. It was very interesting. We learnt all about the Triassic, Jurassic and Crustaceous periods before mammalian life forms. But anyway, lest you become a fossil from listening to this boring gabble, let me inform you that we also saw a 3-D film about the development of sea creatures, from the early days to the extinction of dinosaurs (that’s 65million years ago, just in case you thought we weren’t paying attention). It was really cool, though whoever wrote the dialogue for the narrator should be locked up. It was drivel. Anywho, later on we went to the Tallowood Baptist Church to sing our final concert of the tour.

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But before the performance, we had a look behind the scenes at what goes on. So we had a look at the lighting desk, and we were told all about what buttons do what to create that fantastic light display you see at out concerts. We also got to have a look at the microphone pickup-type thingumajigs, and the different wave frequencies for each separate microphone used on stage.Lastly we got to look at the sound-mixing desk, the biggest of them all, which is where all the sound levels are controlled.   After that we prepared for the final concert of our third US tour. A sad and yet glorious moment. We said thanks to all our fans afterwards at the signing, and had to wave goodbye for the last time that tour. A perfect end to an exceedingly successful tour.

Wait, did you think it was over?! Just like that?! NO, we still have one more day to cover; our traveling day, our journey home! It actually started pretty dramatically – two rooms received wake-up calls from reception at absurd hours! They were Sammy and Jakob’s room, and also the room containing Liam, Josh and Sam. What was worse was that, at 6.30am, the latter room got dressed, had showers and everything, and went down to reception and waited for ages for the rest of the group! Then, with a horrible sinking feeling, they realised that they weren’t coming, because they weren’t awake yet! So they complained of this misfortune bitterly at reception, then went up to their floor again to catch some sleep before being woken up at the proper time. However, it was only a short amount of time before this actually happened. So after that bothersome escapade, we packed our suitcases for the last time and left our rooms. Then we boarded the coach and drove to the airport. The notoriety of the amazing security system at American Airports is well known amongst us Brits, however it wasn’t as bad as we expected it to be. We managed to get the whole ordeal over and done with in about a half hour. And so, after a short delay due to circumstances beyond our control (the plane was late) we boarded and began our flight to Dulles Airport, Washington D.C.  Going back to the main story, that’s where I started writing this part of the blog. I’ll be adding to it, of course, as the day progresses, and I should finish by the time we get home. But for now I think I’ll go back to my Sherlock Holmes Collection (which I bought in beloved Barnes and Noble!)…


33 Comments on “USA Tour 2011 – Part Four

Hal Sanguinetti
13th August 2011 at 12:19 am

Amazingly entertaining blog, thank you very much. I do a travel blog when I’m in Europe, and I found yours to be very entertaining! Of course, the St Louis concert I attended (my FIRST Libera concert) was the highlight of the summer, in spite of not lasting nearly long enough. I enjoyed meeting you guys and hope to someday attend another concert. In the meantime, PLEASE continue to blog, even for local events – you write very well, especially for someone who is younger. I can only wish American kids your age would be able to write so well. Brilliant!

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Sandra
13th August 2011 at 12:34 am

What a cheery blog entry!

Let’s get “crackin’ ” — time to start planning the FOURTH US tour. . . If you could get away from school and come in mid-February, San Antonio, TX would surely love to host you at the Texas Music Educators Association Convention. Perhaps that’s wishful thinking – but isn’t a wish where all good things are rooted?

I feel so honoured and grateful to have been able to make the journey out to see/hear you gentlemen in Houston. You truly are exemplary stewards of musical culture, touching hearts, minds and souls around the world!

God bless you and your families! ♥♫♥

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Natsumi
13th August 2011 at 12:55 am

THIS WAS SOO FUNNY 😀
please please please tell me who writes these pleaseeeee
and i feel so sorry for Sam, Sammy, jacob, Josh and Liam, for being woken up early…:(
i always enjoy reading ur blogs 😀
thank u sooo much for posting this

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Tery Tschopp
13th August 2011 at 1:11 am

Hi Libera: Thanks again for this wonderful accounting of your stay here. I’m glad you enjoyed it and of course, you guys are welcome back anytime 🙂

Best Wish’s,

Terry

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bar
13th August 2011 at 1:39 am

Whoever is writing this, you are extraordinarily articulate for your age! Keep smiling, keep singing, keep writing!

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Dianne Hansberyr
13th August 2011 at 2:39 am

What a marvellous experience for you all with all the extras such as the museums, book stores and lovely hotels! Good luck to you all! I so love your music and hope you could manage a trip all the way to Downunder, very soon!

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Dozbik
13th August 2011 at 3:12 am

So Josh actually participated in the tour? I’m surprised… I thought he was not doing that anymore… what role did he have? Was he actually singing? 🙂

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Jay Henson
13th August 2011 at 4:04 am

Thank you again for a wonderful read. For many of us, this is the part we look forward to the most (well second most) to read how you put your touring adventures into words. Though you probably don’t have any say in where you get to tour, thank you for coming to Texas once again. I just heard that someone got a tweet that you all made it home safely so a collective sigh of relief from this side of the pond. Until next time..

May the road rise up to meet you…….

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Rebecca W
13th August 2011 at 4:28 am

Thanks for another fantastic blog entry! Sounds like a great end to the tour! Both the Frisco and Houston concerts were amazing, and ya’ll don’t even know how thrilled I was to meet you guys!! Also, I hope you all liked the passport I made for Moose! 😀
Lots of love, Rebecca

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Thomas Snyder
13th August 2011 at 5:03 am

I really enjoyed your performance in Houston at Tallowood church. Meeting each and everyone of you at the signing. I also felt privileged to a short visit with Benedict’s mom and sister up in the nose bleed section of the church. It was GREAT!!!

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Melody
13th August 2011 at 6:02 am

Great article…awesome USA tour~~

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Ian Wotherspoon
13th August 2011 at 7:02 am

I have enjoyed reading the account of your latest tour of the U.S. so very much and just wanted to thank you for taking the time to put all this down in print so we could hear all about the part of Libera we never see but that you experience everytime you are on tour. With every chapter it’s something new and you always put a smile on my face when I read about what you guys did during each tour.

Please don’t ever stop with the reports and make sure that whoever takes over writing these is as clever with their writing as you are.

To every boy who sings in Libera I just want to give you a big THANK YOU for everything, you guys are totally Awesome and I hope and pray I will get to see you again….sometime.

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Patrick
13th August 2011 at 10:12 am

Wow, such a great blog !! 🙂

Thank you very much Libera for this splendid tour 😀
Hope to see and hear you soon 🙂

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Yuni Maria Luisiana
13th August 2011 at 10:18 am

I’m looking forward to the final part! 🙂

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Maarten Das
13th August 2011 at 1:44 pm

Looks like you, mystery blog writer whoever you are, also picked up the art of storytelling from Barnes & Noble 🙂
Thanks for sharing all your adventures with us so far. And I’m glad you were all safe throughout! 🙂

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Mickey
13th August 2011 at 2:54 pm

Dear Libera,
did you have a nice trip back home and join your family by now?

Thank you for sharing your experiences with us.
I really enjoyed your stories and latest photos.
And I feel sorry for the boys who got a wrong wake up call.

Looking forward to seeing you all in Japan next year.

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colin birchnall
13th August 2011 at 7:51 pm

I look forward to the time when you preform in the UK again

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Bob Hutsler
13th August 2011 at 8:05 pm

Glad to hear you survived the Texas heat. And, thanks again for your Frisco performance. Yes, it is somewhat of a different arrangement, more theatrical, than ecclesiastical, but you guys were great. By the way, I doubt if you got to use them, but the seating was luxurious, better than any seat I have ever seen in a church. No wooden pews there!

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Uwe Ranft
13th August 2011 at 9:43 pm

Many thanks for your detailed blog! So we -staying home, not being able to visit your concerts – may feel as being part of the tour. It would be nice seeing you in Germany, too, so that we could be a real part of one of your tours! By the way – your blog is very useful in our English lessons! German pupils can read a text, written by a “real English boy” and not from our English books. Could you tell us who is writing the blog? I would bet, it’s Ben – right?
Greetings from Germany -and God bles you!

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Leah Gonzales
13th August 2011 at 9:57 pm

Always love reading your blog! FYI-I was the one who started the bag/purse signing-(I had the older boys sign my purse, and Liam christened it “The LIbera Bag”. He even wrote those exact words on it)!! It’s nice to be mentioned in a round-about way. Y’all come back soon!!

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sg
13th August 2011 at 11:31 pm

Your concert in Frisco was FANTASTIC; my favorite yet. Thank you for traveling so very far to share your music and company. It is such a privilege for your fans in the U.S. I hope that all of you were made to feel welcome during your stay. What a great time!

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Kelly
14th August 2011 at 2:33 am

I just wanted to say how amazed I was to be able to see you guys in Frisco last Sunday. It was probably one of the best things I’ve experienced this year. The other would be the Harry Potter park the weekend before in Orlando. Both brilliant! I really wasn’t sure what to expect, I just knew that your songs are one of the most calming things I can listen to while driving in Dallas traffic. Also I was really impressed how friendly the guys were at the signing afterword. Everyone of you seemed genuinley happy to meet each of us. I just thought I would say I appreciate you dealing with the Summer Texas heat to give us such a show. And by the way, I just read all those blogs and that was greatness. Good job sir. Good job.

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Hannah Kirstin
14th August 2011 at 9:51 am

Excellent writing! Thank you for so articulately sharing your tour experiences with us fans. Like Maarten above said, you’re a master storyteller! Looking forward to the next blog entry. Hope you all enjoy the rest of your summer holidays, lads of Libera! 😉

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Tony Luckwill
14th August 2011 at 6:35 pm

Thanks, boys, for the in-depth blogs! Always well worth reading, and it lets us (your fans) really see how you enjoyed the tour so much! Hope to see you in Ireland or Europe again before long!

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Abby
14th August 2011 at 11:09 pm

Hooray for Barnes and Noble! Have fun with your Sherlock Holmes stories, they are very good. Thank you all for your wonderful music, and please come back to the US soon!

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Guillermo Moran-Arreola
15th August 2011 at 7:00 am

Please come to San Diego someday. Perhaps St. James by the Sea in La Jolla would be a good venue. You are all amazing and your voices have touched me to the very depths of my heart.

Thank you.

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Abie
16th August 2011 at 4:21 am

I’ve enjoyed ready your blogs especially this one. We miss you here in the Philippines already! Hope to see you again in Manila!

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Nestor De Veyra
16th August 2011 at 2:15 pm

I am 56. I remember those days I was singing soprano as a tiples in our choir in the seminary.

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Tara
17th August 2011 at 6:46 pm

WOW!! ya’ll are so much more amazing to see in concert than i ever imagined! Tallowood was my first Libera concert and hopefully not the last!come to San Antonio like Sandra said above!!

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Lori
7th September 2011 at 10:04 pm

I have just discovered your choir and am so grateful my ten year old son can hear boys just like him singing songs that he loves. He has connected with you all and wishes he were in South London to join you. He sings here in Charlotte, NC and we would love to host your choir. Charlotte has more churches than any other American city and you would be welcome at almost every single one. Your voices bring life to people of all ages. Thank you for your hard work and dedication and for sharing your gift of voice to so many.

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robert c. crume
4th November 2011 at 7:16 pm

glad to see(by your writings) that you all did have some good times here in the states. i had so much wanted to come to program in St. Louis, Mo. when you were there; unfortunely I didn’t have the money needed to get there, and then see the program. when found your music on enternet, i was feeling really down. then your music made me feel so much better, and the feeling of ending it all, went away. am glad that i can enjoy your great music now. THANKS SO MUCH GOD LOVE YOU ALL, AND SO DO I. your friend bob. maybe someday I’ll get to make it to 1 of your concerts. keep up your good work. and contiunue to bless other.

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Sarah Batres
22nd December 2011 at 9:55 pm

I enjoyed reading your blog so much and hope to see you again in Texas!!! Thank you so much for bringing joy to all of us here.

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PRISCILLA EDUSAH
20th June 2012 at 10:47 am

no doubt,you guys are amazing……..josh,tom.edward,ben and all the crew……my kids are difinately joining you someday,that’s my dream,for you to keep on keeping on.God bless and protect u alllllll

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