Long ago, the bright shining Christmas Star inspired and compelled people to
travel from afar to follow it. At Christmas 1997, another bright shining
star, Bobbie Eakes, inspired and compelled people to travel from afar
(Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Switzerland, and the United
States) to follow her to the concerts she performed with Jeff Trachta in 15
different cities in the Netherlands. There are also many Dutch people who
traveled long distances to attend multiple concerts of Bobbie and Jeff.
The opening acts have warmed up the audience and we wait in eager anticipation for the first sight of Bobbie. The Daylight Super Band plays the very familiar Bold and Beautiful music, and offstage we hear the opening bars of "Everlasting Love," sung by Jeff Trachta and then Bobbie Eakes. Then, suddenly they appear on stage in front of us in full song, and the night of magic begins. Bobbie sings with Jeff the songs we all love and know so well from their previous concerts and their CDs. It is truly wonderful to once again see Bobbie and Jeff and enjoy them singing together in concert.
The real treat, however, comes after intermission when each of these talented performers presents their solo work. Out of the darkness, with a fiery flash, in a breathtaking, stunning red pantsuit, Bobbie bursts on to the stage and into song, with "Father Sun" a wonderful up tempo number - a song from Wyoming. Immediately, the crowd responds in spontaneous delight and everyone enjoys this great opening number for Bobbie’s solo piece. Seats are not needed - everyone is on their feet, screaming and applauding.
The next song Bobbie sings is "How Do I Live?" On Christmas Day, René Froger
joined Bobbie and they sang it as a duet. (Look for the duet on René’s CD
"Home Again" - a new CD, which has already gone gold! René is one of
Holland’s most popular singers.) Others have sung this beautiful song, but
no-one can sing it like Bobbie!!!
Christmas Day 1997 will always be very special to me because it is the first concert I attended, and it is also the first time I heard Bobbie sing my favorite Christmas carol, "Silent Night." At most of the concerts, Bobbie is able to find a small child in the audience to come up on stage with her for this carol. Bobbie also had a little remote-controlled Christmas tree that moves across the stage and even manages to bow. Both the child and the little "Kerstboom" are real winners. However, the real star is Bobbie herself - the power and purity of her voice singing this beautiful carol is so moving, it sends shivers down my spine and brings tears to my eyes. I will never be able to listen to this carol again without remembering and ‘hearing’ Bobbie singing it. After one concert, I remarked to David, Bobbie’s husband, that it gave me shivers down my spine. He smiled and said "Me too" and then I realized that everyone in the theatre felt those shivers. "Silent Night" - ‘silent’ indeed - the audience listened in hushed wonderment!
One of my favorite songs comes next! This is where Bobbie really demonstrates her
strength as a powerful singer and her artistry as an actress to
bring to life "What a Feeling" from the movie Flashdance. Her energy and
vitality swiftly spreads through the whole theatre and brings the entire
audience to its feet, dancing, singing along. At the peak of the song, Bobbie
invites a male audience member to come onstage and dance with her. A surge of
energy explodes into a rain of confetti as the audience sings, dances,
screams, applauds…and so concludes Bobbie’s solo section of the program.
Later in the program, Bobbie sings a very beautiful duet with Dutch singer, Erikah Karst - "Does He Love Me?" - words that definitely touch many of us. Their voices blend beautifully, while each still retains its own unique identity.
The costumes Bobbie wore for this tour were nothing short of spectacular. Of course, Bobbie would look beautiful in anything, but her costumes were gorgeous, ranging from the pure white pants and top she opened with, to several other pant outfits which were all very creative (OK, sexy - only someone in really great shape could wear these outfits, and Bobbie certainly can!). My favorite is the red pantsuit outfit she wore for the Flashdance number. The cutest was definitely her Christmas dress - red with white trim and a hat to match. Each costume seemed perfectly matched to the song she was performing. I hope those reading this have seen photos because it’s really hard to do justice to this gorgeous collection and the beautiful Bobbie in mere words!
What makes Bobbie so special in live performance, is her sheer talent. Her energy and vitality combined with an extraordinary voice truly make her a star. Her voice has the classical purity and clarity of a choir boy, and at the same time, the power and impact of a rock singer. Bobbie sings with an expressive, passionate quality in her interpretation of a song’s lyrics, and masters technical challenges with breathtaking ease and grace.
Bobbie Eakes - a natural exquisite talent, a Star that shines so brightly all around the world, in her music, and in her role as "Macy" on The Bold and The Beautiful; adored by fans worldwide, who wait in eager anticipation for her CD album and look forward to seeing "Macy" and her continuing adventures on The Bold and The Beautiful!
Photo credits:
All photos: Bobbie Eakes (by Inge Schepers)
Text...
Written by Dawn King
