Music lovers are steppin' out this December 1, 2024 evening at Englewood, NJ's BergenPAC for a concert of holiday favorites and musical theater classics performed by recording artist and Broadway star, Linda Eder.
Born in Tucson, Arizona in 1961, Eder was raised in Minnesota where her parents exposed her to music at an early age. A fan of Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand, Eder sang in clubs in Minneapolis and Atlantic City before winning the TV talent competition, Star Search.
Eder launched her recording career in America with her 1991 eponymous debut album, Linda Eder, and went on to star in the Broadway production of Jekyll and Hyde — created by composer Frank Wildhorn — where she won the 1997 Theater World Award for Best Broadway Debut.
Along with such popular holiday recordings as 2000’s Christmas Stays the Same and 2013’s Christmas Where You Are, Eder’s catalog includes her latest release, 2024’s The Other Side of Me — Live in Concert.
Inside the BergenPAC auditorium, the house lights dim and the members of the BergenPAC Broadway Youth Ensemble entertain tonight’s audience with a selection of holiday songs including “Silent Night,” “Holiday Time in Hawaii,” and “Carol of the Bells.”
Brimming with confidence and talent, the youngsters’ joy for music shines through their harmonious performance.
Following a short intermission, pianist Billy Stritch, bassist David Finck, drummer Eric Halvorson, keyboardist Keith Cotton, and saxophonist Aaron Heick take their places on stage.
The crowd stands and cheers as Linda Eder enters and takes the mic, adjusts her iPad, and begins tonight’s show with her interpretation of Frank Wildhorn’s “The Bells of St. Paul.”
Crooning, “You never told me how to love you/We never spoke of it at all/But Christmas Day when you passed my way/We heard the Bells of St. Paul,” Eder’s sweet and expressive soprano vocal fills the auditorium generating enthusiastic cheers and applause from the audience.
“Thank you very much!” responds Eder, acknowledging, “This is going to be a mixture of things tonight,” as she launches into a medley of Judy Garland staples including “Come Rain or Come Shine,” “San Francisco,” and “The Trolley Song,” accompanied with style and precision by her talented quintet.
The crowd hoots and hollers and Eder explains, “I’m Linda Eder. I’m a singer, and that’s all I’ve ever done,” before introducing her musical director and pianist, Billy Stritch. ‘Eder and Stritch’s voices blend perfectly on the Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme number, “Side by Side.”
Acknowledging, “This song was recorded by one of the most beautiful voices — Karen Carpenter,” Eder slides into a heartfelt rendition of The Carpenters’ “Merry Christmas, Darling.” She follows up with a tribute to iconic female singers which includes her interpretations of Loretta Lynn’s “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best,” and Christine McVie’s composition for Fleetwood Mac, “Songbird.”
Following enthusiastic applause, Eder suggests, “This is my favorite song by Burt Bacharach,” as she tiptoes into a stunning rendition of his 1965 hit for Dionne Warwick, “Alfie.” On this number, Eder’s voice floats like satin as she sings, “What’s it all about Alfie?” and the arrangement ebbs and flows with seasoned musicality all around her.
The crowd cheers and Eder and Co. follow up with a holiday medley of Frank Sinatra’s “The Christmas Waltz” and Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” where Eder moves about the stage feeding off the energy of the musicians as she sings.
Eder asks, “Do you like theater?” and the audience responds with avid applause as she high-steps into “Before the Parade Passes By,” her tribute to Barbra Streisand. Starting off slowly, the arrangement picks up into an uptempo march where Aaron Heick’s flute twitters and the crowd cheers for Eder and the band’s spirited performance.
Eder introduces her former student, Gianna Grosso, to the stage where Grosso solos with power and style on “All That Matters” from Finding Neverland.
Grosso and Eder duet with emotion on a performance of David Foster’s modern holiday classic, “My Grown-Up Christmas List,” which gets music lovers cheering and applauding for the student-teacher duo.
Following a rockin’ rendition of Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and a jazzy and funky version of Burl Ives’ “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas,” Eder impresses with her signature song from Jekyll and Hyde, “Someone Like You.”
Crying, “If someone like you/Found someone like me/Then suddenly/Nothing would ever be the same,” Eder sings from the heart with her extraordinary talent, touching music lovers in the audience who leap to their feet to clap and cheer at the conclusion.
Surprised by the extended applause, Eder takes a moment before performing a medley of Christmas tunes including “Silver and Gold,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” and a jazzy version of “Let it Snow” which is tastefully backed by David Finck’s walking bass and Eric Halverson’s swing-time drumming.
After revealing, “I co-wrote this next song with Frank Wilder,” Eder sings from the heart on the lovely 6/8 ballad, “The Silence of Snow.” She continues with a tribute to Tony Bennett in the form of a jazzy rendition of “Steppin’ Out” which gets concertgoers’ heads nodding and toes tapping to the swinging rhythm.
Eder invites the crowd to sing along with her on a soulful rendition of Dusty Springfield’s “Son of a Preacher Man” prior to sailing into “Gold,” a power ballad from Frank Wildhorn’s musical, Camille Claudel, where the arrangement dramatically modulates and Eder holds out a long note to enthusiastic hoots and hollers.
“You’re an amazing audience!” exclaims Eder as she shifts into an upbeat and jazzy interpretation of Henry Mancini’s “Charade” where she vocalizes up and down the scale with ease before Aaron Heick, David Finck, Eric Halverson, and Billy Stritch each play solos and Eder acknowledges each of her band members including Keith Cotton on synthesizer.
Announcing, “I have one more for you — you were just an incredible audience!” Eder launches into the stunning a cappella intro to “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” before she’s joined by the rest of the ensemble on a tender version of this holiday classic which warms the hearts of music lovers in the crowd.
Concertgoers stand and applaud as Eder leaves the stage, but she soon returns to holds up a single pointer finger to indicate, “One more song?” The crowd cheers in agreement as Eder and Co. conclude tonight’s show with a powerful arrangement of “Man of La Mancha” where Eder vocalizes high and free, her voice soaring at the climax of the number to extended cheers and applause.
“Thank you so much!” exclaims Eder, who takes a bow and waves goodnight to the standing crowd.
As audience members make their way out of the BergenPAC auditorium, several share their thoughts about Linda Eder’s performance tonight. Declares Jillian from Fall River, MA, “I came all the way from Massachusetts to see Linda tonight and she was just as great as she always has been! I’ve been coming to her concerts for many years, but I’d never seen a holiday show until tonight, and it was fantastic!”
Donna from Lyndhurst explains, “I found out about Linda Eder from her appearances on TV with Kathie Lee Gifford and Regis Philbin. The first time I ever saw her live was at Carnegie Hall; I’ve seen her 12 or 13 times now and have every one of her albums,” before adding, “Even though she didn’t do my favorite song, ‘Vienna,’ she was still wonderful tonight; she’s such a great singer whose voice just can’t be challenged.”
Jason from Teaneck insists, “Linda Eder was fantastic tonight! I’ve seen her many, many times and she’s just the best every single time.” Jason’s companion, Livia from Englewood Cliffs, agrees, adding, “I love her — she’s one of my biggest idols! Originally, I saw her on Broadway in Jekyll and Hyde and I’ve loved her ever since. I even took a class with her and got to sing her song to her. It was the most amazing experience — I cried. I was nervous, but I was smiling because she was so wonderful. She said I could do anything I want to do if I just put my heart into it.”
Lastly, Linda’s singing partner tonight, Gianna Grosso, reveals, “Linda is truly one of the most incredible people I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing. She is so gracious, grounded, multi-faceted, and so inspiring, I really admire her. It’s been a true pleasure performing with her. When you’re up there singing with Linda and she looks you in the eye, she gives you a special feeling which is why working with her is such a blessing!”
To learn more about Linda Eder, please go to lindaeder.com. For information on great upcoming performances at BergenPAC — including Micky Dolenz on December 15; The Drifters, The Coasters, and The Platters on January 10; Peabo Bryson on January 24; and 38 Special on February 20 — please click on bergenpac.org.
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