Rockapella Concert (Barry's last show) - The Starlight Bowl, Burbank, CA - July 14, 2002

This was definitely an historic occasion, and I was privileged enough to have been a part of that evening. Barry Carl, long-time bass man, and our 60 Minute Man, chose that day of all days, to retire from a group that had been a major part of his life, and in his hometown no less. Emotions ran high, especially among the diehards – some of whom have seen Rockapella numerous times and have memorized every song and in-between-song banter. Barry got a lot of stage time. Every applause, every cheer was directed at him. Everyone wanted to make sure that he felt appreciated and that he would be terribly missed. George was great, as I had the privilege of seeing him a few months back in NYC. But Bear was THE man. When you hear the Carmen Sandiego theme song, you always wait to hear his earth-shattering, spine-tingling voice singing “Carmen Sandiego”. Not only was he an awesome singer, basso profundo, he was a sweetheart, a gentleman and a gentle giant. And I was fortunate enough to have had the pleasure of speaking with him numerous times during meet-and-greets, always getting a hug from the man each time, accompanied with the biggest smile on his face like he was always glad to see me. He was always welcoming and accommodating. He’s a true class act. He sang his staple songs, “60 Minute Man”, “Sixteen Tons”, even “Big Bad John”. Each song became more and more sentimental. At the end of the night, the crowd rose to its feet to acknowledge how great Mr. Carl truly is and how much we would all miss him. At the meet-and-greet, there was somewhat organized chaos. Everyone wanted a piece of Barry, wanted a chance to say “goodbye” to him. I stepped back and let everyone else have their chance at speaking to him. I figured I could wait a little longer. In the meantime, I spent time talking to Kevin, along with my cousins and my friends. He was wearing a shirt with “Wonka” written on it. “Willy Wonka”, we said. Of course we knew the connotation it had, and it turned out that a fan gave him that shirt because of his curly hair. LOL We took a picture with Kevin and he somehow developed a fascination with my digital camera. The blinding flash must have mesmerized him or something. He even tried to explain to everyone the features it had. Funny Kevin. My friends wanted me to introduce them to Scott, as they were probably under the impression that I knew Scott personally. I don’t know why… LOL Anyway, so we walked over to Scott. He seemed happy to see me and gave me a hug. I proceeded to introduce my friends to him. I asked him if he ever received that e-mail that I sent him through his rockapella.com address and he said that he didn’t, but asked me what it was about. I told him that I just wanted to ask him if he’d ever consider doing another solo CD, and if he did, I’d love to sing back-up for him for free. He laughed and said that he didn’t have any plans at the time. Then he asked, “Do you sing?” I said that I did, and then one of my friends asked him, “Have you ever heard her sing?! Oh my gosh!” as if they could not believe that he had never heard me sing! It was hilarious! Anyway, he looked at me square in the eye and said, “Sing for me.” Whoa! I was a little taken aback, but of course, being the ham that I am, I sang for him. After I finished singing, he just stared at me for a while, either in shock or in awe, I couldn’t really tell (LOL), and said, “Wow, I didn’t know you could sing,…and do it so beautifully!” *cue my jaw hitting the floor* I was simply in cloud 9! I said “thanks!” and he said that he would definitely keep me in mind if he ever made a solo CD (still waiting Scott! LOL). Then he asked me how long I’d been singing, so I told him that I’d been singing since I was 2 and told him about the singing group that my cousins and I have. He seemed to be really interested in what I was telling him and he asked me what kind of songs we sing and if we were an a cappella group. I told him that we weren’t an a cappella group but that we do some a cappella songs from time-to-time. During our conversation, we also got into the whole thing about how it’s rare to find really good pieces for women a cappella groups to sing because a lot of a cappella music are bass-dependent (or something like that, can’t really remember what he exactly said). Then he suggested that if we were on the look-out for a bass, we should go ask Barry what he’s up to since he’d have a lot free time now. LOL Too funny Scott! It was great. I wouldn’t mind having Barry in my singing group! So, we’d come to the moment that I’d been dreading – saying goodbye to my favorite bass man. *sigh* I tried not to get emotional. I went up to him and got my hug. I told him that I really appreciated him, his talent and generosity to the fans and that I would miss him dearly. We asked him what his plans were, and then he said that he would stick around L.A. for a while to visit with family and friends that he hadn’t seen in a very long time, before heading back to New York and figure out his next project. Finally, we took our picture with Bear and said our final farewell and left with bittersweet memories of the evening.