Some appetizers...

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They had timed their arrival perfectly. Rob was just getting comfortable in his seat as the house lights dimmed, and the music began slowly, almost ominously. Tiny lights all over the stage winked on, some singly, some in rows. As the music continued to build, Rob recognized that the set was creatively designed to look like a city skyline, mimicking the cover of the CD and of course, highlighting the title Night on the Town.

Rob marvelled at the marketing, and sat back to enjoy the show. A few seconds later he sat upright, and leaned over to Frieda’s ear. “Remember to turn off your phone.”

Her eyes never leaving the stage, Frieda bobbed her head and reached for her purse. Rob congratulated himself for avoiding later embarrassment, and prepared to soak in the experience. The concert was spectacular. There was no other way to describe it. Ronnie had incredible stage presence. She captivated the audience the way she had mesmerized the Ellings at dinner. Every song she sang was applauded enthusiastically, a thunder that only ended when the music began again, or if she began to speak. For Rob, the highlight was a Las Vegas-style tribute to great female singers. It was a medley of music that flowed seamlessly, honouring women as diverse as Patsy Cline and Whitney Houston. With a pose or a gesture and her amazing voice, Ronnie impersonated a dozen stars, sometimes adding a comment about her admiration or noting how they had inspired her career.

When Rob thought she had sung something by everyone he could think of, a Canadian flag fluttered from somewhere in the rafters landing at Ronnie’s feet. She spun slowly in a pirouette, wrapping herself in the huge flag while singing songs by Canadian women – Anne Murray, Celine Dion, Shania Twain. It could have been perceived as a cheap way to appeal to a Canadian audience, but Ronnie carried it off with an assurance that left no one wondering if she respected and admired the singers she imitated. As the last song of the medley faded, the lights flickered across the stage. Ronnie dropped the flag to reveal that she had somehow changed her costume while singing, and the crowd exploded with applause. The bass line of her hit single throbbed throughout the arena, and everyone found themselves on their feet, clapping their hands in time with the music.

Rob looked around at the sea of people swaying gently to the beat. In the reflected stage lighting, the crowd looked like a single giant deep-sea organism undulating with the ebb and flow of the music. Ronnie controlled that huge monster with her voice. As she poured herself into the song, her lithe and lovely body swaying with the music, Rob was hypnotized. He knew he had met a woman beyond his imaginings, and his fantasies took him far away from an aging hockey arena in Penticton, B.C., to a place where he was alone with Ronnie, alone with a tantalizing dream.

The music ended suddenly. The lights on the stage darkened. Rob snapped back into reality, looking around quickly to make sure he was not the only one standing. The thunderous applause of the crowd was a huge wave, rolling back and forth across the arena. It was the end of the concert, but everyone wanted more, much more. After a few moments, the applause was growing instead of fading. When people caught a flicker of movement on the darkened stage, the applause increased even more.

Just as the roar began to diminish, the sound of Irish pipes wafted gently through the building. The crowd silenced quickly, and everyone took their seats quietly. When Ronnie began to sing, people started to cheer and applaud, but quickly quieted as the song continued. The stage was still in darkness. It was an old hymn, Amazing Grace. As she reached the end of the second line, “that saved a wretch like me,” she held the last note for what seemed an eternity. The horn player accompanying her began to falter, and still her voice rang powerfully. She held the note until she was singing unaccompanied, and then sang the rest of the first verse, slowly and powerfully. When she reached the last word in the verse, the band began to play softly, and the lights slowly brightened to reveal Ronnie, dressed simply in black, seated on a wooden stool.

As the music built, Ronnie softly addressed the audience, her voice breathless and sounding as though she was on the edge of tears. “Thank you so much. You know, you were an experiment tonight. You were an experiment, to see if this show works. In a couple of days, we’re starting a cross-Canada tour. We’re in Calgary in two days, then we’re working our way across the country. But we wanted to see if the show works here! We knew if we could make the people in Penticton happy, we could make anybody happy!”

The crowd shared the joke, laughing and applauding. Ronnie shielded her eyes from the spotlights and looked across the audience, her eyes resting on the centre of the front row. Rob was sure she was looking straight at him. “You have been so good to us tonight. I love you!”

The band swung into a faster tempo, and Ronnie sang the rest of the hymn with a joy and a conviction that would inspire an atheist. As the song ended triumphantly, Ronnie blew a kiss towards the audience. “You’re wonderful!” she yelled. “Goodnight!” The lights on the stage crashed to black, and as the crowd stood and yelled and applauded, the house lights soon came on indicating that one encore was all they were going to get.