Review: JENNIFER NETTLES: BROADWAY UNDER THE MISTLETOE at Capital One Hall

I am always happy when a recording artist thinks outside the box when it comes to planning their holiday concerts. Let's face it, there is only so many times you can hear the same five carols that everyone seems to perform.

Powerhouse singer and recent Broadway star of Waitress Jennifer Nettles' Broadway Under the Mistletoe concert combined traditional holiday fare with songs from her latest recording featuring all showtunes entitled Always Like New and more for a truly unforgettable evening of music that had something for everyone.

The evening started with a roof raising rendition of "Go Tell it on The Mountain" complete with members of Michael McElroy's Broadway Inspirational Voices choir as Ms. Nettles "backup" vocalists. The choir is a show in themselves and Mr. McElroy's vocal arrangement was a stunning start to the evening's proceedings. The choir also gave their vocal talents on "Do You Hear What I Hear" and a truly stunning and emotional version of "Oh Holy Night/Hallelujah" among others.

Ms. Nettles did not disappoint us Broadway fans as she performed such classics as "Wouldn't it Be Loverly" complete with a string section known as Belles with Bows. It was a completely different and wonderful version.

The choir and horn section known as Beaus with Belles (bell of a brass instrument for you musical lemans out there) helped Ms. Nettles literally tear the house down with an awe inspiring version of "Sit Down You're Rockin the Boat".

By far my favorite of the Broadway tunes performed was what I consider to be one of Jason Robert Brown's masterwork compositions entitled "It All Fades Away" from The Bridges of Madison County. It was the perfect marriage of singer and song as Ms. Nettles held me and her audience spellbound.

As you might know, Jennifer Nettles is part of the band known as Sugarland and fans of that group were not left out of this concert as "Baby Girl" and "Want To" were included.

I also want to mention the lighting designed and executed by local lighting god Alex Keen. There is a tendency to overdesign the lighting in these situations and when that happens it becomes a distraction. Keen, being the consummate pro that he is, found the right balance of color and effect for the perfect complement to each song.

This was the last night concert of Ms. Nettles' tour in 2021 but I highly highly suggest you go and see her when she performs near you. Broadway Under the Mistletoe was definitely my kind of holiday concert and I'm sure it will be back in 2022 as it should become a holiday tradition for all for years to come.

Running Time: 90 minutes with no intermission.

Jennifer Nettles: Broadway Under the Mistletoe was a one night only engagement on December 16th, 2021 at Capital One Hall which is located at 7750 Capital One Tower Rd, Tysons, VA 22102. For upcoming events, click here.

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