It's hard to think about last night. It almost seems like I'm thinking about a dream when I remember it. Seeing this amazing film with so many people who love and cherish it as much as I do, in such a new and fascinating way, was an experience I'm not likely to ever forget. This wasn't just about seeing the movie - or even listening to Howard Shore's music. This was about sharing an experience - sharing it with family, friends, fellow audience members, and most importantly - the musicians on stage. It's so amazing to be sitting with an audience who would clap not only at a funny part in the movie, or when the heroes appeared on screen - but also when a soloist would finish their performance, when the chorus would rock the house, or when Howard's amazing "Fellowship Theme" would come out full force.

The music itself was so amazingly well done that there were honestly times when I forgot it was being performed live. I honestly thought, in brief moments, that I was simply hearing the original soundtrack. But then there would be a startling new detail in the music that I hadn't noticed before that brought my focus back down to the performers. I just sat there and marveled at the talent I was witnessing before my very eyes.

At the start of the evening, I thought my night was going to be ruined. The row behind me was filled with younger kids who were ridiculously loud. One (a girl) was obviously a hardcore fan (who kept talking and talking about the movies), and the rest of them had not a clue what the movie was about. Aside from a few wispers in the first 5 minutes, they became sucked into the movie and were blown away by the end.

Aside from a couple of people who got up and exited, most everyone stayed in their seats and listened intently throughout the end credits (honestly I don't see how anyone could leave before - did they honestly pay all that money to simply see the movie again?!). The girl and the young boy who sang "May It Be" and "In Dreams" (respectively) damn near brought tears to my eyes. I felt a mixture of awe and pride. Also, I can barely describe the intense emotions I felt as the final rendition of the Fellowship Theme came to a climax and the entire audience went wild in a mix of clapping and cheers. After the end, the audience enthusiastically clapped and cheered for all of the performers several times over, and then went even more wild as Howard Shore, Billy Boyd, and Elijah Wood came out on stage (I swear I heard one girl in the audience screech out "OMG!!! IT'S ELIJAH WOOD!!!!!!!!!" )

Excellent amazing experience through and through. I really wish it could have gone on and on. There was an ad at the end for The Two Towers next year, which actually got a lot of laughs from some people (including me - this trip has been near financial suicide already, it'd be near impossible to attempt again ). But if I was going to do this once, I'm glad it was this film. The Theatrical Edition of FotR has always been special to me, in that it introduced me to Peter Jackson's take on Middle Earth. I don't think I'd felt so much of a thrill watching this since the first time I saw it.

What a great night.