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The Show => Believe On Tour => Topic started by: Cash on April 12, 2013, 01:51AM



Title: Escape to a Better Place - South Bend recording April 9 2013
Post by: Cash on April 12, 2013, 01:51AM
Time for one of my long winded and overly detailed accounts of a show! Look out here it comes! I think that I will break it down into 4 or 5 posts.


Title: Re: Escape to a Better Place - South Bend recording April 9 2013
Post by: Cash on April 12, 2013, 01:52AM
Escape to a Better Place, for a While
South Bend - CW recording April 9, 2013

   
   Preliminary Material - Not on the final exam!

   Let’s talk college stuff  for a while.
   The community of South Bend is best known as home of the Notre Dame University ‘Fightin’ Irish’. It’s a Catholic university with a LOT of alumni of Irish heritage.  The school has a very long tradition of success in American football. But in recent years, the team has fallen on tough times (though current Coach Brian Kelly has turned them back into winners).. Back in 2010, I made a post on forums, and even sent an e-mail to Celtic Woman, suggesting that they sing the Notre Dame Victory Song, perhaps the best known college fight song in the USA. Many fans disagreed. The guy at CW that responds back to e-mails got a good laugh. But I was only half kidding.
   I knew of the demographic of Nore Dame alumni. Many have money and are willing to spend it on tickets, travel, merchandise, etc IF they see a good thing. And they are smart enough to know and appreciate  a good thing when they see it! They are very supportive of their football time and take great pride in it. And they are very ethical. I once got stuck in the Notre Dame section at a Pitt (University of Pittsburgh, a major university here in the USA located in America’s BEST city, Pittsburgh!)  vs. Notre Dame football game and didn’t feel threatened at all. Although they cheered for their favorite team, they did it in a very professional and appropriate way. Not a lot of craziness. Very dignified cheering and applause. It wasn’t like being at a West Virginia vs. Pitt football game, where a Pitt fan might get EATEN by the West Virginia fans!
   Of course CW never sang the fight  song. I was not surprised by this. But I also knew that the idea of a CW + ND collaboration was not a crazy thought. I even stated something like ’its almost pre-destined to happen’. That was back in 2010.
   Now fast forward  to 2012. I learned that CW would be doing a show in South Bend.  That’s a bit far for me to travel unless it’s a special event, like say a recording of a show. I traveled to Atlanta for the Believe DVD recording and I also traveled to Nashville for Orla‘s Christmas DVD recording. Christmas in September! .But I knew in advance that those 2 shows would be recorded. Like everyone else at the time, I had NO idea that CW would record the South Bend show. Yet something inside told me to buy a ticket. One of those strange feelings you get. Plus I had always wanted to visit the Notre Dame campus and see the various sights, like the stadium, the Golden Dome, and Touchdown Jesus. Sometimes I wish that I could have went to Notre Dame,. The school has a great reputation and alumni seem to bond like family. So I contacted WNIT, the appropriate PBS station, at the appropriate time, made my pledge, and got 2 tickets with meet&greet.
   I immediately told my one friend what I just did. He was a Notre Dame alum and one of those who loved the school all his life. He was also of Irish decent. I had been giving him the Celtic Woman sales pitch, you know how we CW fans like to ‘convert’ others into the fold., for many, many  years now. We ‘groupies’ like to brag about the group and let others know how CW rocks! He actually seemed to enjoy hearing it, or at least acted like he did. I do know that he watched CW when  WQED, our local PBS, aired the shows. He wasn’t one to buy tickets to shows though. He explained that the ND campus is a bit spread out and it can be a lot of walking. He knew all about my health and , mostly, my foot issues. I used to walk a lot, but recent health concerns limit me a bit. Its tough to get old and have bad feet! But he warned me that touring the campus could mean a lot of walking. But he was also enthusiastic and told me the sights to see.
   Now fast forward to 2013. My Notre Dame friend died. This came as a shock to me. Although in his late 60s, he kept himself in good shape. Exercised, ate right, went to the doctor, etc.  He did all he could to be in good health. And that still wasn’t enough. But he controlled as much as he could to prevent problems. I knew he had heart trouble in 2012 but I thought the tests checked out ok. He spent a few days in the hospital. It is ironic because my last meeting with him involved my health issues. One of our local radio stations gave away pink t-shirts, in support of breast cancer,  to listeners. People wore them to the Carrie Underwood concert here in November and Martina McBride’s Christmas show in December. The station offered prizes to some of those people. But I had a doctor’s appointment on the day the station distributed them in my area, so my Notre Dame friend picked it up for me. We met in late November for him to give it to me. He seemed ok but stressed. He had been working on a book for like 20 years. In fact I met him while working at Pitt, and he ALWAYS had books with him that he was constantly  researching. He self published his book   and wanted to donate it to our local library, but he was afraid to do it. I think he was afraid that they would reject it. I gave it to the kid at the desk, and she said that she would pass it on to the appropriate people to put it on the shelves. They never did,
   Also in early 2013, I considered skipping the South Bend concert in favor of attending a law school event at Duquesne University (a Catholic university in Pittsburgh)  with Supreme Court Justice Clearance Thomas. That also occurred on April 9th. I had always wanted to attend such an event. But I don’t know how the ‘meet&greet’ operates for those. I think its just like a receiving line and you shake hands, and I think only big shots like Deans, Professors, and politicians,  get photos. If I knew for sure that I could get a photo with a Supreme Court Justice, I MIGHT skip a CW concert. I had lined up 8 shows this tour with meet&greet, and really how many photo ops do you need with the ladies? Yet my lack of knowledge concerning the law event and my addiction and love for CW  pushed me in the correct direction. And I just had a feeling something was going to be special about this show. And also, how about the choice I had to make? Supreme Court Justice or Celtic Woman?


Title: Re: Escape to a Better Place - South Bend recording April 9 2013
Post by: Cash on April 12, 2013, 01:52AM

   
   Pay attention, this is on the quiz

   Time to discuss the trip and pre-concert events.
   I met up with Annie, my usual Celtic concert  co-conspirator  in crime, and Kelly, who also bought a ticket for the show. Although Kelly didn’t have a meet&greet, she did grab a pit seat!  On the way, we passed a truck that had “Caledonia, MN” on the side of it. We traveled part of the way Monday night and stayed at a Red Roof Inn in Toledo. They are getting to know us well! We stayed there for the Toledo concert as well. An interesting thing happened when I turned on the tv. I spotted my old home town of Donora on a show! The Weather Channel broadcast the show about the 1948 smog event that took place there. An air inversion trapped pollution from the Zinc works and killed a lot of residents and made thousands sick.
   The rest of the trip went well on Tuesday. We arrived in South Bend  early and headed for the Notre Dame campus.  I stated that its “small”. Kelly then said “small? Are you kidding?” Its an interesting difference in perception. I attended urban universities, Pitt and Duquesne. I lived on the 14th floor of a dorm. That’s right, 14th, as in fourteenth.  NOT 4th, as in fourth. It seemed that only 3 structures on the Notre Dame campus exceeded 4 stories, the library with Touchdown Jesus on its side, the Golden Dome,  and the football stadium.
   The campus is extremely organized. Most, but not all, buildings seem uniform in height. The stone and brick used to build them matched up, as did the architectural style. The streets and sidewalks were all structured and straight. No graffiti or trash anywhere. Not much noise either. Just a beautiful campus. Every photo you take could be on a post card or a work or art.  Everyone was very nice and friendly. Even the squirrels were friendly! Just about the perfect college campus. I felt as if I had escaped to a better place. A very steep contrast to the urban universities that I am used to. 
   There was another interesting contrast, and it may seem odd, yet noteworthy. As one enters campus, threes a cemetery. That’s really the first thing I spotted. I thought this a bit strange. A cemetery once occupied a spot on a hill near Pitt, but the graves were moved long ago to make room for other buildings and parking. Life over death. Progress over permanence. But Notre Dame seems to respect its hallowed ground where they bury some alumni. I also thought this seems a depressing kind of thing to have near a university. After all, the purpose of a  college is to prepare young adults for the world. Yet the first thing one sees on campus represents death, the end. Does this make sense? Well, maybe. Perhaps it’s a reminder to cherish every moment and not take them for granted. We are not guaranteed life. Life goes by so fast (hey those sound like some good song lyrics!) . I never understood that when I was young. There’s always tomorrow. But I have aged, and maybe age has injected me with SOME wisdom, though some people would argue a VERY limited amount.
   So we took a walk around campus, taking some photos. We then visited the book store to purchase some souvenirs. I wanted to buy a Notre Dame related poster to hold up at the photo op later. But they didn’t have any in stock at the time. That meant that I would have to try to acquire a poster in South Bend from a restaurant displaying an ad for the show. I successfully did that in Pittsburgh and Cleveland and that worked out well in the photo But as far as the bookstore purchase, I bought a pen that plays the Notre Dame  fight song! I hit the button and played it until Annie and Kelly threatened to leave me in South Bend. it’s a LONG walk home to Pittsburgh, so I quickly put it away. And we headed on over to the venue.
   We didn’t have trouble at all finding the venue.  We parked in a garage a block away, right across the street from the “Fiddler’s Hearth“ , the designated pre-concert meal restaurant.  We were early and walked around a bit. We spotted Ken outside the theatre and he was headed to prepare the meet&greet passes. He is always nice and polite and chatted a brief bit before excusing himself to get some last minute work done. I looked for the ad posters for the show in nearby business windows and spotted one near the theatre. I walked into the place and although the door was unlocked, no one was there! I yelled but no one came! Good thing for them I am not a thief. That would never happen in Pittsburgh, the place would get robbed clean out.  It’s a different world in South Bend. But we soon got a reminder of the ‘real’ world. As we loafed and snacked in Burger King, they had a tv on and FOX news had coverage of the stabbing on a Texas campus.
   We headed on back to car to get our stuff and then head for the meal. I spotted a few good photo ops as we walked about but, being a knucklehead, I had left my camera in the car. So after arming myself with my cheap Kodak disposable, I separated a bit from Annie and Kelly and  headed over to the place where I managed to get a 10 Commandments statue, the CW your truck with the decorated side, a BIG banner for the upcoming Wicked show, and Morris Performing Arts Center, all in one shot! I turned and snapped a photo of the downed light pole. Someone must have really been speeding to bend the metal pole down like that! It was on the sidewalk. Then I headed for the pre-concert meal.
   Somehow I got there before Annie and Kelly. No one else was there yet. But guess what I spotted inside there? A poster for the show! I asked for it and the lady said to take the one near the restrooms, as that one wasn’t stapled and wasn’t sort of folded or crumbled It was better quality than the one by the main door. Everyone in that place was very nice. Above and beyond what one might expect. Annie and Kelly arrived and we waited at a table a bit but not too long, as Sandy, Barb, Nick, and Sheri (Nick’s wife) arrived. We had 7 at the meal. I think Phil was the guy that recommended the place, and we eventually met him and his family at the show, but they missed the meal. And it was a good one. That’s a great little place, though a bit too small. A waiting line for tables quickly formed as everyone had the same idea of eating there before the show, so we finished and got out of their way. A great little place though if anyone is looking for a place for future shows there.
   We headed on over and found a spot directly across the street from the theatre and parked ourselves on a concert wall. We spotted Ken again walking in front, and I approached him and asked if they would be selling any special t-shirts, programs, or posters regarding the recording of the show. He said no. I then headed on into the ticket office to get the meet&greet passes. And as often happens, chaos commenced! “Meet&greet? Threes a meet&greet?” UH-OH! Here we go!
   “OH yes that’s right, its after the show.” Then I said “Nope, its before the show, I am absolutely sure of it.” Other people get involved, and someone said “is it the one before or after the show?” I said “before” but someone then said something about a second m&g being added after the show to compensate people whose seats got displaced by cameras. More about that later. It actually didn’t take them that long to find my passes, maybe 5 minutes. They seemed a bit confused at first, yet very nice about it all and quickly got things straight.
   So then I noticed what looked like a very nice poster hanging in a glass frame next to the ticket window. I asked the guy if I could get one, and he said yes but its $35. I scoffed at first, then thought better. The poster I got at the restaurant was simply a color copy on paper, not a poster. You could see someone did it cheap and fast, like maybe printed off a bunch at FedEx Office. I knew from my conversation with Ken that they didn’t have special posters for the event, so that made that poster hanging there more valuable in my eyes as a great collector‘s item. So I bought it! Did I get taken? Maybe, but as far as I know, I am the only groupie with a great quality poster of the event. I should have haggled though. But my mind was on the great stuff about to come, not on negotiation. Where is William Shatner when you need him?
   We entered the lobby and guess what we see? A HUGE, and I mean MONSTER, poster of the event being raffled off at $5 a chance. I did not buy a ticket, but someone got a nice item. Its BIG though, I don‘t know how someone would frame it, or display it. .
   Now on to the more relevant good stuff!


Title: Re: Escape to a Better Place - South Bend recording April 9 2013
Post by: Cash on April 12, 2013, 01:53AM


   This will be on the final!

   The PBS lady and Ken lead us up a bunch of steps to the meet&greet room. It was a bit of a climb for some. Then we had to go down a hallway to a big  reception / ball room type of room. Ken moved fairly fast, and some people became stragglers. Staff were also carefully checking the m&g passes to prevent any ‘sneak&greet’ from happening. Once we all got into the room and lined up, Ken gave his usual instruction speech.. He also figured out where the girls would line up for the photos, as the room had some big windows that let sunlight in and could potentially have a negative impact on photos. . A wall painted white ended up a good backdrop for the photos. Ken then disappeared as he went to get the ladies. And we waited. And waited. And waited!
   They arrived very late, like maybe 7:20 and the show was scheduled to start at 7:30. Well they couldn’t start the show without them though, but we were thinking this would be a fast m&g. But we seemed to get our usual small allotted time. Annie was last in line, I was next to last. Barb and Sandy were just in front of us, and I think Nick and Shari were in front of them. Phil and his family ended up more toward the front. Phil’s little kid got a lot of attention! As did a guy in a wheel chair. I am not exactly sure what happened, but I think he may have asked Mairead to kiss him. She sort of got in front of him and kissed his cheek. The others kissed his cheek from the side. Barb and Sandy gave the girls small gift bags and also did something else, but  I won’t say what that was. Best to let them do it if / when they see it as appropriate. Then its my turn!
   I usually don’t say much at m&gs. Sometimes I wonder why I even get them. This year I actually had more to say, but the change in format from m&g to quick photo op limits time. As many of you can see by how I write reviews, once I start talking, I don’t know when to shut up! But I had a speech planned for this m&g. Over the weeks leading up to this, I edited it and made it a LOT shorter, short enough to be appropriate for this type of event. It went something like this …
This is my 8th show, and sometimes I wonder why I do it. Am I just crazy? I paused as I expected laughs, but got none. Then I continued Is it just an addiction,? The way you take music that’s entertainment and fun, then take music that’s inspiring and awe, and integrate them into the show creates a VERY powerful presentation. (I wanted to mention escapism here but I think I messed it up). At this point there were some awwwws and ‘that’s so nice’ etc. I continued It is addicting! But I don’t think that’s the real reason. Its really about appreciation. I realize that I am lucky to have the money and time and ability to get to these shows. I NEVER take that for granted. You are great! We fans ask you for many things and we tell you many things, but there’s something that we should never forget to tell you, and that’s Thank You!  More awws and ‘that’s so sweet! Type of comments as I walk over to Lil Lambe for a handshake, and she quickly hugged me. I extended my hand to Chloe, but she said “nope,” and hugged me. I went down the line getting hugs from all of them. That’s a first!
   Then I lined up for the photo, holding my $35 poster of tonight’s event and with the ladies at my side. That would be a great photo with some other guy in the middle, but maybe I am not TOO bad in it! As I walked away from them, I made it a point to say “have a great show!”
   A quick note about the hugs. To be honest, last year I actually froze the first time Lil Lambe  went to hug me. I thought “no one does that! Am I misunderstanding something?” I sort of dodged her a couple times too. I wasn’t being rude, there’s a reason. Am I nuts? Well maybe, but no that’s not it.
   When a person goes to a photo op, a person expects a photo. When a person goes to a concert, a person expects music and a show. Professional performers have obligations to do certain things when they take your money. However, hugs, tweets, etc are NOT part of the deal. If a fan gets those, that’s extra! The ladies are under NO obligation to do those things. I like to keep that in mind because our favorite performers often go WAY above and beyond the call of duty to make us fans happy. Its so easy to get caught up in all that and get sort of transported into a different world. A much better world where all is great and happy. Their music does that in it’s own right, leads to a sort of escapism that transports us away from our everyday grind and troubles, at least for a few hours.
   What I fear is that I might start to take it for granted. Expect hugs ALL the time. I don’t think a guy  should ‘assume the hug’ if that makes sense (though it could be a bit of a different  standard for women) . One shouldn’t assume ANY other ‘extra’ either. But having said that, I won’t be backing away from any future hugs. I appreciate the Lambe Love! But I will keep it in perspective too.
   A final note on all this. I have heard some say Celtic Woman is too ‘sweet’. It’s too happy. I have heard others say its too ‘scripted’ and too organized. But that’s what I want! I don’t have to spend my time and money to be unhappy or chaotic. I can get that everyday of my life for free. I want to escape to a different  world, a better world, at least for a while, but also realize that its just an escape. Life also has it’s realities.
   So at this point I finally head to my actual seat. I took a very quick look at the merchandise table just to make sure that they didn’t have anything special for this evening, and they did not. So I am 2nd row in the left center orchestra section. They did have a pit seating section with 3 rows, so that put me about 5 rows from stage. I spotted something interesting in the pit - NUNS! That actually didn’t surprise me that much. I anticipated that Nuns and Priests could be in attendance, given the proximity of the Catholic colleges there in town. I didn’t expect to see them in the pit seats, but that’s good. Celtic Woman is good ethical entertainment. Nuns need fun too. But I bet those sitting near them behaved themselves. No Nun-sense in the pit tonight!
   More about the physical layout of the seats, stage, etc. The hall had a center seating area, and a left-center and right-center section, then another far left and far right section. . This made 2 central aisles, one left, one right of the center area.. Then there were aisles on the other side of L-C and R-c, then the outer seating sections. . Then there were 6 seats in the L-C and R-C sections, then another aisle. So I figured we would see performers coming down those aisles! And we did. I had seats 3 and 4. What a bit of bad luck! If I got seats 1 & 2 I would have been on the inside left aisle, seats 5 & 6 on the more outside aisle. Seat 6 was right on “Lambe Lane” as I will call it, but that’s jumping ahead. Thinking about it now, I should have tried to swap seats and get an aisle seat. I messed up when I didn’t wheel and deal for the poster, and also messed up by not trying a seat swap.
   They had a camera positioned up near the stage in the left corner near some steps, obviously a great position for  TAR, Nil, and Amazing Grace. They had another camera over on the right but I don’t think that guy had a tripod. He may have just been a hand held. The guy over near us clearly had a tripod. Then they had 2 cameras about half way back, one on  each side. I noticed the one was in an area where seats had been displaced for the camera. Also, they had a big boom arm camera on the left side, and it made many many flights right over my head. Its base was in the bottom forward left small balcony area. Whoever had those seats got displaced as well. I did not see a camera in the dead center, but I guess they could have had it WAY back near the booth.
   The actual stage was the same as we saw it on tour. I did notice 2 somewhat different spotlights up on the left, shining up. The right side had a matching pair. Its hard to explain, and they seemed to be in an odd position. I forgot to keep an eye on what they did. You know how it is when you are at the show.
   The place was packed with people. I didn’t see empty seats, but I couldn’t really see WAY back. If there were empties, they were in the very back and couldn’t be seen. A lot of people had on shirts, hats, etc with Notre Dame written on them. Lots of college spirit in the place tonight! The show started late, roughly at 8pm I guess. But the crowd was getting tired of waiting and started clapping, like as if to say :“What’s the hold up! Come on Man! Lets get it on!”. So David Downs came out and said “for the thousands in attendance, for the millions watching at home, lets get ready to RUMBLE!” ok maybe those weren’t his EXACT words.
   David’s little speech had much of what we have heard before. “No cameras or recording, we are doing that tonight.” “We are SO happy to be here.” You know the kind of stuff. He did connect with the crowd by mentioning how Notre Dame’s “American” football team played a game in Dublin last year. He then made some type of ‘cuddle with the person sitting next to you’ joke that wasn’t all that funny. He also told us to cry,  dance, clap, sing, etc. “Have a GREAT time!” To me it seemed the usual pre-show pep talk kind of stuff. . David called  Ray out and praised him for all he does. Ray got everyone clapping and fired up. He sort of acted as a pace car for the crowd as they did  the orchestrated camera crowd shots. They told us to clap loud, clap louder, and then even louder. Stand and clap, etc. Those who went to Atlanta have been through that drill before and know what’s going on. And now, the show!


Title: Re: Escape to a Better Place - South Bend recording April 9 2013
Post by: Cash on April 12, 2013, 01:54AM

   The set list was the same as the tour. They started with Awakening and that went well. Lil lambe did the hand & light trick for a slightly extended period this time. Susan still didn’t do it. We had some clapping and some stood and clapped at the end. There were maybe 20 people that jumped up at the end of every song to clap. Most of those were in front, and that’s in addition to the small number of groupies in attendance. That often prompted others to stand, but additional participation varied from song to song. On Dulaman, Lil’ Lambe was really on fire! You could see that she was really psyched for this! She is just so full of energy! The crowd started clapping during the song and gave great aplause at the end, though most didn’t stand on that song. Noctutne was next and it went ok. This song and later  Caledonia really didn’t seem to pack the punch that the other songs had. The ladies still got ovations, just not as strong as on other songs. But you know who comes on stage after Chloe’s Nocturne right?
   LOOK OUT! Here comes Mairead! The place nearly exploded! The whole crowd clapped along the entire time. Massive standing ovation, like a 100% type, at the end. WOW!
   Orinoco Flow came next. I think the girls may have been too mesmerizing. It almost awed the crowd into a trance. No standing O and little clapping. Lil’ Lambe again sort of stood out to me. She was really having a blast. The others were too. But you could really see just how she spun, moved her arms, etc that she was really into it. I already mentioned the next song, Caledonia, so now its on to that song that follows it. We hear …..

La laaaaaa la la la laaaaaa la laa la alaaaaa la la la la

   Lil’ Lambe comes down the aisle just to the left of me. Not the most inside left aisle, but not the one along the wall, the central one on the left (if that makes sense). . And we get a HUGE surprise. She is wearing the “Nil” dress, not the usual shiny green TAR dress. She first stopped by a little girl and got her to stand and dance a bit. Then Chloe , in Nil dress, started on the other side and I just couldn’t see what she was doing, just from my perspective on the left, it was difficult to see all the way over, yet easy to see Lil’ Lambe not far from me. Lisa then proceeded to walk down toward the steps, taking her time, looking over the guys in the aisle seats. Without a MrPeabody there, she had to pick someone new. Oh do I wish I had the aisle seat! She decided on the guy at the end of my row! Just 3 seats away from me! Flopped down on his lap. She took the Notre Dame ball cap off his head and put it on her head! The camera was right on her. That was great. What a way to bond with a Notre Dame crowd. She then put the cap back on him and then ran up on stage, as did Chloe, and Susan got between them to stop the ‘fight’. But then someone said “Stop” or “Cut” and the director came out. UH-OH! They needed to do it again. So they took a few minutes to get set up,  Lil’ Lambe’s new friend stood up and asked if Chloe could come down his aisle to sit on his lap. A BIG Chloe fan there. They of course said no. I offered to switch seats with him if he didn’t like Lil Lambe, but he had none of that! Lil Lambe once again came down the aisle, danced with the little girl, sat on the guy’s lap, put his ball cap on her head, returned it, and then she and Chloe ran up on stage, as usual. This time no one stopped it, they went right through the song. The entire place was going nuts. People clapping, cheering, standing ovation like you never seen before! Oh, and we aren’t done yet are we. Guess who is next up?
   Here comes Mairead with her second solo. The crowd is already juiced from TAR. Then I, along with many people, spotted a cute little girl dancing along as Mairead did her thing. The little girl was up in the lower right balcony side box so was a bit tough to see, but you could see enough that she was really just going crazy dancing. I hope they caught that on camera. That should be very cute. Lots of clapping, cheering, the place is on fire! In the end Mairead got about a 90% standing ovation. I think 10 % sat down to catch their breath. I was getting tired too! Good thing they didn’t need to call in paramedics.
   But now its on to Danny Boy, which is of course a song that slows things down. Good thing too. They really nailed it too. Just beautiful! They got about a 50% standing O. Again I think people were just plain tired out. The previous 2 songs really, and I mean really, were like nothing you have ever seen before as far as crowd involvement. The girls really aced them as well. A very special performance tonight.
   Now its on to Mo and the end of the first half. People are standing, clapping, its nuts. 100% standing O here. Also during the ’drum battle’ they turn the lights on the girls like they used to in the good old days. But the dancing wasn’t really choreographed like before with the shoulders going da-d-a-da da and the head swing toward the drummer in action. They just sort of improvised some movement while looking very pretty in the light.
   David’s voice came on with the “there will now be a “ then a brief pause, like David had to think a second, then he continued “20 minute intermission. “ “Come spend lots of your money at the merchandise table and buy lots of our great stuff”. ok those are not his exact words, but most of you know the statement pushing merchandise sales. So now we are all on break, laughing, talking, just having a ball. 
   So the second half started with Amazing Grace. It was, well, simply Amazing! Anto came down the center left aisle, so he walked fairly close to me. I would guess that there’s a fair shot that I will be on camera in the background. Well unless they just took very close camera angle shots of it. Then we get the BIG surprise when the girls came out …NEW DRESSES! Chloe in pink, Lisa in green, Susan in purple. They looked outstanding. They did a great job with the song and got, I would estimate a 90% standing ovation.
   She Moved Through the Fair really didn’t generate much excitement. They did good though. it’s a song that just doesn’t energize or inspire like the others can. The Tribute to Broadway only got a small number standing at the end. I don’t know why. I thought they did a great job with it. They deserved better.    Then came Bridge over Troubled Water. Lisa introduced David back to the stage and he played the piano part for it. David got a nice round of applause as he walked out. Lil’ lambe really aced it, and I mean aced it! WOW! And she was really putting power into  her voice. Like when she sang the word “SHIIIIIINE” I could really hear it off mic. Like strong, Chloe strong. I don’t remember Lil’ Lambe  ever hitting notes with THAT much power! Pure strength yet inspiration too. Her best performance of this song yet. Great job Lil’ Lambe! She got about a 90% standing O. But the people sitting where clapping and cheering. I think the old folks were just getting tired and resting up for the final stretch.
   So then Ray came out to do his bit. Mairead comes running out and chases him back, but she is wearing a NEW BLUE DRESS! Another surprise. The choir and band people came down the inside left aisle, so again they were not far from me. Then the girls came out in NEW NIL DRESSES! They had sort of a collar on them, I don’t know proper clothes terminology. Lisa green, Chloe blue, Susan light blue. They got a lot of people clapping along. The one guy second row center about danced out of his seat. But only got a 25% standing O at the end. That was a bit sad. BUT …..
   They had to do the song over! Yes we got 2 Nils tonight! Of all the songs to have to do a do over. They needed to catch their breath and get back out in position. Someone mentioned that Chloe may have had a mic issue on Nil but I didn’t notice. That’s the problem with Nil. Too much going on to watch. I miss stuff. The second take went well though. Lots of clapping a a good standing O!
   Next came Mairead with Shenandoah and the dance number. Lots of clapping and a 90% standing O. Chloe, as always, nailed Ave Maria and got a 90% standing O.  Chloe was moved by the ovation and thanked everyone. A quick note about Chloe’s new pink dress on Ave maria. It looks a lot nicer in the light they shine on her during Ave, it‘s very striking and eye catching the way the light shines off the pink. . She looked and sounded just …beautiful. She really hits perfection now. Then Susan came out to sing The Voice and did an excellent job, though maybe only 30% stood at the end. Susan did a great job and deserved better. Oh another quick point about the new dresses. They are shorter at the bottom and don’t have all the fluff down there. All the girls, but especially Susan, have a much easier time navigating up and down the steps in the new dresses.
   They then did a beautiful job on You Raise Me Up and got a 150% standing O. I think the venue staff were even clapping and cheering at this point. People were singing along or mouthing the words on Parting Glass. The lady sitting on my right cried. She also cried on Danny Boy and Amazing Grace. Many did. CW really did such an incredible moving show tonight, even exceeding the regular awesome, hard to believe that’s even possible.
    Parting Glass means we are at an end. All good things must end. Sad  but it’s a reality. The escapism, the trip to a better place, must end.  But not before one final blast! Everyone stood during the Finale! Clapping, cheering, it was amazing! You might NEVER see a better finish then we had here! WOW! The good people at Notre Dame know a great thing when they see it, and they appreciate it!
   A few final notes on the end. I noticed both Mairead and Lisa wave to someone WAY up on the top level. I also noticed a woman sitting maybe 5 rows behind me who was in the crowd on the other DVDs. Glasses and short hair. No one held up any signs. One guy did have a scarf with Ireland written on it in green, but he only held it up twice. I think he knew better than to block people’s view. After the show, we went out and waited by the buses, and I took a 2 quick walks around the block.
   On the first pass just after the show, I spotted a dozen Nuns waiting in front, I guess for their ride. Seemed odd to see a dozen Nuns loiter around at night! Later I took another walk, and as I passed the front door of the theatre, a set of doors were wide open with no guard! Although I don’t know why anyone would sneak into an empty theatre. But someone could have gone in, stole something, vandalized. Wide open doors are different from my city life. it’s a different world out there in South bend. And maybe a better one too!
   The girls eventually came out and then we left. It was very late though by that time. I bet they had some type of post-production mini-party that kept them in the venue longer than usual. But if so, that would be a very well deserved celebration.!


Title: Re: Escape to a Better Place - South Bend recording April 9 2013
Post by: Cash on April 12, 2013, 01:55AM


   CONCLUSION

   So now I come to the end of my long detailed account of the night. So what are my thoughts and opinions about this great night?

A BIG THANK YOU to the ladies of Celtic Woman. I don’t think that we fans or audience members could ask for better principle performers, with the exception of some former members. I did miss Lisa Kelly. Something seemed missing. Our favorite ladies actually did 2 takes of the show before the one that was in front of the live audience.. They worked their buts off. And I doubt Mairead or Lil’ Lambe could have done any better!   They put on a perfect show. Chloe and Susan were near perfect. My only issue with them involved their song selection. And that’s not really their fault. Nocturrne and Caledonia don’t entertain or inspire like most of the other songs. If I could make a change in the show, I would have substituted When You Believe for Nocturne. Caledonia does have a place in a Celtic concert though, so that’s sort of stuck there. But it’s just not a song that’s going to floor someone that’s listening. Even Lisa Kelly didn’t blow us away with that song! And Susan did get about a 30% standing O on The Voice. When applause like that is bad when compared to the rest, you actually know the crowd is really showing them a lot of love. I think some performers would take a 30% standing O! But that was my only issue with the crowd. Susan should have got a little more applause and love.

A BIG THANK YOU to the band and choir. I don’t know how Craig can have such fast feet or kick that high. Ray is a character and just looks like a drummer. Plus I think he has more to do with the music thinking part of the show than we know about. They all do a great job and work hard.

A BIG THANK YOU to Bubba. Ken, and CW management and backstage staff. Yes I know. Some of you will quickly point out that upper management should have provided fans with more notice so more could attend. I agree, but I also don’t see that as being an obligation on their end. Although they have done it in the past, we shouldn’t expect them to always do it. But it certainly would have been better if they had. I also hoped for posters, t-shirts, something special to sell to the people in attendance.  Like the t-shits they had in Atlanta. But on the plus side, they couldn’t have picked a better place to do this. All the people at Notre Dame and South Bend were awesome. Everyone acted in a professional and friendly way. We had a GREAT crowd. A crowd that connected with “Irish”. A crowd that will look great as a PBS type of audience. I strongly believe in the indoor venue for a recording. As we have seen from the past outdoor venues, it doesn’t matter how good you are or how much money you spend, you can’t control Mother Nature. Doing it inside removes the risk of a major production problem. The Morris Center seemed like a great facility to do this in.

A BIG THANK YOU to the venue staff, restaurant  and parking lot employees, concert attendees, and people in general at Notre Dame and South Bend. You all do a fantastic job. Someday I hope to come back for another concert. You have a great place there. It’s a different world!


Title: Re: Escape to a Better Place - South Bend recording April 9 2013
Post by: barb kantartzis on April 12, 2013, 09:09AM
awww! cool review! 8) sounds like it was a great night had by all! Brings me right back to the cleveland concert!!  Especially  the nil se'n la dresses! I do have to be impartial about pittsburgh being the best being a clevelander and all!! LOL! Sorry, I had to!! Indiana is cooll to I guess, very quiet etc!  And yes no doors ever left open in the city (I'm in a suburb and noone leaves doors open either!)  But a lot of similarities in your review as mine!  BUt just as u guys have notre dame there that people were wearing I noticed alot of OSU botton down shirts that night on the men there!  And w mo ghile mear I did noticed they went back w the spot lights on the girls and shoulder movements with heads turned!! hThey didn't do it at rcmh, it was just pretty much black on stage w the lights on the drummers!  But sounds like a blast and can't wait to see it! oh and I thought in Awakening she had some sort of light in her hand! I couldn't figure it out of thought it was the s tage lighting! And I am happy that htye love there fans! There are a lot of other groups that say they do and really don't responds etc! The twitter responses  might have something to do w the long bus trips or what not and also comunicating w there family and friends back home!  And I can never get enough hugs!  I got quite a few from the the girls and believe me I went home quite happy! During the m&g I got hugs from the girls and them at the buses I got a  lil lambe hug (and they are the best kinda hugs!) And I think susan (I am not sure but I think I remember getting 2 hugs and she was one?) But hugs are a good thing!


Title: Re: Escape to a Better Place - South Bend recording April 9 2013
Post by: urbanracer34 on April 12, 2013, 11:36AM
Great review. It sounds amazing! I look forward to seeing this on DVD (or Blu-ray if they choose to) "soon", or if WGBH (The only PBS station I have access to) will carry it. I hope so on both fronts.


Title: Re: Escape to a Better Place - South Bend recording April 9 2013
Post by: Louis97 on April 12, 2013, 02:14PM
Awesome Review!!!!!!! I cannot wait for the DVD!


Title: Re: Escape to a Better Place - South Bend recording April 9 2013
Post by: mishawakafan on April 14, 2013, 05:33PM
Well done, sir!
It was a pleasure to meet you, as well as your travel buddies, Annie and Kelly.
Glad you enjoyed South Bend.  It is more than just Notre Dame.  To be honest, I saw very little ND gear being worn by attendees.  One very noticeable exception, of course.  The crowd was from all over the Michiana (an area that includes SW Lower Michigan and north central Indiana).  I work in Elkhart and have had two people come up to me and say, "I saw you at Celtic Woman!"  They are now big fans and I shared how they can stay in touch with Celtic Woman. 

I will return with more thoughts later.

Phil


Title: Re: Escape to a Better Place - South Bend recording April 9 2013
Post by: Starman on April 15, 2013, 05:47PM
  Great review Mike!  The forum was fortunate to have as talented a reviewer such as yourself present for this important show!  We're likely to see the film at some point, but it might be a while. You need to post it over on the Máiréad forum too.

   Did you see yourself in the photo of the Cleveland show CW posted on it's North American tour FB page?  :o 8)

   Thank you for putting so much time and effort in the review for us!  It was fantastic!   8) 8) 8) 


Title: Re: Escape to a Better Place - South Bend recording April 9 2013
Post by: littlecubspirit on April 15, 2013, 06:17PM
Thank you for such a wonderful, detailed review. I know a lot of us on the forum were wishing there had been more notice ahead of time so we could have gone. Your review made me feel as though I was at the show with you. Thank you again


Title: Re: Escape to a Better Place - South Bend recording April 9 2013
Post by: Traveling Spaceman on May 08, 2013, 08:00PM
Thanks for a terrific review. Lots of work and much appreciated.

This actually happened: the tour came to our town the last week in March. After the show, I went on the Tour Facebook page to comment on what a great show it was, and said something like:

"And please, someone tell whoever is in charge that the next DVD has to include the Singing FIght. That needs to be preserved forever."

And about a week later, they announced they were taping the South Bend show.  :D 

Now, I'm not suggesting they read my post and said "hey, that guy's right, why don't we tape South Bend?" But it is a crazy coincidence.


Title: Re: Escape to a Better Place - South Bend recording April 9 2013
Post by: mishawakafan on May 10, 2013, 09:13PM
First, welcome to the Forum Traveling Spaceman.  Secondly, I am willing to give you credit for the idea.  

THANK YOU!!   :)

Phil


Title: Re: Escape to a Better Place - South Bend recording April 9 2013
Post by: Traveling Spaceman on May 10, 2013, 10:56PM
Thanks for the welcome - like all of us, can't wait to see the show when it comes out on PBS/TV/DVD - as long as we can watch it SOMEWHERE!  :)


Title: Re: Escape to a Better Place - South Bend recording April 9 2013
Post by: barb kantartzis on May 15, 2013, 01:07PM
quick question, as I am not sure were to post it!! I know for the first act they have the new dresses (which are stunning) and for the south bend taping they had the new gorgeous 2nd act dresses! But. I saw SYnan on twitter had pics up of NEW gowns! pressumably 2nd act ones! The gold and then maireads blue! Different styles then the believe ones! From the little pic he posted they look equally as gorgeous! I don't feel comfortable posting the tweet on here but lisa made a comment on it so you can see it from her post! Hmmm, I wonder if they are going to use those now or prepping them for the europe tour and 2014 maybe?? Would anyone going to a concert soon, let us know if they changed their second act dresses? and they look great no matter what the style or look of a dress is!!


Title: Re: Escape to a Better Place - South Bend recording April 9 2013
Post by: mishawakafan on May 15, 2013, 08:28PM
They have not yet changed the second act dresses.


Title: Re: Escape to a Better Place - South Bend recording April 9 2013
Post by: barb kantartzis on May 16, 2013, 01:40AM
Ok! Thank u! I was just wondering if anyone heard anything different! I hope when they use them that we get a pic or two of them wearing them!! Or if the don't if anyone at the concerts keep and eye out and let us know how they look!! Thank u!!


Title: Re: Escape to a Better Place - South Bend recording April 9 2013
Post by: rodzilla on May 16, 2013, 09:12PM
More importantly...when does the DVD come out?  My guess is a Christmas time special on PBS.  Anyone know any details yet?


Title: Re: Escape to a Better Place - South Bend recording April 9 2013
Post by: littlecubspirit on May 16, 2013, 09:33PM
More importantly...when does the DVD come out?  My guess is a Christmas time special on PBS.  Anyone know any details yet?

No and I'm dying for details...I WANT


Title: Re: Escape to a Better Place - South Bend recording April 9 2013
Post by: AggieGuy on May 16, 2013, 09:50PM
Well, it's not listed on Amazon yet and that's often the first place one can find release dates for DVDs, even before an official announcement.


Title: Re: Escape to a Better Place - South Bend recording April 9 2013
Post by: mishawakafan on May 16, 2013, 11:17PM
The PBS rep here in South Bend didn't think the Show would air until the pledge drive in March of next year.  :-\
I think they want to finish Touring the Show before they air it.  Maybe.  ???

Phil


Title: Re: Escape to a Better Place - South Bend recording April 9 2013
Post by: mishawakafan on May 16, 2013, 11:19PM
...and we have completely hi-jacked this thread.  Sorry Cash!


Title: Re: Escape to a Better Place - South Bend recording April 9 2013
Post by: mattycakes on May 17, 2013, 03:52PM
The PBS rep here in South Bend didn't think the Show would air until the pledge drive in March of next year.  :-\
I think they want to finish Touring the Show before they air it.  Maybe.  ???

Phil
I'm hoping it'll be released here in the States sometime in the summer! By then, they'll have finished touring here in the States! So maybe they'll release it then for those people who were unable to attend the tour this year!


Title: Re: Escape to a Better Place - South Bend recording April 9 2013
Post by: littlecubspirit on May 17, 2013, 07:01PM
The PBS rep here in South Bend didn't think the Show would air until the pledge drive in March of next year.  :-\
I think they want to finish Touring the Show before they air it.  Maybe.  ???

Phil
I'm hoping it'll be released here in the States sometime in the summer! By then, they'll have finished touring here in the States! So maybe they'll release it then for those people who were unable to attend the tour this year!

I would have thought it would be something to put on their fall pledge drive


Title: Re: Escape to a Better Place - South Bend recording April 9 2013
Post by: mattycakes on May 18, 2013, 08:12AM
The PBS rep here in South Bend didn't think the Show would air until the pledge drive in March of next year.  :-\
I think they want to finish Touring the Show before they air it.  Maybe.  ???

Phil
I'm hoping it'll be released here in the States sometime in the summer! By then, they'll have finished touring here in the States! So maybe they'll release it then for those people who were unable to attend the tour this year!

I would have thought it would be something to put on their fall pledge drive
Hmm... That's a thought. Celtic Woman usually records (in the case of ANJ, ACC, and SFTH) during July or August and then releases it for the winter pledge drive usually in November. So, based on those time stamps, maybe we can hope for a fall release.