Title: Why doesn't Celtic Woman tour with more singers? Post by: CWazyTom on June 21, 2017, 05:29PM I'm sure this question has been asked before.
I'm not sure, but I can speculate. Cost I suppose it has a bit to do with the mindset by some in management that the benefit of a 4th singer was marginal relative to the cost. Or maybe, regardless of the benefit of a 4th singer, it just ate too much into their margins. Instrumentalists as Singers The instrumentalists could certainly sing in some of the numbers. We know Tara can sing very well although. That said, it's not just about having a beautiful voice, it's about how those voices blend together. Perhaps they feel that Tara's voice, while unquestionably gorgeous, is more difficult to blend with the rest of the group. She sounded fine in the special Red Rocks encore song, but we don't know what her relative mic level was during that performance. Many of us know that Mairead Nesbitt can sing too. I think the only time she ever sang for them officially was those brief words at the end of "Let It Snow." I wonder if Mairead just wasn't comfortable singing or didn't enjoy it. Or maybe singing and being the instrumentalist is just too much. Our Celtic ladies work very hard all the time to perfect their craft. Perhaps it takes such focus to be as good as they are that trying to be a master of too many crafts would be detrimental. Moreover, a singer's voice requires a lot of care and maintenance. They have to keep their voices hydrated, warm them up, and protect them. I've heard Eabha mention that she has to work up her range throughout the day so she can sing higher than she normally would. Why did they never tour with 5 singers? Now that is an interesting question and one that comes with a lot of rumors and controversy. I'm not sure if it's true, but I've heard that it's because of what happened to Deirdre when Meav returned after the first tour. I think Deirdre was under the impression she would be staying aboard and they would tour with 5 singers. For whatever reason, that didn't happen and they didn't keep Deirdre. Now the rumor is that Team Deirdre was pretty upset about that and attempted a law suit against Celtic Woman for wrongful termination. The rumor follows that action was settled under the condition that Celtic Woman was a group of 5 performers (not 6). So they could only have up to 4 lead singers. Is there any truth to that? I'm not sure. But it's interesting. We know that whatever happened with Deirdre, that decision came into play again after A New Journey. In what amounted to a frustrating juggling act (for the singers and many fans alike), the singers swapped in and out for parts of the subsequent tour. Now some say that's due to the ladies having prior commitments and maybe there's at least some truth to that. But I have to wonder if they really were legally bound to not tour with 5 singers (the ANJ DVD/special was of course not a tour, so it wouldn't have been subject to the same alleged restrictions). I haven't read Hayley's book (although I think maybe it's time I did) and I never did much digging into the political stuff behind the scenes. But if anyone knows or has any thoughts on why they don't tour with 4 singers (or why they never toured with 5 at a time), it might make for an interesting discussion. Title: Re: Why doesn't Celtic Woman tour with more singers? Post by: Emer Dreamer on June 21, 2017, 06:14PM Deirdre did get the "short thrift" from CW Ltd management . This probably put Meav in an awkward spot as well since she and Deirdre were friends from their Anuna days. But you already said it Tom, it is most probably about cost effectiveness. The bottom line drives everything in our society it seems. Folks see the DVD features from the various tours and see the grandiose and lovely presentations that only appear there. This affects those more who are only mild or mid-range CW fans. Folks like us who are CWazies understand the differences between what we see on DVD or the PBS specials and what we see in concert. One thing that is different that has been noted earlier , is the fact that there are only male backing vocalists for the last couple of tours. This happened after Meav became vocal Director and Creative Consultant. Meav is a smart , insightful and shrewd lady who knows the importance of continuity and stability. Us long time fans understand and have felt the effects of the seemingly sped up turnover of the past. It seems to me, now, that with Meav at the helm, so to speak, that the chaos has subsided noticeably. Even the transition from Mairead N. to Tara has been smoother than anticipated. Back to continuity. Most of our girls' front line talent are engaged or married to the men who can travel along with them on tour.This is a big thing, because it means the girls can feel free to stay longer with the group. This renewed stability (and the renewed focus on traditional Irish roots) garnered CW its 1st Grammy nod. right after Meav took over in her new roles- NOT a coincidence I say. Even though she stays out of the girls' spotlight and doesn't glorify herself, I think we can rest assured that cW is in great hands. :)
Title: Re: Why doesn't Celtic Woman tour with more singers? Post by: BlueAquaOcean on June 21, 2017, 06:33PM I think for the number question when Alex left, Lisa L was going her replacement,but when Lynn left they couldn't find another in time. Which makes sense.
I thought I read that Deirdre left on her own to return to her own career. I never heard that she wanted to stay :-\ As for Tara, maybe she thought that playing two insturments and singing would be too much. Title: Re: Why doesn't Celtic Woman tour with more singers? Post by: rfcw on June 21, 2017, 08:00PM Meav does appear to our fans delight as to wonder if she would appear for a DVD taping of or similarity new show after VOA tour ends. Aka O America.
Is it truely Lisa L was to replace Alex & not Lynn or for both after? It be a lot interesting having her beside Lynn I don't know would they be too similar in bits. Unless Lisa L sings low base while Lynn stays high range. What I don't understand or see why on the Emerald CD it features Mairead Carlin I know she was part for the Emerald Tour cast but she is not featured at all on the CD unlike TGJ with Lynn & Alex. Had Lynn left after Lisa L would they promote Lisa L and be 3's well possibly or would there be a Rebecca or Eabha early with Lisa L in the House of fours 4's continuing alongside Lisa K & Chloe before Susan & Carlin. ::) Title: Re: Why doesn't Celtic Woman tour with more singers? Post by: The Impatient New Yorker on June 23, 2017, 11:01PM The emerald CD/DVD is a recording of the spring 2013 believe tour, which is why it features Chloe instead of Mairead.
Title: Re: Why doesn't Celtic Woman tour with more singers? Post by: White Rose on July 01, 2017, 09:17AM Yup. Chloe left after the cd was recorded but not released, and Mairead C came in at that time.
I figure that with Tara, her contract was that she'd be the violinist, since she was coming in to replace Mairead N. I do agree that with her violin and harp on tour, it's plausible that throwing singing in may have been a bit overwhelming for her. |