UPDATE: This idea has more than likely evolved to a DVD-tribute with contributions from forum folks. However, having the original idea in there seems, in my opinion, to make better sense when viewing this idea with the follow up below.
A Celtic Woman Appreciation Concert!
BAM! I said it!
It'd be SOOOOO much fun!
K here's the idea.
All of the cast and crew of CW, (maybe even past and present), could be in attendance of a massive appreciation concert in their honor! Forum fans and fans from all over can come see and possibly perform in the concert, too!
The set list will include not only songs from Celtic Woman, but other songs as well. For example, we could "spoof" some of the songs to give the girls a good laugh (ex. having a guy's version of "At The Ceili" or singing "Dulaman" translated into English). Also we could sing/perform some songs not by Celtic Woman, but capture their spirit. One example I thought of was The Who's "Join Together [with the Band]." To me, the song captures the feeling we get when we're sitting towards the front of a CW concert, able to interact with the girls. Their expressions toward us and the way they sing
to us makes it feel, at least in my experience, like they want us to
join with them (a feeling confirmed when they urge us to do "Spanish Lady" with them!). Of course, we'd have to sing some of the very heartfelt songs to them as well ("The Blessing" perhaps and definitely "You Raise Me Up").
Of course, this concert would have to be done at a precise time and location when the girls aren't touring or working on the next album/tour, and they're close enough to come to the concert. It's not just for the girls, btw, their friends, family, the drummers, the chorus, the stage crew, EVERYONE!
And the performers on stage would be comprised of fans who want to give a performance to show their gratitude and admiration for everyone.
Not musically inclined? No problem! As I said, this concert is for EVERYONE, so you are invited to the concert as well!
I am 99.99% certain this concert could NEVER happen due to time, money, schedules, distance, everything, but I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I didn't at least get the idea out there! Therefore, this thread is mainly for ideas for a hypothetical appreciation concert. :-)
IMPORTANT: I must reiterate that it is not very likely that we'll be able to pull this off, but I'm not gonna give up until the very last impassable roadblock. This may be all for nothing, but if it can be pulled off, then we can do something special, something extraordinary, and it'd show the cast and crew of Celtic Woman how much we love and respect them. However, I must harp on this fact: You shouldn't hold your breath for this to happen.
Update:
I have an idea for a possible opening to a DVD musical tribute - a choreographed and staged rendition of Nil S'en La. I want to be in it, so it could go a few ways - all guys or mixed. The choreography I had in mind for an all-guys rendition is a lot like what they did at Powerscourt, except that it's gonna be more intense and powerful - something to wow the viewers a little bit as they watch us sing the song. I have a friend in Chattanooga who does choreography, and I worked with her when she helped do the dances to musicals I was in in my high school years. She's very talented and knows what she's doing. However, she's a very busy woman, yet she knows a lot of local people who can help. The great thing about this tribute, is that we can take as long as we need to make it, so it could be possible that with some miracle and pixie dust we can get some folks together to work on this part of the tribute. If there's no way to move forum members together in Chattanooga, I could probably just find some musically inclined dancers here in Chattanooga, who'd be willing to do something for us, and that would be my big musical contribution to the tribute.
Another idea:
In direct response to "O America," I know no better tribute song to sing to the girls than "Ireland's Call." I'd like to do a staged version of that too with just singing and no choreography, but that may be biting off more than I can chew, so I may find a way to have some voices mixed together over the internet.
I'd like to do some individual tributes to each of the girls and probably past and present if possible. For Mairead, possibly a compilation of the fiddle-playing members playing her songs, and maybe somehow finding a mixing-savvy person put them together in a really cool way. For the other girls, maybe have some of our singing members sing a line from some of their more popular songs.
Dulaman:
I think it would be absolutely HILARIOUS if we did Dulaman in the tribute, but sang it in it's English translation. If you don't know what I mean, look up the translation and try not to crack up when you think about singing it. I have a bodhran, but I want to leave that part open since I'm already going to be doing so much for this tribute, and I want someone else to have some spotlight and a chance to show their admiration for these wonderful women of the Emerald Isle.
At The Ceili:
All guys version. Enough said. We already have a huge contribution on this thread with a male version of this song, but I think we could possibly make it even more hilarious. If there are enough guys willing to do it, we can dress them up in costumes and have them put on almost like a musical skit to this song. This may be a stretch, but wouldn't it be hilarious?
Personal interviews:
This is almost an absolute must. Interviews with forum members about what each girl has meant to them, and how their music has moved them. I could see this is gonna take some cold-hearted decision making on my part. I can already see this tribute taking many hours and megabytes, so I may have to cut portions or entire interviews for lack of space, unless I decide that we have enough data to make this a two disc tribute. Please keep that in mind.
Special Features:
I think it'd be really neat if we can have a "Making Of" feature on this tribute, so if it's possible to film every step of what you do for this tribute, from contemplating to rehearsing to staging, what have you, that'd be a surefire way to make this happen. Don't record over your mistakes! Simply cut them and compile them and send it to me! A blooper reel is a sure way to make the ladies laugh. You could even film yourself telling the camera audience what you're doing in a particular stage of what you're doing. Don't be afraid to start this early on, and then film later about how you changed your mind about how you're going at it. The ever-changing process of creating a work of art can be as interesting as the art itself. Not that I consider myself an artist, or that this will turn out to be a work of art, but you get what I mean.
A tribute for David:
Sometimes, I think David doesn't get all the attention he deserves since he is not on stage with the ladies every night on tour. Sure, we as forum folks sing his praises all the time, but I really want a tribute that affirms the genius of his craft. If there's someone who is very musically inclined and would be willing to do this, I think it'd be very powerful if one could write a moving song in gratitude and acknowledgment of his creation. If I had a say, we'd have verses that'd be sung by different forum members, and a powerful chorus for all singing members to sing. The song could be joyous, reverent, or even funny - as long as it captures the gratitude and respect we have for a wonderful man.
A tribute for Ray and Nicky:
We gotta give these guys SOOO much credit! From the very start (ok, so Nicky wasn't in the first DVD, but he's been with us ever since), Ray and Nicky have been on the dvds and on tour while spreading their immense talent and adding so much power to the music with their percussion skills. Must have videos of thanks and maybe a compilation of people playing their drums, bodhrans, or even dressing up like they do on stage and mimicking their antics.
A tribute to the choir members:
I'd love it if we could have videos of people thanking them individually, and maybe a message or two for them. I'm ashamed to say that I only know a few of their names and faces, but if we can have people name them and possibly put their faces next to the names in the video, I think it'd be a warming tribute to people who are as important to the show as David and the ladies.
A thank you video to the backstage crew:
In the Army, the grunts do the dirty work, and (though bluntly said) it's the same for the stage crew. Without them, there'd be no sound system, no lighting, no smoke effects, no film, no show. Big thanks in the highest order must be paid unto them.
List of songs I think will go in the DVD as of now (not really in any particular order):
Nil S'en La
Ireland's Call
A tribute song for David
Dulaman - English translation - possible tribute to Meav
At The Ceili - Male Version
The Call
Danny Boy
Orinoco Flow
The Who's "Join Together" (
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HDMCCLlGl4 ) - a thank you salute to their attentiveness to the audience
Spanish Lady
Tribute compilation of Mairead's fiddle solos
The Voice - tribute to Lisa
Siuil A Ruin - possible tribute to Orla
Sing Out!
One World - a tribute to the peaceful message of Celtic Woman
When You Believe or Walking in the Air - tribute to Chloe
True Colours or You'll Be In My Heart - tribute to Alex
Carolina Rhua - tribute to Lynn
The Blessing - tribute to all of the girls
You Raise Me Up - Enough said. It fits and its message is true for all who have been touched by Celtic Woman. There's absolutely no question about whether or not it's gonna be in the tribute.
Possible songs:
Scarborough Fair or Lascia Ch'io Pianga - tribute to Hayley
A song that could be a tribute to Dierdre
Send Me A Song - could work that in a tribute of some kind
Maybe a drumming compilation for a tribute to Ray and Nicky
Mo Ghile Mear - I put this in this list because we already have so many songs and this is a tribute DVD done by mostly amateur contributors. I doubt I can get the money or the hardware to make a very big tribute. Heck, I only have Windows Movie Maker, Windows DVD Maker, and a handful of primitive songwriting software to help me. However, Mo Ghile Mear could very well be worked either into the musical tribute itself, or serve as an underlay for individual or group tributes.
A note on The Who's "Join Together":
I selected this song for the purpose of a tribute concert in which the performers on stage would possibly move offstage to be with the cast and crew of Celtic Woman while they were actually performing it. Seeing as how this is most likely going to go into a DVD-type scenario, it will most likely be pulled from the tribute. Maybe I could work it into a special feature of some type.
Pictures and videos:
I understand that there was once a time that pictures and videos were allowed at meet-and-greets. If it isn't some faux pas I'm unaware of about this, I'd like to include some of these in the DVD, but ONLY if they were taken BEFORE the no picture/video rule came into place. Also, if you have videos/pictures of a meeting with the cast and crew outside the meet-and-greet and show atmosphere and are willing to share them, those would also be wonderful. The point of this is to illustrate concretely the amount of generosity and kindness these people have shared with us.
Credits:
I will do my VERY best to give credit where credit is due, but as it is, I'm still human, which is why I when we have a "rough draft," so to speak, of the DVD completed, I want everyone involved to get a digital copy of the draft to see if I gave them credit where I should have given it (and spelled names and forum names correctly). If you wish to remain anonymous, let me know.
Technical stuff:
As I said, I have primitive software for the actual making of the DVD. As a director with a vision, I must ask that I be the one to arrange and sign off on the technical part of the tribute. Please don't take this as arrogance or snobbery, but I really am a stickler for getting this right! That said, I will most likely need the help of technically savvy people to mix sound and music, apply subtitles and graphical art, and probably make a DVD menu and creative sleeve jacket for the DVD case. I'll send you what I want done, you work your magic, send it back to me for approval, and we either work back and forth to make it better, or it goes like it is. I PROMISE to give you credit for ALL you do, and I promise to work in a respectful and mutually beneficial demeanor and atmosphere where you can be as creative as you want with as little stress as possible.
Money:
I can't guarantee that anyone who does actual labor for this tribute can be paid for their work. In fact, it's probably gonna cost people money. I could see in the future asking for donations to pay for some parts of this production, and the quality of the final product could depend on how much people are willing to donate. I know I'm probably gonna have to pay a choreographer for the Nil S'en La part, and hopefully, that'll be the only expense. However, this is a tribute production, not a money-making venture. This isn't what I'm gonna do for a living (although, at 20 years old, who can say for sure?), and to give a gift to someone takes some selfless sacrifice.
IDEAS:
PLEASE PM me ideas for the tribute, either ways that can help, or something you think can be added into the DVD.
