Am I really the first to post a review of the "Believe" show? Ok, here goes:
Looking at the Atlanta show objectively, it's easy to see the biggest change since the very first taping, which was done almost 7 years ago at The Helix in September 2004. At the time there were 5 girls who barely knew eachother. Now the core three have worked together very closely for 7 years, and Lisa Lambe has been with them for most of a year as well. The three originals - Lisa K, Mairead, and Chloe - have likely gotten to the point where they are in near-symbiosis with one another on stage, even when working with new material. They always were professionals, but in 2004 they were a collection of individuals, albeit very talented ones. With each DVD the girls have become more cohesive. Now they are a TEAM. That has to be the biggest difference between then, and now.
I was fortunate. Some people had to wait all 6 weeks for the taping in full anticipation mode. For me the excitement for the DVD taping built very gradually, as at first I didn't even think I'd be able to go. The announcement of the taping with just 6 weeks to get ready does not mix well with my work schedule, which is set many weeks in advance. At first I didn't think I'd be able to attend even the first show. After about a week of uncertainty I was able to get someone to at least cover the first day. It took another 4 weeks before I could be certain I'd have coverage for the second day, which made for more expensive hotel reservations. But in the end, everything had been made ready and the journey began.
I met up with Roy very early, at 5am. We needed to be at the airport for our 7am flight from Houston to Atlanta. I have travelled to shows with other people many times, but this was the first time ever that I would not be flying alone. We had a very enjoyable flight to Charlotte and on again to Atlanta, with the weather being very cooperative and our only issue being a difficulty getting ourselves out of the Atlanta airport itself.
We arrived at our hotel and quickly checked into our rooms and then walked the block and a half to the forum get-together, which was in the grand ballroom at the venue itself. I thought I was prepared for what was to follow, but I was sadly unready. We had many dozens of fans for the event, many of whom I had yet to meet. I had some great conversations with old friends and met as many new ones. Very special was getting to meet Alexa for the first time after many months of talking online. I also said my greeting for the Fan Forum's documentary that Mike and Scott M. were compiling. The whole group of us did a touching rendition of "You Raise Me Up." I also took the time to meet up for an early dinner with Bob who was providing me with my ticket for the second night's show. After will call was complete we all started to make our way into the venue.
The Fabulous Fox Theater is yet another beautiful old theater that has been restored. Much of it follows a motif which is a combination of Egyptian and Moorish styling. It has the fake sky-ceiling reminiscent of The Majestic Theater in San Antonio. As far as the balcony is concerned, it isn't that it comes way out, but that it goes way back. The stage was crafted with a semi-circle extending out into the seating area, and partial use of the pit area for seats but also for cameras. The stage as set up allowed for plenty of maneuver room for the girls. The center part of the stage had a multi-step dais with an ornate archway.
As much a part of the experience as the venue, was the circumstance of the show being a recorded event. We received instructions from the program director about how to do our part as a proper audience. We watched as David Downes took his place at the piano... for me, just the second time I had ever seen him play at a show. Roy and I sat back in our piano-side row E seats and watched as the incredible show unfolded.
Now for what I'm sure you've been waiting for, some notes about the first-Act songs themselves:
They kept the twin portions of "Songs From the Heart" (Walking the Night/Give Me Your Hand) but they divided them up into separate pieces, and reversed the order. "Give Me Your Hand" was placed in the first Act, and "Walking the Night" was placed in the second Act. I don't know why, and I don't know if they'll later put them in the more familiar order on the DVD. I don't even know yet what they'll do tonight. We'll see...
Oh, and they also kept "My Heart Was Home Again."
What a totally beautiful "Bridge Over Troubled Water." They had a children's choir consisting almost entirely of little girls sitting on the dais with the Lisas and Chloe singing it. So, so cute!
Not a straight copy of the Simon & Garfunkel version either.
Chloe's first solo was a classical piece called "Nocturne," I'm trying to recall if it's by Chopin but alas I'm not certain. Anyway, a couple excellent high notes mark the piece and Chloe hits them with ease. Her songs weren't really power tunes; as Moscapoet pointed out afterwards (correctly, in my opinion) her songs for this show are really finesse rather than power.
Another cover song was Chloe's "Tears In Heaven." Before the show while sitting at dinner with Bob and Roy, I had said how little I had liked the Eric Clapton version (and yes, I do know the story and circumstances behind the song; I also recall hearing the song when it was first released). But as so often happens with Chloe, she totally snatched this song and made a poignant, stirring piece that stands with her very best work. I withheld judgement until I heard it and now I'm glad that I did.
There were also some other songs in the first half, of course. But I don't know their names, although I know eventually I'll know them by heart as we all do. One other song in the first act does stand out though: the last song in the first half was a song that obviously was taking the place of "At the Ceili." The girls wore cute ceili dresses that are more satin and shine than the others of the past. And the song featured an Irish dancing guy who was really good; a very lively piece, made me want to get up and start dancing LOL.
For the second act, first Chloe and Lisa Kelly came out and trained us how to sing a song they would use later in the show haha. Absolutely one of the most hilarious scenes I have ever experienced with Celtic Woman, you won't see it on the DVD but basically Chloe and Lisa sang the chorus for us and then had us practice it back to them, and then they found creative ways to "motivate" the audience to do better (including trying to make the left-side of the audience compete with the right-side) all in fun the whole time. I kinda wish they would leave this interaction as an extra feature on the DVD, it was soooo funny.
Ok, first main song of the second Act was the song "A Woman's Heart." This was a song I knew, I'd been listening to Eleanor McAvoy's version for like 15 years and I've always liked it. The girls did it as a group number. It's a slow ballad-type number.
Another song that I already knew: Lisa K and Mairead doing "The Water Is Wide!!!!!!" WOW!!!!! To me, this song is a proper and true successor to "The Voice" for Lisa. Not the usual slow-tempo version that many of us have heard before, this one is rousing and grand; beautiful orchestration, I absolutely love it!!!!
Back-to-back tunes from musicals, both done as group numbers: "I Dreamed A Dream". Very good, though I don't know enough about the original to be able to tell much about it, but the second song I know extremely well: "Circle Of Life!!!!!!" I have been saying that I wanted this song included for like the last 3 years; in fact I even mentioned it while chatting online with forum friends Rachel and Alexa just a few days ago. I never really thought they'd do it, but when Lisa Lambe started the first few words of it, I gasped and a dumb smile came across my face haha. Again a group number, it had all the fury and power of the Elton John original; fantastic song, proof again that the CW ladies really do know their fans.
"Green Grow the Rushes." Here is where the training from Lisa K and Chloe came in handy. They asked us to "sing along if you know the song" which of course our audience did.
A nice slow pretty song, clearly an Irish traditional.
Again the girls know what their fans want, and they delivered for a dear fan with one of her favorites: "A Spaceman Came Travelling." I must admit, this song just didn't do enough for me when I first heard the audio release they did a few months ago; but now, watching Lisa Lambe perform it on stage with the choir.... FANTASTIC!!! I am a fan of this song now!
I don't know the song "You'll Never Walk Alone," or at least I had never heard it before. But wow, what a great group number!!
Chloe's other solo was "Ave Maria." Yet another song I'd always wanted Chloe to do is the Schubert version of it, and once again she didn't disappoint. The children's choir came back again, with the CW choir, and performed it with Chloe. Gorgeous high notes again from Chloe, without a whole lot of great effort. Chloe, you are amazing!!
The finale was "The Parting Glass." Bringing everything in... bagpipers, choirs, CW... very rousing and smashing piece. It's not the "Encore Finale" which will probably always be my #1 Celtic Woman song, but it's really good as a finale in it's own right.
After the show, we had an afterparty at the Publik, an Irish pub just around the corner from the Fox Theater. There were probably about 30 of us there, using the entire second floor of the pub, as we sat and talked on and on about the show we had just seen.
It began to get late, and so people slowly began to leave until our group was just myself, Moscapoet, Mr.Peabody, and Roy. We ended up meeting and talking with several members of the stage cast including choir members Mairead Maguire (hope the spelling is right), Colin, Anne, and Una; both drummers Ray and Andy; and bagpipe star Anthony. We toasted drummer Ray Fean's birthday with him. Finally, we headed out to try to get a little rest before the second day of taping.
This show (my thirty-fifth) was definitely in my top five of all the ones I have attended. I can only imagine how awesome the tour itself will be!!
