Review: Atlanta Taping Day 2

Rising after a mere 2.5 hours sleep, I spent much of the time before the show sitting and talking with people at the Broadway Diner... first Bob H, then Roy, then... it started getting crowded and we had a ton of people there. The proprietor must have been pulling his hair out by the end of our dinner.

We filed into the theater for the second day of taping. My ticket was with Bob, and we got lucky... row B, left side orchestra. Excellent seats considering that most of the forum people were far behind us and the pit seats were entirely made up of non-forum people. I had Bob on one side of me, and Maggie and her husband on the other. Maggie had not seen the show the night before and was very curious as to how it would develop.

Since you already know about the venue, I can tell you now about the crowds for both nights. The first night the crowd went absolutely nuts... best crowd, without a doubt, at any show I have ever been to or likely will ever go to. The second night crowd was far less demonstrative considering all the prodding they got from the stage. To put it in context the second night crowd would have been a pretty good crowd if this had been a normal show; but tonight was a DVD taping, and this crowd couldn't measure up for that.

There was even a medical emergency up in the balcony which delayed the start by about 10 minutes. Kudos to everyone up there for keeping cool heads and keeping it from being a disaster for the taping.

Since the setlist was identical yet I still didn't have all the song titles, I'll focus on areas that I noticed more on the second night than the first.

Lisa's first solo is called "Follow On" and harks back to "Fields Of Gold." For some reason on the first night the lyrics passed me unnoticed but I certainly noticed them the second night. It seemed almost like Lisa had written it to me personally. The feeling was not just eerie, but scary. We'll see how I take the song when it's released on the CD and DVD.

Mairead's first solo (name unknown to me as of this writing) takes the place of Coast of Galacia and is a worthy successor to it. You will clap along to it, and clap faster and faster!

"Nocturne" is a fantastic piece for Chloe. And it's good to see new classical music for the group.

What a gorgeous "Bridge Over Troubled Water!" The little children they had with them were sooooo cute!

Even Maggie wasn't certain of the name of the jig at the end of the first act. Hopefully we'll find out soon. Regardless, one of the most energy-filled songs ever!

My gosh Lisa I LOVE "THE WATER IS WIDE!!!!!!" No it's not "The Voice" but it's now my second-favorite-ever Lisa K song.

A correction my review of Day 1's "I Dreamed A Dream." It was sung by Chloe and Lisa K, with Lisa L walking out and beginning "Circle Of Life."

"A Spaceman Came Travelling" was absolutely gorgeous. Think of how demonstrative Lisa L was with "Dulaman" and you'll get an idea of how much fun she has with "Spaceman."

Mairead's other solo is an Irish song that translated to English comes out as "The Women of Ireland" which as Mairead says is the very basis for Celtic Woman.

At the end of "The Parting Glass" the girls lined up for a couple special still photographs in front of our audience. I wouldn't be surprised if the DVD ends with that very shot. And as the stage director said: "That's a wrap!!"

A bunch of us headed over to the Publik Irish pub again and talk again went on about the show. Some of us (including yours truly) participated in a group sing of "Green Grow the Rushes" although we changed the lyrics haha. As Kelly said we sounded like a bunch of drunks but someone watching us would have probably called us a bunch of nuts... but good nuts.

The time finally came for goodbyes. Many hugs and handshakes. It was an incredible time in the Heart of Dixie and as I said goodbye to Roy as he dropped me off I came to thinking of how all of us would remember these two days for years to come. You can call it what you like but to me it will always be "THE Forum Fest."

I am blessed. I don't mean that by cause, but by effect. Attending the shows and being with the forum fans helps me to count the blessings in my life, and not just the Celtic Woman blessings. The experiences help to provide me with perspective of the patterns of life; for me, Celtic Woman is not really an escape from problems or a medicine for coping; to me it's a part of what I am and what my values are. It helps me find other blessings in my life. That is why I don't have much of the "withdrawal"; I never feel that Celtic Woman has left me just because I'm not at the shows. I carry the blessings of our Celtic Woman Family in my heart.

Thank you to all who came to Atlanta, whether to perform or to BELIEVE. In particular thanks to Colin, Ray, Anthony, Andy, Anne, Una, and Mairead Maguire for making your performances so much more vivid for me and letting me catch a glimpse of who you are. Thank you to Lisa Lambe, Mairead Nesbitt, Lisa Kelly, and Chloe Agnew for being the best in the business as always, and for bringing to life a show that hopefully will be repeated many times in the future. Thank you to David Downes for again doing the impossible and keeping Celtic Woman crisp. Thank you to Don P. and Rosie for finding me in the theater and saying hi... I never knew I had made such an impression on either of you in the forums, and your kind words mean more than I can say in words here. Thank you to Alexa for coming to Atlanta and giving me the privilege of meeting you after so long talking to you online. Thank you to all the forum folks that I had a chance to talk to, some for just a few minutes and some for hours on end - Thomas, Jim Allen, Maggie and her husband, Tink, Jim M., Coren, Susan, Neil, Ralph and Connie, Dwight, Becky, Amy, Jim and Nancy, Daniel, Stan and Brenda, Davey, Kelly, Rachel, Melissa, Cindy, Abby and mom, Jeremy, Jillibeans, Kaylie, Tiffany, the entire Meeks Family, Sidepocket and his wife, and Jerald. Thank you to Mike, Moscapoet, and Ron for putting on the forum fest to end all forum fests. Thanks to Bob for getting me the ticket for the second show and making my Wednesday attendance possible, and for the great long talk we had. And thanks to Roy for being my traveling companion for Celtic Woman's finest hour.

I want to end this with something more. So many people couldn't get here and asked me to cheer at the shows for them. They were as much the heroes of this event as anyone, as they have helped build Celtic Woman to be the phenomenon that it is. Some of you I talked to before and during my adventure - some in posts, some in chats, and some in voice. Every one of you came to my mind during these shows. So thank you to Wendy, FrenchLaly, Ben, Lis, Shea, Jenifer, Jenn, Patrick, Kimberly, Christina, Hayleynibhaoleafh, Lester, Ryan, Sarah, Nichole, and Karen for believing. I hope I - that is, I hope WE - have done well in Atlanta by you.

CELTIC WOMAN F-O-R-E-V-E-R!!!!!