* apologies to Mel Brooks
Among the many adventures of fan-forum members at the Celtic Woman Believe DVD filming at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta this week, the misadventures of two makeup artists on the first day of filming on September 6 proved quite amusing---I suspect at least to a group of forum members who had gathered in a Fox Theatre ballroom to make a fan DVD from the Máiréad Nesbitt fan forum.
The brainchild of Mike (Mr. Peabody) Brown and Scott (Moscapoet) Manke, a fan DVD was in the works that day, being prepared as a salute to the artists of Celtic Woman by the fans from the Máiréad Nesbitt fan forum. Most members are also members of the Celtic Woman fan forum and fan forums for each of the soloists, frequently bearing the same usernames throughout the forums.
Organized by Mike and Scott, the day’s events included a catered lunch in the Fox ballroom right off the front entrance, get together of forum members and recording of the fan DVD. The culmination of the event was to be filming of the gathered forum members singing “You Raise Me Up”, as a salute to our beloved artists who have sung that inspiring song to us so many times over the years. Most fitting—provided it was passably done by us!
A number of musicians on the forum who were going to the filming, including myself, volunteered to back up the singing of the number. We had a couple of guitarists, two or three fiddlers, a clarinetist and a couple of kazoo players par excellence volunteer for the project. However, as the show neared, people kept dropping out for various reasons, until when the great day arrived, there was only Alexa (GHG) on the fiddle, Ron on guitar, Phillip (PDM) on bodhran and myself on bass guitar.
Ron had graciously driven up with the guitars, amplifiers and PA equipment from Florida. As we had never before played together, some practice was of course in order. We were set up across the front of the ballroom. Alexa, Ron and I had run through it a couple of times, picking the key and arrangement which worked best. Rachel (Iluvcelticwoman) was drafted by Alexa to turn the music pages for her.
We had just completed a run-through when Scott (Moscapoet) came in escorting two young ladies. “We have a surprise for you. Dalton Jones, one of our forum members, has hired these two young ladies to make you up in preparation for filming of our DVD”. Now “our” Dalton was not present there in Atlanta, but it would not have been out of character for him to have surprised us with a gift contribution toward the production of the DVD, in lieu of being there himself. But…makeup? Well, he had seen at least me before and so it was plausible he thought it was needed…
My initial thought was that someone had seen me and called “Makeup 911” so that the visual portion of our fan DVD might be somewhat salvaged through application of their skills. I had visions of these two taking a look at me and radioing for backup from the makeup patrol. However, fate intervened, and they at that point asked about “arrangements for payment”. “Oh”, Scott said, “Didn’t you say DJ had arranged to pay?”.
Well, “DJ”, it turns out, was not our own Dalton, but a “DJ” with Celtic Woman. Alas, the makeup was not for Alexa, Ron, Phil and John, but rather for Máiréad, Ewan, Andy and Eoghan down in the theatre stage area. Scott escorted the two young ladies with their makeup cases from the ballroom down to the stage door entrance and their real clients, no doubt somewhat relieved at more promising prospects of having their talents displayed--and of being paid!
We went on with our rehearsals, first a run through with our entire group including singers, followed shortly thereafter by a recording of our fan performance of You Raise Me Up by approximately 65 forum members.
I don’t know whether the others of our little group of Máiréad fan forum instrumentalists were disappointed with not actually being made up. We certainly bear no ill will toward our “DJ”, whom I hope got a kick out of hearing about our “makeup mix-up”. But for myself, I find in it a certain degree of consolation that these professional Atlanta makeup artists, who both saw us and heard us practicing, did not thereupon immediately realize that they were in the wrong place…
The Celtic Woman soloists will receive a copy of our fan DVD when editing is complete. There is much else on the DVD other than this song. But I do hope that despite our technical imperfections in note and lyric, they realize that this rendition of You Raise Me Up is indeed a “Song From the Heart” from us, their loyal fans.
John/Starman
Group sing of YRMU in action. Photo courtesy of Roy.
