Believe its a real Georgia Peach

[Cash]

Time for my long winded and overly detailed account of the Believe recording. As I proof read it, I noted that I could have made it a bit more organized in spots. But, it should be ok and get the general ideas across. Its not a term paper thats 100% of a grade!     I will break it into parts and split it over several posts.



BELIEVE : Its a real Georgia Peach

   Some weather forecasts predicted that Tropical Storm Lee might hit Atlanta hard. But the main force of the storm missed the city, only causing a small amount of rain. In fact, the storm brought in cooler temperatures for Sept 6 & 7, just in time for a very special event in the city. Visitors didn’t need to endure the usual  hazy hot humid weather that the city is sometimes noted for. It was almost like a divine intervention. Could angels be in town? Well, yes!
   Celtic Woman  completed the group’s  newest concert recording for PBS.. The show, entitled BELIEVE,  took place on the evenings of Sept 6 & 7 at Atlanta’s fabulous Fox Theatre. Fans from all over the world made the pilgrimage to attend. And none left disappointed. As usual, the group produced an awesome show, some would argue their best yet. There were differences from previous concert recordings, perhaps the main one being the location of the recording. It used to be an event done in Ireland. But this time we American fans , who might not be able to afford a trip across the pond for such a thing, would have a chance to attend this show. And for that, we fans say….
   Thank you Celtic Woman! All of you, from the top executives, the performers, the crew. Everyone. You all rock! And while on the subject of thank yous, we can’t forget PBS , esp. the stations involved with this show, for their part in making this happen. Without PBS, most of us wouldn’t know anything about the group. A big thank you to all of those at the fabulous Fox Theatre. Lets not forget the good people of Atlanta, including the hotel people, restaurant workers, bar keepers, and any other hospitality staff. We must also thank those involved with the fan forum groups, some who spent considerable time, money, and effort to make the many fan related events a big success. The forums also provide valuable info about future shows and contact information for ticket purchases  so that we fans can get the best seats possible. A big thank you for that, and that’s where the story really starts.
   One day Celtic Woman CEO Scott Porter tweeted that a major announcement was coming. What a big tease. He sure built up excitement and anticipation within the fan community. I expected it to be something like a new member, or a maternity leave. Even though some fans thought that a potential announcement for a recording could be in the works, it was unlikely given the busy tour schedule. So the big announcement that the group would make a concert dvd took many  by very pleasant surprise.  Plus the fact that it would be in the USA really put the icing on the cake. I thought to myself “I MUST go!”
   Using the contact info posted on forums, I quickly made my pledges to the appropriate PBS stations for tickets. Then made hotel and travel arrangements. All seemed well until PBS announced that tickets would be will call just before the concert, instead of being mailed as originally planned. This caused several major concerns. First, given my arrival time so close to showtime, I didn‘t have time for this. So I had to redo my travel arrangements to get to Atlanta a little bit sooner. Plus, given the fact that there could be potentially hundreds of people in a will call ticket line, it could turn into a big mess, esp. if any other major errors occurred that needed to be looked into and fixed (I.e. if someone’s tickets weren’t there and had to be reprinted!).Lucky for us fans, the PBS stations seemed to have it well organized. They did have a long line on the second night, but I think that many of us “groupies” got in line very early and got ours before the mass of people came slightly later.
   So before I knew it, the date was Monday, Sept 5. Caught the Greyhound bus at 1:00pm. And yes, I rode a bus from Pittsburgh to Atlanta. And yes, it took forever. But that’s better than flying, because I think that my arms would get sore from all the flappin’. hahaha Seriously though, even though riding a bus is unpleasant, its not difficult. I slept a lot on the way. So first stop to Atlanta was. .Cleveland! Cleveland? But you might say “That’s north. Why go north if you want to go south to Atlanta?  First, the Cleveland to Atlanta route is a direct route. No transfers needed. So I would be a “reboarder” once I got on in Cleveland. That’s important because I would have priority over first time boarders and also those who  would be transferring. Remember that Monday the 5th was Labor Day. Holidays are a real mess for bus travel and, at last year’s recording of Orla’s Christmas concert in Nashville around Labor Day, I observed that some buses didn’t have enough available seats, so some people got stuck in those towns until the next available bus, which could be many hours, or days, away.  And there was another big plus about Cleveland. I had a 1:30 layover there, so plenty of time to either get in the appropriate line, or to buy a priority boarding pass. But, if I took my original bus, I had to transfer 3 times. So that’s 3 chances of getting bumped. I couldn’t take the chance. In hindsight, next time I fly.

[Cash]

   I arrived in Atlanta at about 10:30am. The trip was uneventful. Boring actually. So I walked north on Peachtree Street. As always, I had prepared my route from bus station to hotel to venue well in advance and made a little map. But Atlanta was easy. All places I needed were right on that main street. Just about 2 miles apart. I planned to take a cab, but since the weather was cool and I felt good, I walked. It was a bit far, but I covered the distance in an hour and I enjoyed stretching my legs a bit. I almost lost a foot to a diabetic foot infection 5 months ago, and was in a wheel chair for a while as the large  open wound healed up. So I no longer take walking for granted and rather enjoy and appreciate doing it. . I also enjoyed just scouting around at what stores and business were around. Kind of sight seeing and window shopping on the way. I easily found the venue and hotel, which were across the street from each other. Very convenient.
   As I checked into the hotel, the desk clerk noted my Notre Dame ball cap that I had on and said “They didn’t do so well last week” (The University of Notre Dame Fightin’ Irish  football (American version)  team  lost their first game of the season just a few days before). I responded “That’s because all  of the luck of the Irish is with them this week” as I pointed through the window and across the street to the concert venue, the fabulous Fox Theatre. He knew what I meant. Just about all the guests in the hotel were there for the Celtic Woman concerts. And the hotel staff seemed to know that they were Irish. After going to my room, I headed to the lobby to find the fan group thing taking place. But it was across the street  in a kind of conference room at the Fox. I should have kept closer tabs on when and where the fan forum events were taking place. But I found it. Talked there a bit, then headed to Goodfella’s Pizza to test Atlanta’s Italian food. I love pizza. Some have called me a pizza connoisseur.  If you are what you eat, then I must be a Ninja Turtle. (cartoon characters from the 90s that  ate pizza like Popeye ate spinach). Then back to the hotel to clean up and dress for the show.
   Then off to wait in line for my tickets.  As I walked by the front of the theatre, I looked for Celtic Woman posters inside those glass enclosures they have in front. I did not see any Celtic Woman posters, but I did see Celtic Thunder posters! That group will do a show at the Fox in the very near future. A bit ironic, I think, that at a Celtic Woman concert, well actually even bigger than just a concert. A dvd recording! That you would see Celtic Thunder posters and no Celtic Woman posters.
   I did hit a brief snag regarding my tickets. I had e-mailed the PBS station and asked them to put both my name and also the name of the person who bought my second ticket on the list so that either of us could pick them up. They put them under her name. But all was quickly resolved and I found myself with second row seats. Not center though, but right center. Not too bad. I had hoped for front row center, but then, don’t we all? Still good seats and a good view of everything. Also, while waiting in line outside before the show before they let us in, I noted a guy wearing a Kilt standing around in the arcade area. He and I resembled each other, and I quickly thought of something Lisa K once told me at a meet&greet. She said “Where’s your kilt?” and I responded “What? I never wore a Kilt” Plus, once Lynn told me at a m&g that she saw me the previous week. I explained that that was my first show in a long time. She had me confused with someone too. So maybe I finally saw my  “twin“.
   Once they let us in, I bought a t-shirt and a poster. The merchandise line was a mess, as usual. Only 2 guys working it, and they were trying to keep everyone organized in 2 lines. A great idea and great effort, but as always, people sort of snuck up along the table sides and they had to tell people to get to the back of the line. It happened to me, and after I finally got to the front and bought my stuff, I observed other forum members get routed to the rear after standing on the side a while. Some type of sign clearly saying “Line up in 2 lines” would be  VERY helpful. Also, I was a bit disappointed that they didn’t have a program. I had hoped to buy one as a great keepsake. But I was not surprised that they didn’t have one. I would guess that it would be expensive to produce what would be a small number. But then again, they wouldn’t need to produce the full fancy program they usually have. They could have opted for a cheaper, smaller program with fewer pictures and more plain text that included the set list and bios. . I also thought “Hey they have posters for this event, why aren’t any hanging outside in those poster places where the Celtic Thunder posters are hanging?”  Seriously someone dropped the ball here.
   Some notes about the fabulous Fox Theatre. It truly is a great concert venue. Its big and can hold a fair number of people in seating that provides good views. The aesthetics make you say “WOW”! The ceiling and top part of the walls are most impressive. Part of the ceiling looks like a night sky with shining stars. Gives an illusion that you are outdoors. Part of the side walls look like tops of buildings, so again you sort of get an amphitheatre feel to it. The staff there seemed to work very hard to provide excellent customer service. I was a bit disappointed with 2 things. First, the restrooms had low capacity. Trying to use the rest room at intermission was almost futile. Some people missed the first number of the second half. After the second song (I think) the director said “OK those of you who need to return to your seats can do so now”. Second, the merchandise table and it’s line created a traffic jam in the main lobby. However, it seems that most theatres have these 2 issues. So the Fox isn’t really different. Plus all restrooms are busy at intermissions. But, some venues have greater capacity and get people in and out a lot quicker and in time for the start of the second half.

[Cash]

   So I headed to my seat and checked out the stage. The central focal point on the stage seemed to be the curtain opening between the back stage area and the actual viewable front part of the stage. They had a, what to call it, portal? Sort of a fancy square door frame kind of thing dead center. Then they had a walkway go left and right, leading to steps on each side that came down to the stage area. They also had steps dead center that lead performers right down to the front of the stage as they came out of the portal. So, they  had 3 sets of steps, one dead center, one left, one right. This created 2 areas in the middle of the stage, one between the left steps and the central steps, one between the central steps and the right steps. The on stage orchestra sat in these 2 areas, in a sort of symmetrical way. The drummers were up high, as usual. Ray was on the far left, the other guy on the far right, with that portal in the middle. David was, as usual, on piano on the left, right down and in front of Ray. The other Celtic Woman band people were positioned in front of the other drummer, as usual.  Different lights made the back curtains seem to be different colors during various different songs. The curtains were arranged in a fancy kind of way that looked great. They also had 2 big fancy chandelier type lights hanging down from the ceiling., sort of left center and right center. They appeared to be more decorative than functional.
   They had cameras positioned throughout the theatre. I noted at least 3 on big arms / booms. One was on the left side of the seating, one on the right side of the seating area. Symmetrical and about row J. . These extended out over the crowd at times. One was located in back of the other drummer and up high. It went up and down and over a bit, but seemed somewhat restrained on moving too far over the stage. Perhaps it was limited to keep it out of other camera shots. They had a camera about dead center near the first few rows in the orchestra section. They also had a camera on the right side, back a bit,  on a kind of platform over some seats. And I think that they had at least 2 hand held cameras. One seemed to be used to get close up views of the performers. One spent at least some time looking at the crowd. Although I guess that could have been just one camera doing 2 different things at different points in the show.  But we had no doubt at all they were filming this thing!
   And now, on to the stuff about the actual show. On the first night, I did not take notes after each song. I simply jotted down notes at intermission and after the end. So I did not get a complete set list and my notes were not in proper song order. So this may seem a bit unorganized. Plus I did not know all the proper song titles. That’s one bad thing about not having a program with a written set list in order in it.
   They had some type of sound glitch at the start. Mics were off when they should have been on when the director was talking to the crowd. It seemed they had a sound problem with Lisa K too. But that got quickly resolved. .
   The first half of the show included Bridge over Troubled Water. All 3 vocalists with a kid’s choir. Lisa L gave the pre-song speech, noting that they were singing with the “adorable” (some name) Choir. Those kids will remember that for the rest of their lives,. They were cute. The one little blonde girl seemed to like it on stage a little too much and didn’t want to leave. Chloe was smiling and sort of directed her off, making funny hand and arm motions and getting a good laugh from the crowd. On her solo, Mairead was on absolute fire! Bow strings shredded  like crazy! The next to last song of the first half was a salute to Broadway. They did 2 songs together, I Dreamed a Dream and Circle of Life. Lisa K started Dreamed and then Chloe joined in. Then they did a sort of cool transition. Lisa L came out, all three vocalists sort of spun around a bit, and Lisa L did the main singing on Circle and really really nailed it! I was glad to see that, because Lisa L’s first half solo was Black is the Color., and I didn’t think that worked well, though some fans did enjoy it a lot.. Other songs in the first half included Heart was Home Again and Tears in Heaven (Chloe solo and she nailed it).The last song of the first half was a big time dance number. The girls were in bright green dresses. They had an Irish step dancer on one side, Mairead doing her thing on the other. The stage was alive! So much going on at once, you couldn’t see it all. But it was great! The 3 vocalists and 3 guys do a sort of fast circle spin and and the girl’s feet came off the ground. It was very impressive and fun!
     The second half of the show started with the crowd singing happy birthday to Ray the drummer. Then Lisa K and Chloe came out and taught the crowd the lyrics to a song called Green Grow. The song wasn’t the first song of the second half though. It appeared to me that they were trying to kill a little time to give people more time to return from the restrooms. On the second night of the show (getting a bit ahead here) Lisa K and Chloe did a briefer  teaching / speaking part just before the actual song, which was maybe the 3rd or 4th song of the second half. As always, Chloe and Lisa K had great chemistry and the speaking parts were very funny. In the past, they have had 1 performer talk a bit, but I don’t recall 2 of them ever interacting like that. Another slight change in what they do that worked out very well. Ave Marie was Chloe’s second half solo, and she did it with the kids on stage. The kid choir was also on stage for You’ll Never Walk Alone. All 3 vocalists on this, and Chloe cried after singing it on both nights. On the second night, they paused for a second and the  make up lady ran out to touch up Chloe. Lisa L sang the Spaceman song as her solo and she really nailed it! She did many of the Dulaman spins and arm waves that we fans all came to love during the last tour. No spoons on this one though , and no seductive ‘come hither’ finger motion that she used to give the one drummer on Dulaman. I kind of miss that. I found myself wanting to jump up on stage when she did that. But I was very happy with how this was now done. Lisa L seemed on fire the second night! She had a sort of skip in her step, like, hey this is going great, I am on a dvd, the show rocks, and the fans love it! You could see she was a very happy camper. Other second half songs included Walking the Night , then a Mairead solo with a song title in Irish that translated into something like “what it means to be a Celtic Woman” (that was Mairead’s speaking part this show), and the last song…Parting Glass. Very well done! Confetti canons shot gold / silver flotsam into the crowd.  (I grabbed some as a souvenir) Bag pipers came down the aisles in the seats.

[Cash]

   After the show, I headed over to the nearby bar for a fan forum gathering. We had maybe 30-40 there on the second floor. Many were excited because some of the performers were down on the first floor. Anthony the bag piper strayed upstairs for some reason (looking for someone? Looking for a restroom?) but he quickly went back down. I also saw a blonde lady who looked like a choir member come up the steps, then turn around and go back down. But I didn’t get a good look at her. Plus it was dark and I have bad eyesight. So who knows? It got late and I headed back to the hotel to get some sleep.
   Wednesday. I went out and scouted some potential places to take some pictures. Rain and wind can really foul up outdoor shots, and I am not exactly aesthetically pleasing to look at in the first place!  My pictures from Nashville last year, taken in light rain and moderate wind, just weren’t any good at all. So I saved my picture taking until Thursday morning. I lofted in the hotel lobby a bit and chatted with other fans. Then I got cleaned up and dressed and headed over to get my tickets for the second night. But Annie, the fan I sold my second ticket to, already picked up the tickets. Not great seats tonight. Row J. But we still had a good view of everything. I stood around outside a bit, waiting for them to open the doors and let us in. I noted that Anthony the bag piper was walking around in front. Perhaps looking for someone to give them tickets? The will call line would eventually grow into a real monster. I saw some lady who looked a LOT like Mairead in the will call line. Maybe her Mom or sister? I don’t know but the resemblance was amazing. I chit-chatted with a few people standing around, then it was time to go on in.
   Tonight I headed to the fabulous Fox Theatre souvenir table to purchase something there. Last night I bought a t-shirt and poster at the merchandise table. I bought a Fox Theatre pen  and a magnet. The lady working there saw the forum button I had on and asked where I was from. I said Pennsylvania and she said “OH I met a guy from Pennsylvania before, he said that he been to like 100 shows. (I wonder WHO that could have been? Hahaha)  I also met a guy from Alaska, a guy from Kentucky,  a woman from Colorado” and she went on and on. Its amazing how she remembered all this. She went on to say “when you see those people, tell them I said hi, that it was a pleasure to meet them, and that I hope to soon join the fan forum” . She seemed very nice, as were all the theatre staff. I am not just saying that, and yes, I know, all theatre staff provide good customer service. Yet these people seemed to go a bit extra. They really were special in that regard.
     So I head on into my seat and on one side of me is my great forum friend Annie. On the other, theres Rachel., a cute enthusiastic energetic 20 year old who couldn’t stop clapping and cheering. A perfect person for the dvd producers to show during audience shots. After the Broadway songs and just before the big dance number, the director had the cameras turned to the audience to get some shots of us. This also served as a time killer to allow the ladies to change into the cool green dresses for that big dance number. But at one point during these shots, the camera on the big boom / arm on the left moved right in toward Rachel. After it zoomed out, I told her “Did you see that?” and she said “Yes it was right on me!” So hopefully I see myself as a , what to call it, collateral image capture? Since I was next to her. Also, back on the first night, I had a cute little boy sitting in back of me. The kind of kid dvd producers LOVE to show in audience shots.  A camera guy with a hand held camera, kneeling down in front but looking back at the kid, seemed to be waiting to try to get a shot of him. So I may get on film from there too, as collateral image capture.
   At intermission, Rachel decided to ditch me and move next to some of her friends. These kids can really communicate via text messaging. After the fan forum intermission musical chairs,  I suddenly found myself sitting next to a certain fan from Pennsylvania who has been to like 100 shows. I said ‘Now am I a loser or what here, I go from having the cute young lady next to me to having…you!” He said something like “Life’s tough isn’t it?” Then I informed him of the souvenir stand lady’s well wishes toward him and the others he was with when they all met her. He seemed to have the same high opinion that I had for this lady. So I wasn’t the only one impressed with Fox Theatre personnel.

[Cash]

   Another point about the audience. We seemed to have much more clapping and standing Os on the first night than the second. I don’t know if I would call it ‘bad’ the second night, but the crowd certainly showed more enthusiasm that first night. At least that’s what it seemed to me. But then again, I was sitting much closer to the stage the first night and didn’t turn much to look behind me to see the audience. So, who knows? Perhaps someone sitting far back on both nights. .
   I tried taking notes on the second night after each song, but ran into my usual problem when doing so. It can be tough to quickly write stuff down in the dark, plus my handwriting is bad to begin with. Its tough to read my notes. I have already noted some interesting points about the second show earlier in this review, but here are  a few more points of interest not yet covered. Chloe soloed on Nocture, Lisa K soloed on Water is Wide. They did a group song entitled Smile.  The overall set list differed from the past. Some noteworthy exclusions were You Raise Me Up and Danny Boy,. I believe that those 2 songs were on ALL previous concert shows (except the Christmas one, of course). Plus, there were no ‘repeat’ songs at all. All the songs on this show are first timers for dvds. They did do a few of these songs, like Heart was Home Again, live in past concert, but never on a dvd.  The crowd also got a good laugh when one of the female choir members came out on stage too soon and found herself all alone out there  too early and had to turn around and quickly get back off stage, yet walking in a way to make it funny,.
   We all met at the same bar after the show. This time I did not see or hear of any performers there. However, some of our fan forum friends hung out at the stage door and saw the ladies as they left. Some got photos and autographs. Annie got Mairead’s and I think Lisa K’s autograph on her arms. Hahaha Time to get that tattooed in Annie!  When they all finally showed up at the bar, they were all excited, to say the least!  I ate some food, talked a bit, then headed back to the hotel for some sleep.
   Thursday morning I ate breakfast at the hotel restaurant. A small breakfast cost like $20. I saw a guy working in the hotel lobby who looked like the guy who worked outside the theatre the previous night. I asked him about it and he joked “That was my twin” then he said “Yes I get kidded all the time that I work both sides of the street” Then I headed out to get some pics. Weather was good today for that sort of thing. Then I packed and headed to the bus station for the long journey home. It was another boring trip for the most part. A couple things happened in Knoxville. First, a guy saw my Notre Dame ball cap and said “Nice hat” Was he being sarcastic, or sincere? I am not sure. Then it was chaos as we boarded the bus in Knoxville. They didn’t announce the boarding, and luckily I saw something stirring and went to investigate. People just sort of mobbed the bus driver and there was no usual line. First time boarders were allowed on before reboarders. That would have been a BIG problem if they ran out of seats. But all ended up ok.
   So, in conclusion, Celtic Woman once again cast a magical spell on a grateful crowd. They kept elements of the same successful formula that’s made them great, such as the right blend of solos versus the group numbers, slow meaningful songs versus the upbeat rockin’ numbers, the right amount of high quality visual elements like dancing, dresses, the stage, lighting, etc. to compliment the great music and make it a great live show. They also changed some things to make it different and fresh. Recording in the USA instead of Ireland,. They selected an awesome venue, the fabulous Fox Theatre. Changing the set list to exclude old favorites like You Raise Me Up and Danny Boy so they could include new fresh material. Using the cute kids choir (how can you dislike a kids choir?). Having a sing-a-long. Bringing a step dancer in for a couple numbers. Having 2 performers speak at the same time in a funny routine instead of just the usual solo speaker. The changes were far from radical, yet different enough to compliment the rest of the show, keep things fresh, and differentiate this show from the others. They do an incredible job with  what to call it, show evolution?   What else can one say? Like the director said at the very end…that’s a wrap!

[MikeyK]

2nd row on the right for the first night? Sounds like where I was sitting! Too bad I missed meeting you.

Great review! Glad to know I wasn't the only one to take confetti home.

[Cash]

2nd row on the right for the first night? Sounds like where I was sitting! Too bad I missed meeting you.

I think you were in the pit section near Mel & Sarah. I was in 2nd row Orch RC. My bad I should have said not in the pit.

[MikeyK]

2nd row on the right for the first night? Sounds like where I was sitting! Too bad I missed meeting you.

I think you were in the pit section near Mel & Sarah. I was in 2nd row Orch RC. My bad I should have said not in the pit.

Oh okay, no worries. We'll just have to meet up at the next taping.