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« on: December 22, 2011, 11:19PM » |
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The 'before' part in my case was pretty dull because it goes on fora very long time. It started probably when I left Sydney on the 9th of December and there's a lot to cover. I'll give a quick summary (in a paragraph so you can skip it if you want);
So my family and I left Sydney just as our (mine and my sister's) summer holidays started. We spent about a week in Maui, and another few days on the big island of Hawaii.
Next we flew back to Honolulu to transfer onto a flight to Phoenix where were supposed to transit again to Flagstaff but we got there and our flight had been cancelled. We ended up staying the night in Phoenix. The next day we flew to Flagstaff, drove to the Grand Canyon. This was one of the first time's I've ever seen snow. (The second to be exact).
The next day we drove back in the morning and hopped on a plane straight back to Phoenix having spent about four hours looking and driving around the Grand Canyon. At Phoenix I was able to log on to the internet and first thing I watched was DDMOH on Youtube. It took ages to load but it was worth it.
A few hours later we were back on a plane to go to Denver. By now my sense of anticipation was at an all time high and it only increased as we arrived in Denver; I kept thinking "Just over 24 hours until Celtic Woman" I couldn't believe it was happening. We spent the next day (THE DAY the 21st) around Denver, just waddling around, looking what the city had to offer. I was tired so we went back the Hotel (The Hyatt Downtown) to have a nap, having being interrupted by a fire alarm the night before. I woke up at about five o'clock and so we all got ready for the concert. We walked to the Boettcher Concert Hall at around 6:30 even though the walk is for about five minutes and the show wasn't supposed to start until 7:30 (I was really, really excited).
So far we'd spent 22 hours in flying and we've got another 18 to go through until we get home.
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 26/6/10 Westfield Penrith 23/10/10 Sydney Entertainment Centre 21/12/11 Boettcher Concert Hall 18/8/12 Macquarie Centre 17/1/14 Sydney Entertainment Centre 9/2/18 Darling Harbour Theatre |
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« Reply #1 on: December 23, 2011, 12:12AM » |
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GENERAL OBSERVATIONS
I'd seen pictures of the Boettcher Concert Hall on the internet before. It wasn't decorated much, just a bit of tinsel around the place with christmas lights. The orchestra was starting to take it's place on stage. The audience filled slowly and they kept trickling in even after the concert started. The dresses were not my favourite they've ever had but they were very nice.
ACT I
The lights dimmed and the orchestra started playing the Suite from the Polar Express. I hadn't heard some of those tunes in years. The orchestra was very good. My anticipation kept getting greater and greater and greater.
The song ended and David Downes walked onto stage. A smatter of applause, hesitation, and then cheering and thunderous applause. He introduced Andy Reilly and Tommy Martin, the conductor and finally the girls. They walked onto the stage with cheers and whistling and all around happiness.
CAROL OF THE BELLS: The orchestra started playing again, a familiar tune which I hadn't hear this way before; The familiar ding-dong-ding-dong-ding played by an orchestra. They began to sing and it seemed different without the choir, their voices were much more distinct. I thought one of the most impressive parts of the song was in the second round of "Hark how the bells…" when Lisa Lambe did the high harmony "DING DONG". This was the first time I'd really heard Lisa L live.
SILENT NIGHT: I thought Chloë would introduce the song but she got straight into it. Chloë's voice seemed a bit shakier than usual but considering she'd had a really high fever and only three hours of sleep it was incredible. Her voice did warm up towards the end though and the higher notes were so crystalline and pure. After the song finished Chloe talked to the audience, telling us that it felt like she was in a fish tank. She told us all to do whatever we wanted to do and if we got in trouble, we could blame her.
WHITE CHRISTMAS: White Christmas began and it was just as good as on the DVD, albeit different in its own way, but just what I'd hoped for. It was also interesting to see the orchestra members, every so often they'd turn the page and I've never seen any orchestra doing it so smoothly.
AWAY IN A MANGER: Lisa L stayed on stage and the piano began to play. This was different to the DVD where Orlagh launched straight into the song without an intro but I think it worked. Lisa L's interpretation was so different to Orlagh's but it was incredible. This was the first time I'd heard a Lisa L solo and no matter how many times you hear the live recordings of concerts on youtube, it just can't compare to her Live.
DING DONG MERRILY ON HIGH: Ding Dong Merrily On High was the first Celtic Woman song I'd ever heard. There was only one part I thought didn't quite fit, the first time they sung the chorus, between "is riven with angel singing ___ Gloria" because I'm so used to the "Ding Dong" put in by the choir. I loved the bit at the end with the "Gloria".
Will finish the rest of the review tomorrow. It's hard finding time for everything. Being on holidays means you have to get as much done as possible.
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« Last Edit: December 23, 2011, 12:15AM by MarcusWongAUS »
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26/6/10 Westfield Penrith 23/10/10 Sydney Entertainment Centre 21/12/11 Boettcher Concert Hall 18/8/12 Macquarie Centre 17/1/14 Sydney Entertainment Centre 9/2/18 Darling Harbour Theatre |
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« Reply #2 on: December 23, 2011, 09:02PM » |
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ACT I cont'd…
SHENANDOAH/THE BUTTERFLY: This was the first song I'd ever heard performed live (at Westfield in Penrith last year 26th June). This time with a full orchestra backing it was that much more amazing. Mairead was amazing, a bit more subdued in the limited space but still incredible. The audience on the other hand was just not getting into it. There were quite a few getting into it but there were just as many not joining in with at least the clapping.
LITTLE DRUMMER BOY: One of the most memorable introductions. While Lisa and Chloe introduced the song they mentioned it was written by an american, (which they found out by googling it)-I believe a similar remark was made earlier during the tour. They then went on to introduce Andy as their little drummer boy and quote "isn't he cute" received with much laughter. During the actual song the girls were their incredible selves but what really struck me was Andy's drumming. This was just one of those times it really dawned on me how amazing the band members are.
CHRISTMAS PIPES: The song started and I was dumbstruck by it. It was incredible, the girls were incredible, even without the choir, filling in the missing parts. There was one part that bugged me a bit. It was during "Christmas band" when the girls were doing the "cymbal and drum/rum pum pum pum"-(the missing choir part) and the orchestra was a bit too loud (or the girls were to soft) and I could barely hear it. The rest was amazing!
THE CHRISTMAS SONG: Loved Lisa's introduction, how she'd go to bed every christmas eve and knew there was no way she'd be getting to sleep at all and she'd wake her father up at five in the morning and he'd say "Lisa, it's five in the morning, you're 23!". Moving onto the song, I'd heard about the awesomeness of Lisa's high notes but hear they were beyond what I'd imagined. She needs more high notes in songs.
DANNY BOY: Lisa L introduced it as a sort of 'anthem' and from then I immediately knew it was Danny Boy. Personally I prefer the acapella versions (with choir and with just the girls) and I've always thought of it as being acapella. It was nice but it just bothered me with a full orchestra and didn't feel quite right. It may grow on me though. All the songs do eventually.
O HOLY NIGHT: One word: FANTASTIC (and any synonyms you can think of). I was a bit apprehensive about how it would be with just three girls but it was just amazing! I was a bit upset because I knew we'd come to the end of the first half. At the end only about half the audience gave a standing ovation, it definitely deserved much more than that.
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26/6/10 Westfield Penrith 23/10/10 Sydney Entertainment Centre 21/12/11 Boettcher Concert Hall 18/8/12 Macquarie Centre 17/1/14 Sydney Entertainment Centre 9/2/18 Darling Harbour Theatre |
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« Reply #3 on: December 29, 2011, 07:27PM » |
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Great stuff so far Marcus! Can't wait for the rest!
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« Reply #4 on: January 03, 2012, 01:56PM » |
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nice start...can't wait for the rest.
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Kelly
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« Reply #5 on: January 04, 2012, 05:02AM » |
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Sorry it's been such a long time. It was a long holiday and I've finally found time to sit down and finish this.
ACT II
SLEIGH RIDE: Quite a catchy tune to launch into the second act. I'd heard it a couple of times before (Hayley Westenra Christmas Magic) but when I got to the US, it was everywhere so I was quite familiar with it by the time I got to the concert.
IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER: This song was quite impressive. The depth of Mairead's playing and tone could really be heard. When she got to those high notes, it was just stunning.
THE FIRST NOEL: Lisa K started singing and applause was given for Mairead as she left the stage. Lisa L joined her sooner than I expected. In fact I expected Chloë to join in first so I was a bit confused when Lisa L did the second half of the first verse. It was an amazing song and I love it to the ends of the earth-mind you I had to travel halfway around the world to get there.
GREEN THE WHOLE YEAR 'ROUND: Lisa K stayed on stage while the other girls left. She then went on to say she was going to teach us the chorus to Green the Whole Year 'Round. I thought to myself "what about Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas?" LK gave us the lyrics and said "if you get stuck just say Green the Whole Year 'Round, you're bound to get it right at some point." She also said "Our lighting guy is very mean. He'll shine a spotlight on you if you don't sing along." She summed it up with warning us about the key change. We had a quick practice and then the song began. I was originally worried about how the audience would do. They were awesome. They got the key change.
GRANUAILE'S DANCE: What an amazing song. I love it. Mairead was just as amazing as ever which is saying alot. The acoustics were different and I'm used to her fiddle being more prominent but it was still prominent enough. As she was leaving the sound system squeeked so that was a bit odd. Mairead's fiddling too much for it.
AULD LANG SYNE: I've always wanted Celtic Woman to perform this song. Every time I did imagine it, I imagined it as a group number but I kept an open mind and Lisa L did not let me down in the slightest. It was so Christmassy despite it not being a christmas song.
AVE MARIA: Again I noted the unexplained absence of Don Oiche Ud I Mbeithil. I promptly forgot about it when Chloe began to sing. What a pair of lungs. I'd heard the Believe version and honestly, it didn't really stick to me. Then I heard it LIVE. It was incredible-no that doesn't even begin to describe the power, the beauty, the grace. Very Well Deserved Standing Ovation
YOU RAISE ME UP: Mairead led the other girls onto the stage. Then she asked "How do we follow that one up?" A few guesses here and there. I didn't know. I knew YRMU follows Ave Maria but we'd skipped two songs. It was a different version to what I expected. Much more similar to the ANJ version than SFTH. I'd never heard that version with only 4 girls so it was unexpected but a delight.
O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL: I believe this'll always have a special place in our hearts for Lisa Lambe. It was the first song she'd ever performed with Celtic Woman. I remembered back to 2010 when she first emerged on stage, a fledgling member of Celtic Woman and here she stood before the audience, a fully realised Celtic Woman, and the entire song was amazing. There were a few changes but it was still amazing.
LET IT SNOW: Flirtatious. There was kissing, hugging, just old fun. The greatest part was that you could tell the girls enjoyed it as much as we did. Despite the fact it was the end of the night it was still so happy. "You tell'em Lise" was back. There was a minor glitch at the beginning. The orchestra didn't seem ready. They basically just blurted but they fixed it soon enough.
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26/6/10 Westfield Penrith 23/10/10 Sydney Entertainment Centre 21/12/11 Boettcher Concert Hall 18/8/12 Macquarie Centre 17/1/14 Sydney Entertainment Centre 9/2/18 Darling Harbour Theatre |
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« Reply #7 on: January 04, 2012, 06:31PM » |
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Great review, Marcus! It's a shame about them taking out songs but I'm glad you enjoyed the show, nonetheless.
And I must say again how cool it was that you got to meet Chloë and Lisa! It's going to be hard for you to top this show!
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