I received this email today from Cliff about his Fairfax experience. As he isn't a member he asked that I post it for him:
Lindsey,
I read with some interest the recent review by Don S. of the 3/3/2012 Celtic Woman concert at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA. I was also in attendance and, with one important exception, I agree with his observations about the venue, production and performance. My recollection differs from Don's when he states that Chloe Agnew sat briefly in the lap of a "really surprised" gentleman in the audience during a song she was singing with Lisa Lambe. It was Lisa and not Chloe who visited with the guy in his seat. I know this to be a fact because I was the gentleman, and it was my lap she sat on.
To describe what happened I need to set the stage a bit. The Patriot Center is an athletic arena, however the facility is regularly reconfigured for concerts. CW has performed at Patriot Center at least twice previously, and I attended both events. The stage sits about 5 - 5 1/2 feet above floor level, with stairs descending from the front to the seating area. There is a good 10 or 12 feet of open space between the first row of seats and the front of the stage. In the past, I've seen the chorus or bagpipe players come down the steps and walk among the audience while performing. I've never seen any of the lead singers come down to floor level before. On Saturday night, my companion and I were seated front row, center section, center seats. In other words, we were about as close to the stage as you could get and still be in the audience.
When Chloe and Lisa started their duet, they were already on the floor at opposite ends of the stage. As they sang, they began to move towards one another. Just as Lisa passed in front of me she paused, sat down on my knee and sang a few bars. She just as quickly got up and moved on, leaving me somewhat more than "really surprised." "Utterly astonished" is closer to my reaction. The audience also seemed to appreciate the humor of the moment. I've probably attended every CW concert ever held in the Washington, DC/Baltimore area, along with a few as far afield as Atlanta, GA and Columbus, Ohio. I don't think I've ever seen any of the girls interact with an audience member like that before.
What really made the evening complete however, was the Meet and Greet that followed. Over the years, I've met most of the CW singers, both past and present, at M&Gs. I never found them to be anything less than polite, affable and completely lady-like when mingling with their fans. They are, as a group, among the nicest people I've ever talked to. I had not previously met Lisa L., or Susan M. Needless to say, when they both made their appearance at the Saturday M&G I knew my good luck couldn't get much better. I exchanged the usual chit-chat with both ladies, and Lisa expressed her appreciation for the loan of my knee. After I gathered up my pictures and other items submitted for autograph, I found among the documents something I didn't provide. It was a set list, signed by both Susan and Lisa, with Lisa thanking me for being "...part of the show."
Like their CW sisters, Susan and Lisa are a class act all the way
I suppose its possible that Don S. saw Chloe sit on some other lucky gentleman's lap. I really didn't see much of what she was doing because my attention was focused elsewhere.
Regards,
Cliff G.
Cliff also pointed out that WETA has pictures from the M&G up on their Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/wetatvfm?sk=photos