Review for Houston, April 13, 2014

The Hobby Center
Houston, Texas
April 13, 2014 3:00 P.M.

I wasn’t originally going to write a review, at least a detailed one, but I’ve been asked by a lot of people so here it goes. One thing is I did not read any reviews other than to see the set list as I did not want to spoil myself ahead of time. I will freely admit that I am not good at writing reviews/analyses, even though I spent 3 years doing it for grad school.

This is the first time I’ve been to the Hobby Center. It’s a nice theatre, but I was surprised to see seats installed in the pit section. I assume those were for season ticket holders because they were not listed on Ticketmaster and don’t even show up on seating charts.

My seat was Orchestra Right, A1 so front row, (not counting the two pit rows) aisle seat. I would have had center section, front row if Ticketmaster hadn’t crashed for 5 minutes when I was ordering. Oh well.

Before discussing the show itself, I want to say I was really glad to see Lynn. While I miss seeing Lisa, I fully understand her reason for taking time off. She loves theater and I’m sure she had planned to do this particular play since finishing the previous one. I never got to see Lynn in person, only on the SFTH DVD, so I considered myself lucky to get to see her now. It’s rare to get to see a previous member unless you attend one of their own shows, or something one off like Meav at the Christmas DVD filming.

Alright…

Having only seen CW in concert since Christmas 2012, the only opening for the main tour I’ve seen is “Awakening,” Obviously I had seen “The Sky and the Dawn and the Sun” on the ANJ DVD, but there is such a difference from seeing it in person and on TV. When the curtain comes up, we see the spotlight on Mairead, leading to each girl joining her on stage as the song progressed. Personally, I found it to be a very engaging intro and everyone sitting around me loved it. I have the fashion sense of a rock, so all I’ll say about the dresses is that they are lovely on the girls. Green is my favorite color. Then again, they’re such beautiful women nearly anything would look good on them. I’ll default to Misha’s excellent review when it comes to the dresses the girls wear.

The stage was different, without the stairs we’ve seen recently, which is fine. It’s a new show/tour so a set change is expected. Perhaps the loss of stairs was to reduce the risk of the girls tripping, or because some stages just are not big enough to hold all of the sets, and give the girls room to move around. Those of us who saw the Christmas show in Dallas last year know how much a tiny stage can hinder the show. I was truly waiting for Mairead to fly off the stage in Dallas at some point with as little room as she had to move around. It’s one thing to build an elaborate stage for one specific theater (such as for the Helix) because you know the available dimensions ahead of time, but to build one which will fit everywhere requires some limitations. I’d rather see a simpler set than watch someone go splat. Regardless of the reason, the set was fine to me.

Since “Dulaman” is Lynn’s first solo, I will also give my thoughts of her in this section. Lynn’s “Dulaman” is different from Lisa’s and Meav’s, but in no way is it less enjoyable. It would be boring if every girl sounded the same. Lynn has her own style, more reserved, but she fully put herself into it, and there was nothing wrong with her performance. While not as animated as Lisa, she can perform the song just as well as others have. I know we’ve seen people angry or even canceling their show plans because Lisa isn’t there. If that is what they want to do, that is their loss. While earlier reviews said she seemed uncomfortable; I did not see that. I think once she knocked the rust off, she has gotten right back into the groove like she had never left. I noticed a few differences in her style now and from SFTH, but I think she’s continued to mature as a performer and that is not a bad thing.

I was happy to see “Newgrange” back (it’s one of my favorite Orla songs from ANJ) and for Mairead C to give a little bit of history about it. (Being a historian I’ve read up on Newgrange so hearing some of it from MC made me happy.) I’m glad Texan audiences are enthusiastic because I hate when the audience seems dead. (My Christmas 2012 show had a dead audience, but that’s another story.) Most people, at least those I could see and hear, were enthusiastic. The Hobby Center crowd was happy to be there.

Any Mairead N solo is a treat all on its own. I would never be disappointed in anything she performed. I have only seen “The Butterfly” once in person, last Christmas. I love when she is in right in front of us and looks at the audience to smile. Mairead clearly loves what she does and it shows in her performance from start to finish.

“Orinoco Flow,” still not a song that I have anywhere on my favorite list; not sure why, but it’s just not one I care to hear. I know it’s a CW staple, but it will never be one I will love. Oh well, no one will always love every single song they do.

“Amazing Grace” is pretty much exactly the same with Anthony starting in the aisle on the left side. Some songs should not change, and this is one. They do it perfectly. I think we’ve all seen it before so that is all I will say about it.

“Si Do Mhameo,” another song I had never seen in person since it dates back to the original DVD. It’s probably my favorite Meav song from the original. Of course, I have no clue what they’re singing about (beyond the basic synopsis I read a long time ago) but that makes it no less enjoyable, just as with “Dulaman.” Interesting to see it as a duet rather a solo; I had figured it would be a Lynn or MC song.

Ah, everyone’s favorite, “Téir Abhaile Riú” but first of course comes a little comedy with Nick, Craig, Andy, Anthony, and Ray showing off and giving everyone a good laugh. I assume this was added to give the girls enough time to change for TAR, but it was a great addition. All the guys are just as entertaining in their own right, and Ray is just a riot; so glad they’ve given him more to do. More on Ray later.

We’ve all seen TAR before and the signing intro hasn’t changed. I had Mairead C close to me and was hoping I’d be the lucky guy. Sadly, I was not, some guy 3 rows back on the other side of the aisle got to dance with Mairead C. Still, being that close to one of the girls is really nice. She is so lovely. As for Lynn, she definitely seemed a lot more comfortable in the role now, I’m pretty sure she even pulled a Lisa on some lucky individual. (I couldn’t see for certain, but she either kneeled down or sat on someone’s lap/armrest.) Since we all know how TAR goes, and it doesn’t change that much, I’m not going to say anything else. I do wish they would spin the girls, but I’m sure it was taken out for a good reason. As a side note, the guy Mairead C danced with did not come back after the intermission. No idea why he left.

Talked a bit with Hubert a bit during intermission, but some other people came up to talk to him because of his CW shirt. Had to watch a nearly endless stream of people going up front to take pictures of themselves in front of the stage. Some pretty girls among them though, but that’s another discussion.

“My Lagan Love” is another song that I’ve only seen on the original DVD and SFTH, so it was nice to hear it live. I think Lynn really enjoys this song as she really poured herself into it. I enjoy the song, but it’s not a favorite. Like a lot of others, I would have selected “Carolina Rua” instead for Lynn to sing. To me that is as much her song as “The Voice” is Lisa Kelly’s.

Ray came out and into the audience, right in front of my seat, asking if we were enjoying ourselves and getting the audience more animated. He also of course does his own little drum comedy show which is amazing all on its town. The guy has an amazing talent and I’d bet he is just an absolute riot to be around. Everyone I could see loved it. Of course, as Ray tries to get off stage, he encounters Mairead (run Ray, run!).

When “Níl Sé'n Lá” starts, Nick, Craig, Sarah, and Edel are dancing on the left side, but Sarah came in my direction. She tried to get a guy from the front row to dance with her, but he wouldn’t do it. So she came over right by me, probably standing within a foot of me. I was looking and hoping that she’d pick me, but she picked a little girl (probably 4-5 years old) and danced with her. (Double strike out for me.) That girl didn’t stop smiling for the rest of the show. Sarah is just as lovely as all of the other girls and it was really nice to get to see her that close. Again, we’ve all seen “Níl Sé'n Lá” in person and/or on DVD, but it is such a fun song. I think Lynn and Mairead C did just fine replacing Lisa and Chloe. Was it different than the one I saw last year with those girls, of course it was. However, that made it no less enjoyable.

I love all of Mairead’s solos including Granuaile’s Dance. I had seen it last year in Grand Prairie, but that made it no less enjoyable. She pours herself totally into each one and they are one of the absolute gems of any Celtic Woman show.

“Danny Boy,” “Mo Ghile Mhear,” “You Raise me Up,” and “The Parting Glass” are all staples of the show and I’m sure will remain so. While not a fan of Danny Boy, I love the other three and even though it means the show is almost over, always look forward to them. “Mo Ghile Mhear” is one of my all-time favorites, ever since seeing it the first time on the ANJ DVD. It doesn’t matter who is preforming it, I will always enjoy it immensely. “You Raise me up” and “The Parting Glass” had the usual intro, by Mairead C and Lynn respectively.

The finale is somewhat different, and I actually thought it was an improvement. After “The Parting Glass,” the girls left the stage, but as people started to leave, we were signaled to sit back down. I had a feeling it wasn’t quite over. I wouldn’t think David would radically change something that has worked so well for years except under drastic circumstances. I think having Mairead come back out to give all of supporting members, Ray, Anthony, Sarah, Edel, Craig, Nicholas, etc. their due was very nice. While the focus of Celtic Woman will always be the soloists, without those supporting them on stage it would not be what it is. They are just as important in their own right. The girls themselves come out last followed by the ending we all expect and love, a short bit of “At The Céilí” which ends with Mairead twirling her bow.

I had a 2 hour drive home with the weather possibly turning bad (thankfully it didn’t) so once it was over; I got out as quickly as possible. I didn’t want to be stuck in Houston all evening.

So to sum up my thoughts on the show… I guess I am the kind of person who doesn’t go into things like concerts, movies, etc. with preconceived expectations. I will either enjoy it on its own merits or I won’t. Heck, I’ve walked out of movies more than once and probably should have a few more. I will freely admit I was sad that Lisa Lambe wouldn’t be there, but just like when I missed seeing Lisa Kelly at the 2012 Christmas show (when she was originally going to return), I was not going to let it ruin the show for me. (Yes, it is why I didn’t go to the San Antonio show as well, but I couldn’t really justify the expense so I pretty much needed any excuse.) Lynn is just as good as Lisa, in her own right. She not Lisa nor will she ever be which is a good thing. Mairead Carlin is not Chloe, nor will she ever be. They are their own persons, with their own talents, strengths, and weaknesses and should never be judged based on others. It would be boring if each girl sounded and acted exactly the same. If that is what people want, then get four or five robots that just lip-sync everything from previous shows. People complain when the show changes, but will complain if the show stays the same. It cannot be both. I’ve seen the negative comments on Twitter, Facebook, and elsewhere, I truly wonder why people bother going to shows if it just upsets them. If the current girls are such a disappointment, then vote with your wallet and spend your time and money elsewhere.