The Voice of Ireland or Celtic Woman Goes Rogue or The Lisa Kelly Show
The Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater “The Fred” May 10th, 2014 Peachtree City, Georgia
As I write this I am driving en route to California from Georgia. That’s right...driving. To say the journey getting to the concert was an adventure is an understatement. My boyfriend Hawk and I began our trip on Wednesday. We saw Kartchner Caverns and got amazing video of wild deer. Our first night we camped in Arizona. The second day of our trip we made it through New Mexico and Texas. That night the campsite was already closed and drove through the night until we got to a rest stop. I would not advise sleeping in a car unless you can recline the seats. We came up against many challenges and each had something waiting as a reward. In this case I woke up at 4:30am to see the sky so clear there were thousands upon thousands of stars in the sky, even the milky way. On day 3 we made it out of Texas and into Louisiana, we camped there for the night and met some very friendly and helpful people and also some rain. Luckily we did a good job and even the thunder and lighting were no match. Would be glad to visit there again. Day 4 began in Louisiana and we drove through Mississippi and Alabama and made it to Georgia. It was raining on our way in so we decided to just go straight to the venue. So that was 8 states in 4 days. And ladies and gentlemen the expedition was absolutely worth it.
Now on to the show. We arrived in Peachtree and I realized I had no idea what the venue would be like. I totally forgot that it was outside, I mostly focused on the fact that Lisa Kelly was doing another show, everything else didn’t really matter.I thought it was a lot like Red Rocks except in the woods. It was similar to my first Celtic Woman show at the SDSU Open Air Theater. Once at the venue I did a quick change to look my best despite our travels. I met up with Scott Taylor and the crew, I had a few tickets left and had sent word ahead that we were coming. We sold the tickets and went inside. There was a small merchandise table selling t-shirts, posters, and CDs. I went down to find our table and greeted Taylor who was already sitting at the chair closest to the stage. I made the rounds giving hugs and saying hi to old friends. I sent Hawk for food and got settled. We had posters and signs, up the wazoo. A piano player started the show, he played a few songs. I noticed that the speaker was right next to our table. The sound was a little loud and the act that followed led me to worry the the show would be too loud. Thankfully this would not be the case. I ran up to the top of the venue to buy a CD (I had listened to mine so many times that it was starting to skip) plus she had signed this CD. After the trio had finished playing finally Scott Porter came out to greet us. I had travelled 4 days and wasn’t exactly patient for the show to start.
“Thank you all so much for coming out, I know some of you have traveled from the Netherlands, Japan, Germany...” AND CALIFORNIA! “I was buying time if you couldn’t tell.” He prefaced the show of how they got to Peachtree out of many locations around the world. Scott then brought out the band.
The setlist was as follows:
Act 1
May It Be/She Moved Through the Fair
Caledonia
Summer Fly
For Good
Hero
Let It Go
Danny Boy
Scott intro dance
Wake Me Up
Violin Solo
My Heart Will Go On
Isle Of Hope, Isle of Tears
Intermission
Act 2
The Voice
Green Grow the Rushes
Ave Maria
Fields of Gold
Bring Him Home
The Prayer
Tell Me Ma
The Blessing
Moondance
Dance Off with Aaron Tolson
Over the Rainbow
You Raise Me Up
Happy
The lighting shifted to hues of greens and blues and mysterious May If Be began. As the music swelled I eagerly looked around for Lisa and where she would make her entrance. Finally she stepped out on the stage. We were on our feet cheering like crazy. Her dress was a gorgeous sheer white dress with jewels and tule. Hawk aptly described like the Elsa dress from Frozen (more on that later). May It Be seamlessly transitioned to She Moved Through the Fair. I have never really cared for this song, although you give Lisa most anything and I will probably like it, such was the case. This was also the first show I was attending with my significant other. He made the journey just for me. He is definitely a keeper. On the lyric “..it will not be long love til our wedding day” I smiled and looked at Hawk. What can I say I’m a girl in love.
Caledonia. What can I say about Caledonia, I had a very very very very strong hunch this would be in the show especially after solicited feedback from the fans. I almost teared up but alsas hearing the song did what it always does. I thought back to when I first heard Lisa and here I was now hearing it live. One of the highlights of the night for me.
Finally she monolouged during this show I was thrilled to get so much of Lisa’s personality on stage. She made sure that the audience knew her biggest and most loyal fans were in the front and that they had to meet our enthusiasm this evening. “How many golf carts have you seen? 3 or 4?” I thought about it for the moment. There had been a lot of them buzzing around the parking lot but I thought it was a venue thing. “Scott took all of my lines so he’s gonna be in trouble. When we moved here I knew I was home because they are even happy when they are jogging.” She then introduced Summer Fly “Back when I was with Celtic Woman I asked our director David Downes if I could do this song. And he said no and I begged and I begged and I begged and I begged and I begged and he still didn’t let me. And actually it wasn’t until I was teaching my students I had been saying it wrong, I thought it was Summer Flowers. So now that I have MY OWN SHOW...here is Summer Fly” A jazzy tune that totally fit Lisa, I had never heard this song before and absolutely loved the performance. This one should be on her next CD.
Following Summer Fly a melody began on the piano. I had no idea what the setlist was so each song I was figuring out what it was in the first few seconds. I lost my composure on several occasions this being one of them. I knew this song and soon realized it was from Wicked. “Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God....it’s Wicked! She’s doing Wicked!” Lisa did the most incredible duet of For Good with Chloe. About half way through the song the rain finally broke and began to sprinkle on us. Thus began the shuffling as people put on their ponchos, rain coats and hid under their table cloths. Not even the rain could dampen my enthusiasm. I thought it felt good as a matter of fact. After Chloe and Lisa finished the song they let out cheers of joy and hugged and kissed and Lisa left the stage. Chloe said that she and Lisa had been wanting to do that duet for years and finally got their chance. Chloe acknowledged the rain and said, “We really do bring the rain. We said it every show with Celtic Woman, but now it’s us, it wouldn’t be Irish without it. She then introduced the song she would be singing. “It’s a Mariah Carey song and it’s one of my favorites. Here is Hero” She did this song beautifully and as she finished I pointed to Hawk and said “My Hero”.
As Chloe walked the stage Lisa came back to introduce her next song. “How many little girls do we have here tonight?” She covered her eyes to see all the way to the back of the audience. No little girls really raised their hand. Then a few older women did shortly after and I joined in. “Are there any with their grandparents because I’m sure you have heard this song then. Here is a medley from the movie Frozen.” I begin to lose it. “Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God!” This movie has been my favorite since it came out last November. I play the game on my phone, and I sing and listen to the songs regularly. Even Hawk knows the songs. The song she was going to sing won the Oscar, let’s just say this moment may have topped Caledonia. Yes, I just said that. “It was done by Idina Menzel and I’m sure you know the lyrics so you can help me if I forget.” Lisa began to sing Let It Go. Now it was just this song and not really a medley (there are many other popular songs from this movie.) There are also two versions of the song, Idina Menzel and also a pop version by Demi Lovato. Lisa did the one more similar to Demi Lovato. I highly recommend if you have not seen the movie go see it and listen to the songs. Especially Let It Go.
Paul Byrom came out and introduced himself “You noticed that the rain stopped as soon as I came out. Yeah that was my doing you think I was gonna let it ruin this part.” He indicated to his well groomed hair. He cracked jokes. Literally. “We’re having a lot of crack which means fun or party in Ireland. No it’s not that kind of crack. ‘Hey Paul said we were doing crack’ don’t go posting that on Facebook, it’s a family show.” After a bit more fun he introduced his song. “Lisa asked what I wanted to sing. And were good at singing about drinking and misery. So I looked at the list Lisa gave me. And I choose this one, so were going to bring down the crack a little with this one. Paul began Danny Boy. His voice had a lot of vibrato similar to Josh Groban. At first I didn’t really care for it, but as the show went on I liked his songs more and more. Also since he had a whole list of songs I have to say that I think Danny Boy was a bit of a cop out. Everyone does it and it would have been nice to hear something fresh and original. I’m sure many fans were happy this song made the cut, and honestly I would keep this one for the rest of the set list.
Scott then came out to dance. He was incredible, another of the things I had most wanted to see was included in this show. I would say he was arguably better than the lead I had seen in Riverdance. Although this time I was front and center. This branched into another pop hit by Avicii, Wake Me Up. Hawk began to perk up. It was now his turn to get excited. Lisa had some tricks up her sleeve. Chloe and Scott came back and the three of them performed like I had never seen. What fun!
The next part of the show Hawk later told me was his favorite. He loved the violin solo, and I have to say Colin did a wonderful job. In that moment I reflected that the only thing that was missing from the show was Mairead. Alas the universe could not have handled such a thing.
Lisa then came out and introduced her next song. She must have noticed that both Hawk and I were doing the potty dance and didn’t want to miss the show, because she mentioned that intermission would be coming up shortly. “This song is one that Scott has been begging me to do. ‘Oh you should sing this song for me.’” I again lost me cool. Before I knew Lisa, I was and am a huge Celine Dion fan. I remember being 10 years old and belting the Power of Love. And I remembered that I had accomplished a similar dream to the one I was experiencing now. I took a flight to Las Vegas to see Celine Dion in the 9th row. Lisa performed this so beautifully and I have to say that Celine beat her by about [ ] this much. So Lisa included in just the first act probably me top three songs that I wanted to hear. She said she was doing this show for that fans and absolutely hit the mark. She exited the stage.
Closing Act One was Isle Of Hope, Isle of Tears. It was very similar to the Celtic Woman version. Just the parts were traded around and there was a dude singing one of the parts, but other than that sounded about the same. The crew performed this song with Chloe, Lisa, and Paul at the lead and joined by the students of the voice academy. I admired all the kids watching them perform and seeing who truly shined on stage. I remembered that Ellie, Cian and Jack would all be performing in the show. It did not take me long to figure out who they were. 2 out of the group were 110% committed, with arm motions and smiles, truly sharing their parents passion for being on stage. Ellie was standing right next to Lisa. Let me tell you this girl is going to go far. Watching her it was as if there was nobody else on the stage. At this point I wasn’t 100% sure but by the end of the show and Scott confirmed that it was indeed Ellie. Another boy caught my attention and he was making similar motions as Ellie. That had to be Jack I thought. So where’s Cian. He would not be in the show until later in Act 2.
What a way to finish the Act 1. I was on my feet hooting and hollering. And it was time for intermission. I ran to the bathroom hoping that the line would not be too long. Funny enough the line for the men’s room was long and the women were able to pop in and out of the bathroom. It was pretty amusing. I then went back down to talk to Emily. Everyone was raving about the first act. Apparently some people had thought that was it. I took the opportunity to touch the stage while no one was paying attention. I was satisfied, and thought that there was no way Act 2 could beat Act 1. It was a very short intermission and then we had to take our seats again.
Lisa began with The Voice. It was a bang and perfect opening. Lisa’s second act dress was an emerald green and it was very sexy. She showed off plenty of leg as I covered Hawk’s eyes. The back was cut as well kinda like a cat had clawed out the back. Lisa really bounces back fast after baby. On her last note she was like energizer bunny she just kept going and going and going, until we were on our feet in a standing ovation. After Lisa finished the voice Chloe came out again and they began to introduce the next song. Now I WANTED Chloe’s dress. It was a deep blue in a more modest cut and it was incredible. The front row in the audience picked up real quick “Green Grow the Rushes Oh!” It was so much fun playing with them and after they taught the rest of the people the lyrics that had us do a go around. We sang loud and proud not missing a beat. “I think we can go home now.” says Chloe. I thought, you better not the show is not over yet! They were extremely pleased and began singing. Of course I sang the whole song and smiled as we all came together for the chorus.
After more squeals and hugs and kisses after doing this duet together, Lisa left the stage as Chloe’s mic was brought out. I knew it was Ave Maria just by the set up, I knew it well after how many times I had seen it before. And came the moment as it always does where I wonder if this performance will top Pechanga on the second night. Alas I don’t think even Chole can knock past that one. She did a fabulous job this evening and I was standing on my feet by the end. Scott had thought it would have been that or Pie Jesu or whatever it is. I was very happy to have the amazing operatic piece in the show.
Lisa came back out for another solo. Fields of Gold. I had completely forgotten about this song. It made my heart smile. Any Lisa solo is amazing. Most of her songs had me back to when I first saw them performed. The show was in the present, honoring the past, and gave hope in the future.
Paul then came out for his first solo and it was from Les Mis “Bring Him Home” I liked it better than Danny Boy. Again something about his voice was just too overpowering for the speakers. I like the song and Taylor went nuts himself. Paul then took a moment to introduce Chloe. It was odd because I felt like that should have been at the beginning of the show. Paul met Chloe at the opera and her parents were music royalty and he had no idea that when he met her as a girl would many years later be singing with her on stage. Chloe made her grand entrance and they sang the Prayer. I have to say this was probably my favorite live performance of the song. I recently had heard the Andrea Bocelli duet with Katharine Mcphee and it was so beautiful. Paul and Chloe matched well together. I will say that it felt at times like Paul was overpowering Chloe.
Following the Prayer was a fun camp song I was very surprised was in the setlist. And after the song was performed it made perfect sense. Lisa, Chloe and Paul were the camp counselors and the kids came out on stage, boys vs girls. Tell Me Ma was loads of fun. Once again little Ellie stole my heart. During a break in the song out pop Cian and his partner as they do a traditional Irish dance. They were incredible! As Cian finished and joined the group of boys one of them patted him on the back. Well done Cian! After they were finished the kids left the stage except for two little ones that were very curious. It looked as if Ellie and her friend wanted to stay on the stage. It took a moment for Lisa to realize they weren’t following their cues. Like a mother hen she was looking after all of her chicks. “So that was Tell Me Ma, and it was a fun camp song...you can go now.” And she nudges Ellie off. They smile and both quickly leave the stage. Lisa continues to introduce her next song “This was the first song that was ever written for me…” It’s Send Me A Song! Nope. Scott says, “It’s the Blessing and you will find out in a moment why.” “It was written by Brendan Graham and I want to dedicate this to all the mothers out there. Happy Mother’s Day. This is the Blessing.” Honestly Scott is psychic sometimes. It was a sweet and lovely rendition and I thought alright if it’s not Send Me A Song this will do.
Paul came out for his last and in my opinion best performance for a duet with Lisa. After a few bars into the song it was Moondance. I knew this song really well although Lisa and Paul were playing their parts a little too well. I thought “Scott needs to be here, he should be the one singing this song with her. We need some parental supervision!” Then I remembered that this was part of the job so i sucked it up and enjoyed their beautiful voices. They left the stage as the song faded out...you two are NOT going where I think you are!
The show began to wind down as Aaron Tolson came out on stage and performed some fabulous tapping. His style was very american and out came Scott to challenge him. It was similar to a part of Riverdance. Very fun and very cool to watch. Their feet were flying trying to top one another. Then they made fun of how the other tapped, one more loose and the other tight and precise. Then Scott absolutely wowed us and it was time for us to decide. Scott receive roaring applause and cheers. He had won that round. Then Aaron had his say and did some incredible moves. He put Scott in his place. They finished up together the sweat flying off of their faces. If you like Riverdance this was an absolute treat, any video anyone?
Lisa came out for her final solo. The intro was something I didn’t recognize, I had no idea what she was going to sing. Then the familiar melody of Over the Rainbow started to play. I had also forgotten that Celtic Woman had done this one too and I thought back to the quartet remembering that Lisa had not performed in that one but I desperately had wanted to hear it. And here was my chance. It was honestly her best song of the night. Her high notes soared and she held us all close as she sang this song. “This was the first song I ever performed on stage and I never thought I would be standing here singing it for all of you. Thank you for making this little girls dreams come true.” We were on our feet clapping and cheering. We knew it was precious moments until the end of the show.
The choir came out one last time and You Raise Me Up completed the show. I think again this was my favorite version of the song I had ever seen performed. The kids really added some freshness and what can I say I think I am Ellie’s biggest fan now. (Okay besides her parents
) We cheered and clapped and hooted and hollered. I was worried that would be the end of the show. Scott came out one more time and thanked everyone for their hard work. “Would you like us to do this again next year?” Massive cheering. “Would you like us to do it sooner than next year?” Even bigger applause. Now that was some beautiful hope for the future. I thought to myself I want an encore! Ask and you shall receive as Lisa left the group broke into the show closer with Happy. We were on our feet dancing and singing. Whoda thunk? I danced with Hawk and Lisa came back out in an Academy t-shirt and black leggings barefoot. And she shined so bright. I couldn’t see the stage very well at this point as Hawk is a good 6ft tall. So he picked me up and it was like I was crowd surfing, after he put me down I got right up to the stage and held in every urge to rush the stage. And soon everyone had exited and the show was over.
All I can say is Wow Wow Wow! I have been to several shows over my lifetime and this was without doubt one of the best. As the crew began cleaning up Scott was also helping tear down. We showered him with our thoughts, and compliments. He was very humbled and thanked us. He received a beautiful banner that was signed by many fans. Where was a pen when you needed one! “We’ll put it up in the dance academy” I finally had the chance to speak with him. I greeted Scott and after a flash “Yes! It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I told him we had driven from California and it had taken 4 days to get here. I think we won for longest journey. Some had flown across the world. But we certainly took the longest to get there. I said that I loved the show, and he said that they had a few people and were looking for support. I mentioned that I did video and would love to work with them. “We’ve been working with Pinewood Studios. Were making the videos, no ones seen them. Just send us a message, I look at all of them and file.” And here was my big opportunity. As he was talking with all of us he was suck on a piece of tape that was knotted. Hawk saw the problem and offered to help. At first Scott said no but after awhile, “My pride’s gone, you came all the way from California the least I can do is let you untie a knot.” Hawk had it out in a matter of seconds. We said our goodbyes and left the venue.
We went over to Denny’s where a lot of the fans were meeting. We stayed a short while we were both hungry, tired, and had an early morning the next day. I said goodbye to Scott and it was like family parting once again. The reunion had been amazing and I had a feeling it wouldn’t be long before we were all together again. We stayed in a nice hotel. It was the perfect end to a perfect evening.
The trip home was a lot more challenging than getting there. We had more time to get home, but I had achieved what I sought out to accomplish and I just wanted to be home. We stopped at the Grand Canyon on the way. It was breathtaking. I compared how I felt standing there to a few days before at the show. It was a toss up which was better. As it turned out it was a good thing we had driven the entire trip, as there were massive fires in my home town. I thought well I hope I have a home to go back to and if not, Georgia was nice. Hawk and I are thinking about moving there, we love the humidity and home prices. Georgia you’re calling me, now I’m going home.
