And what it night it was.
CW came to Estero and ROCKED! All new costumes, a mix of numbers from ANJ and Helix, and Lynn Hilary was magnificent in her CW debut.
Lynn performed Danny Boy, Scarbrough Fair, Dulaman, and last Rose of Summer with Chloe, who sang Haley's part. Just beautiful.
Of course Mairead was her usual dynamo on "Granuaile's Dance" and "Shendadoah - The Contradiction", also adding "The Butterfly" from Helix and a beautiful instrumental version of
"Last Rose of Summer" after Chloe's and Lynn's duet of the same song. Awesome!
Our first lady Lisa was even more radiant than usual, if possible, even more beautiful than ever. Lisa literally lights up the stage. She was awesome on her usual ANJ numbers, and it was great hearing her sing Maive's old part in "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." The audience just LOVED it.
Little Chloe is becoming quite the lady with much more grown-up wardrobe. She sang like an angel, as usual, and at times flitted around the stage like a happy bird. She takes such joy in her performances.
Orla was beautiful and performed flawlessly as well. She seems to be a little "sassier" than in her previous performances (in a good way, of course).
In this show she also accompanied Chloe on "Vivaldi's Rain" with her beautiful harp playing. Another unexpected treat.
The show was different from the ANJ DVD and PBS special because the numbers were rearranged somewhat, and some "Helix" numbers were included. Don't get me wrong. It's still ANJ, just a freasher version that I thought was wonderful. It might not be the same show everywhere on tour, but tonight this was the set list:
Act One
The Sky, The Dawn, The Sun
Caledonia
The Butterfly
Danny Boy
The Prayer
Siuil A Run
Orinoca Flow
Granuaile's Dance
Beyond the Sea
The Blessing
Scarborough Fair
Vivaldi's Rain
Over the Rainbow
Mo Ghile Mear
Act Two
Dulaman
Newgrange
The Soft Goodbye
The Last Rose of Summer
The Last Rose Instrumental
Nella Fantasia
At the Ceili
Shenandoah - The Contradiction
Carrrickfergus
The Voice
Sing Out
You Raise Me Up
Finale, with choir and percussion
Then they added "Spanish Lady" (which wasn't on the program) to thank us for three standing ovations, and exited with another run of Mo Ghile Mear.
I was a little disappointed that Haley wasn't there to perform, and David and the orchestra were also absent. But the combination of some recorded orchestra along with the live band, percussion, choir and the girls beautiful singing and playing left nothing to be desired.
Anyway, it's late (way past my bedtime), so please excuse my rambling and any misspellings. I hope you enjoy your next CW experience as much as I enjoyed this one.
Good night,
Will
