Review: The Voice Of Ireland 2015

Culminating the most momentous week of shows that I've had in a very long time, I went to Peachtree City, joining my fellow Celtic Woman fan alumni to see Lisa and Chloe once again bringing life to the music that we know and love. I certainly was prepared for it, having been to two CW shows earlier in the week. Those shows were not just warm-up tosses for the anticipated glory at Peachtree; those were shows that revitalized me as a fan of Celtic Woman thanks to events that far transcend the music. So, in a spirit of bliss and perhaps enlightenment, I began my journey.

My co-worker Matt delivered me to Houston Intercontinental for my flight on Friday morning, the day before the show. Our ride, my flight, and the acquisition of my rental car went off without a hitch. I arrived in Peachtree with plenty of time to spare for our arranged fan dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse, which is becoming as much a tradition for the Lisa performances as anything (the manager, Kevin, was impressed enough to offer us free appetizers if we come back for Lisa's next show... offer accepted!). I was hardly finished for the evening, though, as I also made two trips back to the airport to pick up first Rachel and then Sarah. Afterward I sat up talking with Tony, Mike, and Moscapoet until past 3am. This is typical fare for these trips for us, as the four of us always have a lot to talk about together.

The next morning we gathered together again along with Nick Nannfield after breakfast but soon enough it was time to head to the prime fan get-together that had been arranged by the Sterlings. I talked extensively with John Turbitt, Sarah Danielle, Oreomaster Mark Sterrett, and Holly, and participated in the group sing-along parody of "Green Grow the Rushes." Thanks to Eric and Linda for arranging the pre-show dinner at Mellow Mushroom; this place was infinitely superior to the Georgia Shrimp Company as a gathering place.

Outside the venue, I found Rachel to give back a borrowed CD, and Susan from Boston (and Houston!) generously asked me to invite Mike and any of the other fans to her tailgate party at her SUV. Some fans had a chance to get together who might not have otherwise. That is the reason that I say: Thank you, Susan... this meant more to me than I can say in this review.

The Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater is an outdoor facility. The big drawback to this is the dependence on the weather, but fortunately this has never been a serious problem at these Lisa shows. There is no balcony, but there are grass inclines which allow for lawn seating/picnic activity, as well as flat surfaces to either side that would be put to use tonight for something else. The stage is about four feet high and slightly narrower and less deep than the stages that CW would typically have. The water fountains did not work. My own seat was at table D, front row very close to center. I would have Roy Krauss, Eric Sterling, and Moscapoet surrounding me for the first act. Just before the first opening act I met up with old friends Thomas and Ryan, and then helped bring Ron's wife and son to Ryan's two empty seats at his table. The group American Hope, now veterans of the Lisa Kelly show, opened first, followed by a young lady playing piano. She had a very good voice and I'd like Lisa to bring her back... but maybe as the very first opening act, because, good though she was, she really didn't fire the crowd up. James Castro completed the openers, followed by Scott Porter introducing the show.

(A few songs may be listed as first/second act incorrectly. But only a few, if any. I had to do this from memory and from a momentary recollection with Mike after the show.)

Then began the opening sounds of "The Voice!!!!" Lisa's performance was amazing, but in my opinion the soundwork on this one song was the worst of the night and really ranks as among the worst sound I've heard in any show in a long time; still, this was a sound issue only and Lisa's performance was amazing!!!... No sound problem on the next song: "THE WATER IS WIDE!!!!!" My favorite Lisa Kelly solo song washed over me; I hadn't seen Lisa perform it since the Believe Taping of long ago, and Lisa gave a knowing look and the standing ovation for her was already the second one of the night... Lisa also did "Summer Fly"; the crowd clapped along at intervals to make it come alive... I'll get back to "For Good" later... "GALWAY BAY!!!!!" Thank you, Chloe, for bringing this one to us one more time... Emmet Cahill performed "Danny Boy"; where Paul Byrom's delivery at the previous two performances here is mostly operatic fire, Emmet's was more sweet water... Lisa's violin player really charged things up along with the first dance segments of the night, this one courtesy of Scott Porter... A fascinating interpretation of "Irish Rover" with some of the boys from the Voice Academy sitting on the edge of the stage singing while dancing was done behind them... The beginning of "Bridge Over Troubled Water", with Lisa performing, was absolutely perfect; though I truly love the familiar Lisa Lambe editions of this song, Lisa's voice creates a different (and to me, even better) dynamic with this song even if the arrangement was familiar... The most uplifting peformance of "Amazing Grace" ever, bar none; the three soloists performed perfectly to the most rousing standing ovation imaginable, and I got a blown kiss from the stage from a very sweet member of the Voice Academy choir. As intermission was announced, I realized that I'd just experienced the finest first act of any concert that I had ever seen.

The consensus during intermission seemed to be universal: everyone was excited and dazzled, and the crowd had been comparable, if not maybe superior, to what we had seen at Believe Taping First Night and the previous two Lisa shows here.

Second Act: a group number, "Paddys Green Shamrock Shore", which I'd never heard before... "CALEDONIA!!!!" Of the songs from Lisa's Celtic Woman reportoire, she had now done my favorite three, and all three had been heartfelt and wonderful... "When You Believe" brought the Chlover contingent to it's feet, with blown kisses to two such members; I knew that both of those dear friends needed those kisses tonight... "The Prayer" with Emmet doing the Italian part and Chloe doing the English was excellent; Emmet had mentioned Chloe's incredible talent for duets (as if we didn't know!)... "NO FRONTIERS!!!!" I knew this song before from Eabha McMahon and I gave Lisa a standing ovation... another Celtic Night alumnus-song was "Bring Him Home" sung by Emmet, this was perfect for his style... "Moondance" again!!! Yes, Lisa's background in stage serves her in great steed... The dance-off between Aaron and Scott was better than ever, and hilarious!... It was Armed Forces Day, so: "O America!!!!!!!" We hadn't heard this song live from these girls in so, so long and now they had Emmet joining in; it was a full house standing ovation... now a slight surprise: Lisa doing "When I Fall In Love", during which couples were encouraged to dance together on the flat areas near the grass... when Lisa said "it's time for the last song" the groans and cries were loud, but there was a gentleness to "You Raise Me Up" tonight; one more time I was privileged to hear Chloe sing the verse of lyrics that mean more to me than any ever written... two encores, including "Shake It Off" with the entire bunch of Dance Academy singers back out on stage.

...but now I must return to "For Good". The first time I ever heard this song was back in May last year, when Chloe and Lisa did it together. But nature intervened that time, as the only moments of rain of that entire evening happened just as Chloe came out, causing a scurrying for rain ponchos and distracting me during the entire song. Plus, of course, on that occasion Chloe and Lisa were reunited on stage for the first time since 2011, which caused some distraction in itself. As a result, I totally missed what this song was all about. So, now in 2015 as Lisa introduced the song to incredible cheers from the audience, I resolved to really listen and watch this song, as Lisa began and Chloe walked out to join. Now, as Chloe and then Lisa sang their verses to each other, I understood. Each of these two incredible performers has had an enduring effect on the other, and this song was their way of describing it to us, so that we could understand how they view their friendship - which I'm sure was why Lisa and Chloe chose this song. But beyond that, if you listen to all the lyrics of this song... for so many of us in our fan community, these lyrics relate what we all have become to each other: "I've heard it said/That people come into our lives/For a reason/Bringing something we must learn", and never have all these lyrics been more true than at this Friday/Saturday Peachtree event. My standing ovation with tears in my eyes was not just for what these two dear women on stage had just performed... it was for what they have done to make our own fan friendships possible. Maybe they knew that when they chose the song; maybe they didn't. It doesn't matter. This is magic.

As she had done the previous year, Lisa called out the front ranks of tables as the finest fans anyone could have, and thanked those of us who had traveled far to get here, mentioning lands including Hawaii, and looking at a certain table as she said "From Texas". I screamed myself hoarse from cheering as Scott and Lisa walked off the stage at the conclusion.

Many of us went to the local Peachtree City IHOP, which like the Peachtree Longhorn's is building it's own legacy in the lore of us fans. This post-show dinner lasted easily two hours, to be followed by many embraces and well-wishes as we all went our separate ways. Roy and I went to the airport to return my rental car and to fly back to Houston. A remarkable coincidence was that Roy and I had not arranged our flights together but we knew we'd be arriving at almost the same time. As luck would have it, not only had Roy and I arranged the same flight but we had picked adjoining seats!! I guess I shouldn't be surprised anymore about anything when it comes to events accompanying Lisa and Chloe.

Throughout the Peachtree Event, I had the privilege of talking a lot with dear friends. In spite of all the great conversations that I had, there's never enough time for me to catch up completely with Mike, Scott, Tony, and Roy - though Mike and Scott I'll see again in four weeks at some placed named "Red Rocks". I wish that I'd had many more hours to talk to Nick Nannfield, Daniel, Tink and Coren, Cindy, Peter (Rugperson), Kelly, Eric, Sherrod, and... well, there wouldn't have been enough hours even if the event had lasted a week, but there's always next time.

"The Voice of Ireland" has become The Greatest Show On Earth. The people in that little city should be proud.

CONCLUSION

The truth is that I am not the same fan that I was when I first fell in love with this music. I like to think that I have grown, that a better part of me has emerged through my interaction not just with the music or the performers but especially with those fellow travellers who have shared the experiences with me - some of whom I've known now for nearly a decade and are among my most trusted friends. My growth has come not just from my own journey but from being part of the journey of others. My fulfillment when I go to "shows" comes as much now from being with dear friends as anything on the stage.

In my first years on the CW tours - which is where most of us began all this - I found it difficult, almost wretching, when my participation in the tours was finished, knowing that I wouldn't see the girls again for perhaps a long while. Then, with each succeeding tour, it became easier, as I realized these amazing performers were and always would be in my heart. The ending of each run of shows is merely a part of the whole experience, like a changing of the seasons. That was when it actually became harder to bid farewell to my fan friends as shows and tours ended. But in the last couple years I have found that this, too, is merely a part of it. To all things there is a season, a time to gather and a time to disperse. Let it not be a goodbye but merely a "til we meet again," as our friendships surpass the seasons and are, truly, for good. "And because I knew you/Because I knew you/Because I knew you/I have been changed/For good".