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Author Topic: 2015.5.31 Sacramento, CA ~ My First Celtic Woman Concert  (Read 2746 times)
momopeach
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« on: June 01, 2015, 03:09PM »

2015.5.31 Sacramento, CA at the Community Center Theater  at 3:00 PM

Be wary there might be some slight spoilers of the show in my post, just letting you know in case you want to be surprised for when you go to a show in the future.

This concert was my first ever Celtic Woman concert! I've been following them since...maybe 2007 or 2006 (Thanks to PBS), and now I finally got to see them live  Cheesy
It was only my third concert ever. The other two were in Korean so it was kind of nice to hear some songs in English.

It was only a 30 minute drive from our house, and my mother and I got dropped off. I introduced her to them last year with Lisa Lambe's performance of "A Spaceman Came Traveling" and she started to really like them. Passed by a bunch of restaurants that I'll have to go back and visit one day too.

The line was quick and efficient. Kind of a theme for the whole afternoon. Lots of merchandise was being sold when we walked in, and people buying food, whiles others were talking. I was a little surprised by all the people, and when we finally found our seats I was even more surprised how packed the place was. Hehe, I used to think my watching their shows on PBS was the only thing that kept them successful. Only when I got older did I realize that tons of people know CW. I guess that makes sense, given they've been doing world tours and going on for 10 years. I remember telling my college friends I was going and they got jealous. It was nice looking around and seeing the different types of people. Some were families, some were young couple, etc. It was nice seeing other folks in their twenties there  Wink
We were Mid Tier. Not bad seats at all, but it was the same price as the floor below, so I may decide to go on the floor next time they're in town.

Now for the show, which started at 3:00 on the dot.

"The Sky, The Dawn, and the Sun" started the show. Okay, so this was amazing. I never really was crazy about the song when I first heard it online, but they changed the song now by adding a verse.

The lyrics went something like this:

"High is the moon tonight
Hiding its guiding light
High

Heaven and earth do sleep
Still in the dark so deep
I will the darkness sweep

I will the moon to flight
I will the heavens bright
I will the earth delight

Open your eyes with me
See paradise with me
Awake and arise with me

I am the dawn, I'm the new day begun
I bring you the morning, I bring you the sun
I hold back the night and I open the skies
I give light to the world, I give sight to your eyes

From the first of all time, until time is undone
Forever and ever and ever and ever
And I am the dawn and the sky and the sun
I am one with the One, and I am the dawn

Now as the day begins
Now every dancer steps in and can step out again
Let every bell to ring, trumpet and violin
Let every chorus sing
"

And then it continues as normal. I'm probably off on the lyrics, but you get the gist. I thought it was a really nice touch and pleasant surprise. The arrangement seems to be different as well, reminding me of a magical Disney song. Is this their only original song?

Next, I think it was Mairead Carlin's solo. Funny fact, I got her and Alex confused with each other the whole night, and didn't realize it until I got home. I didn't know the song she sang, but I did some searching and it's called Newgrange I believe. I think this is when I started paying a lot of attention to her.

Then I forget exactly what songs they sang, but it was a good mix. Lots of higher tempo stuff for the first half. I loved seeing the male dancers have their time in the spotlight. The one dancer caught my eye, I think they said his name was Nick (shorter, black hair). The whole cast was really cool.
Mairead Carlin and Alex later performed a song with Mairead, and I loved it...but didn't know the song Sad
After some hunting yesterday, I found out the song is called Si Do Mhaimeo. Gosh, I loved this performance. The way their voices contrasted sounded so nice.
I think this is when I really became a fan of Mairead Carlin. I love her cover of Daisy.

There were some other performances and then intermission. And when they say 20 minutes, they mean 20 minutes exactly lol.

We got back from intermission and the 2nd half began. Many more ballads this time around. I was itching for Níl Sé'n Lá, and after about 4 or 5 songs, I finally got to see it. I love the audience involvement. I was still waiting for The Voice, as that was THE song that got me into Celtic Woman. Had I never heard it, I probably wouldn't have been at that concert in the first place. Finally it started. I was expecting Susan to sing it, but in fact Alex sang it. I quite enjoyed her version. Song still gives me goosebumps.

After that everything was icing on the cake for the most part, and the show was over around 5:00.
Ended up going to stand in line for merchandise. A little surprised there was only one guy there, but he was quick and efficient in taking everyone's orders. I was trying to decide what to get while in line. The program book was cool, but I didn't really want to shell out $20 for it. The T-shirt I was thinking about, but I only liked the white t-shirt's design, and I didn't want to ask about sizes. Every shirt I have shrinks eventually anyway. With that, I ended up getting the CD-DVD combo. Still need to watch it haha.

Overall I loved my first Celtic Woman concert and hope to go back.

Some Negatives
  • No Spaceman Came Traveling. This is a minor one, because while I love the song, I understand that only Lisa Lambe performed it.
  • It felt a little short. Even if it was 15-20 minutes longer I think I would have been fine. Maybe I'm just spoiled. The first concert I've ever been to was 4 hours with no intermission, and the 2nd one I went to was 3 hours. However, CW said this was their 82nd show of the year, so it's understandable. The other concerts were once a year kind of thing.
  • Somewhat minor, but I wish they had a few more original songs to sing. I guess it's hard with members joining and leaving the group every so often. How do you write a song so 7-8 people can sing it, but not at the same time? I do feel like they mostly sing the same songs every tour, but it's good to see some things change up, like Alex singing The Voice.

Some Positives
  • I rather liked the punctuality of it all. They started at 3 exactly, and it was a strict 20 minutes, no more or less. The other concerts I was at all started late or something.
  • The production value is great. The dresses and lighting are great, and there is full involvement of everyone. I liked that we got to see the musicians and dancers too. While we came for CW, it really felt like a huge team performance.
  • On a related note, I like how there is more movement and dancing now. In some of their older performances, I felt CW was a bit statuesque. Not necessarily bad, but when I was younger, I did feel an emotional disconnect with them. It's so great to see more of their personality through their movements. I'm so used to singers dancing while singing now, so it was cool to see CW do that.
  • I liked the variety. I was worried it'd only be ballads mostly, but it was quite up-tempo and fun in parts, along with their signature ballads.
  • The cast seemed to work the crowd well. They were friendly and shared a tiny bit about themselves. They really seem to like what they're doing.

Very much liked the show. Lol, I want to go visit Ireland now. That's what music does to me. I go to places where I have a vested interest in their culture, and music and art is the main way I get that interest. Reason why I wanted to go to places in Asia. Now gotta add Ireland to that list  Smiley
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The Impatient New Yorker
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« Reply #1 on: June 01, 2015, 06:15PM »

Great review. the first cw concert is always special. the isle of hope tour and the songs from the heart tours were definitly longer and I wouldn't have minded if this years tour was longer. They easily could have added 3-5 more songs, espescially those from the first concert.
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I've met Lisa L, Lynn(2x), Susan, Mairead C(2x), Mairead N (2x), Edel, Sarah, Nick, Craig, Anthony, Maggie, and Tommy
momopeach
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« Reply #2 on: June 03, 2015, 12:53AM »

They could have added a few more songs. I would have loved a couple more songs since it's so great to see them live. Perhaps the switching of members and the amount of shows had an effect. This is the first time they went to South America and they just added a bunch of American stops.
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