POTENTIAL SPOILERS for the Homecoming tour follow from this point onwards so look away now if you want to go in fresh.
Here is a buffer zone for you all to avoid spoilers. It's from the official Facebook page, taken during the Sydney show
If you're okay with spoilers, continue on.
Act I:
The lights dim. The music begins with the
Homecoming Lament that began the rest of the tour. It's a very rousing opening to the show, and as it draws to a close and just as the lights are about to dim we see the girls take their place on the stage, in their new Homecoming dresses. The audience reaction to this moment for me always seems to set the mood, and thankfully, they were greeted with applause. I settled in, ready for
Mo Ghile Mear, my favourite song from Voices of Angels.
I think it might've been the shock, but it took a couple of seconds for me to realise that this wasn't Mo Ghile Mear. But it hit me hard...a new song. This was the first surprise of the night. It's called
Homeland, and if I had to guess, it's being trialled out on this tour for the upcoming US tour. I fell in love with it, and I've since looked it up on YouTube and downloaded it on spotify, and I'm desperately hoping they'll record it at some point. This set the tone for the night and I realised I was in for a roller coaster ride.
Tara launched right into
Mo Ghile Mear (the first chorus was left unsung). Every time I hear Eabha sing "so come my love to battle come" I get chills, and this was no exception. Not much else to say because it was left unchanged from the rest of the tour. So was
My Heart Will Go On But the sound balance live was so much better than on the album, particularly as Susan's powerful voice is allowed to soar over the audience. Next is
She Moved Through the Fair, again unchanged from the rest of the tour and DVD, but such a beautiful number, especially with the choreography, and it was really exciting to see her bust out her talents as a dancer as much as a singer.
The next number is a bit of a surprise. Eabha took the stage and sings
Ard Uí Chuain (thank you DVD for helping me get the right spelling
) but instead of going into the rest of the Sean Nos set, Mairead enters and begins singing
Dulaman. In all honesty, I'm not thrilled with the new arrangement of Dulaman, and I hope that in the future we'll get to hear more classical stuff from Mairead, because those high notes she has are so gorgeous, and they aren't showcased as well as they could be in Dulaman.
Then another surprise as Anto enters with his bagpipes. But instead of playing Amazing Grace, he begins playing the melody from Dvorak's New World Symphony (better known to some of you as Non C'e Piu or maybe even Going Home on Chloe's album perhaps). This soon gives way to
Amazing Grace.The band begins to play
Sadhbh Ní Bhruinneallaigh, but with a twist. Eabha is joined by the other girls and it has become a fun group number now. That did leave me with the nagging question of what Eabha's solo would be, last time she only had one (Isle of Hope), so I would've been disappointed if that was her only solo this time, but that question was answered soon.
As the others left the stage, Eabha remained behind to introduce her song. She said that she admired anyone who was able to bring Irish music to the stage and mentions Enya. My immediate thought was Orinoco Flow but thought it more likely she'd sing How Can I Keep From Singing, both of which excited me greatly. But I was wrong on both counts. It was
May It Be. It's such a perfect song for Eabha too. Hers is the only voice that I have ever heard that comes close to matching the beautiful, ethereal and haunting nature of Orla's voice and she is really such a perfect match for CW.
Next up is another new song, similar to Across the World in vibe though. There was no name for it on the setlist other than
Tara's tunes. It was really exciting to get to see Tara perform solo. She reminds me of an early-CW Mairead, and I think sometimes people forget that it took time for Mairead to grow into the role and move as much as she did, if you watch the first DVD, Mairead is far more reserved than she was later, and I think Tara will only grow into the role. But she isn't Mairead and she doesn't try to be either, and that's a good thing. She deserves to be her own person, and I'm so excited to see what she brings us in the future.
The girls returned to the stage in their Ceili gowns to perform
Danny Boy. Such a gorgeous arrangement, and a very close contender to the IOH/SftH version, but I still think it just narrowly misses out, and that's just by personal preference.
Susan introduces the next number. It's new. It's fun. It's catchy. The tune reminded me a little of Spanish Lady. From the setlist it's called
Ballroom of Romance but I haven't been able to find it online, so it might very well be an original song. The choreography is so much fun too. I really hope hat this will be on their next DVD, because it would be such a shame to lose it, but I guess we'll have to wait a while for it. That brought us to the end of the first half.
