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Author Topic: Why doesn't Celtic Woman tour with more singers?  (Read 2177 times)
CWazyTom
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« on: June 21, 2017, 05:29PM »

I'm sure this question has been asked before.

I'm not sure, but I can speculate.

Cost

I suppose it has a bit to do with the mindset by some in management that the benefit of a 4th singer was marginal relative to the cost. Or maybe, regardless of the benefit of a 4th singer, it just ate too much into their margins.


Instrumentalists as Singers

The instrumentalists could certainly sing in some of the numbers.

We know Tara can sing very well although. That said, it's not just about having a beautiful voice, it's about how those voices blend together. Perhaps they feel that Tara's voice, while unquestionably gorgeous, is more difficult to blend with the rest of the group. She sounded fine in the special Red Rocks encore song, but we don't know what her relative mic level was during that performance.

Many of us know that Mairead Nesbitt can sing too. I think the only time she ever sang for them officially was those brief words at the end of "Let It Snow." I wonder if Mairead just wasn't comfortable singing or didn't enjoy it.

Or maybe singing and being the instrumentalist is just too much. Our Celtic ladies work very hard all the time to perfect their craft. Perhaps it takes such focus to be as good as they are that trying to be a master of too many crafts would be detrimental. Moreover, a singer's voice requires a lot of care and maintenance. They have to keep their voices hydrated, warm them up, and protect them. I've heard Eabha mention that she has to work up her range throughout the day so she can sing higher than she normally would.


Why did they never tour with 5 singers?

Now that is an interesting question and one that comes with a lot of rumors and controversy. I'm not sure if it's true, but I've heard that it's because of what happened to Deirdre when Meav returned after the first tour. I think Deirdre was under the impression she would be staying aboard and they would tour with 5 singers. For whatever reason, that didn't happen and they didn't keep Deirdre. Now the rumor is that Team Deirdre was pretty upset about that and attempted a law suit against Celtic Woman for wrongful termination. The rumor follows that action was settled under the condition that Celtic Woman was a group of 5 performers (not 6). So they could only have up to 4 lead singers.

Is there any truth to that? I'm not sure. But it's interesting.

We know that whatever happened with Deirdre, that decision came into play again after A New Journey. In what amounted to a frustrating juggling act (for the singers and many fans alike), the singers swapped in and out for parts of the subsequent tour. Now some say that's due to the ladies having prior commitments and maybe there's at least some truth to that. But I have to wonder if they really were legally bound to not tour with 5 singers (the ANJ DVD/special was of course not a tour, so it wouldn't have been subject to the same alleged restrictions).

I haven't read Hayley's book (although I think maybe it's time I did) and I never did much digging into the political stuff behind the scenes.

But if anyone knows or has any thoughts on why they don't tour with 4 singers (or why they never toured with 5 at a time), it might make for an interesting discussion.
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« Reply #1 on: June 21, 2017, 06:14PM »

Deirdre  did  get  the  "short  thrift"  from  CW Ltd  management .   This  probably  put  Meav  in  an  awkward  spot  as  well  since  she  and  Deirdre  were  friends  from  their  Anuna  days.  But  you  already said  it  Tom,  it  is  most  probably  about  cost  effectiveness.  The  bottom  line  drives  everything  in  our  society  it  seems.    Folks  see  the  DVD  features  from  the  various  tours  and  see  the grandiose  and  lovely  presentations  that  only  appear there.  This  affects  those  more  who  are  only  mild  or  mid-range  CW  fans.  Folks  like  us  who  are  CWazies understand  the  differences  between  what  we see  on DVD  or  the PBS  specials  and  what we  see in  concert.  One  thing  that  is  different  that  has  been  noted  earlier  ,  is  the  fact that  there  are  only  male  backing  vocalists  for  the last  couple  of  tours.  This  happened  after  Meav  became  vocal  Director  and  Creative  Consultant.  Meav  is  a  smart  , insightful  and  shrewd  lady  who  knows  the  importance  of  continuity and  stability.  Us  long  time  fans  understand  and  have  felt  the  effects  of  the  seemingly  sped  up  turnover  of  the  past.  It seems  to me,  now,  that   with  Meav  at  the  helm,  so  to  speak,  that  the  chaos  has  subsided  noticeably.  Even  the  transition  from Mairead N.  to   Tara has  been  smoother  than  anticipated.   Back  to  continuity. Most  of  our  girls'  front  line  talent  are engaged  or  married  to  the  men  who  can travel  along  with  them  on  tour.This  is  a  big  thing, because  it  means  the  girls  can  feel  free to  stay  longer with  the  group.  This   renewed stability (and  the  renewed  focus  on traditional  Irish  roots)  garnered CW  its  1st  Grammy  nod.  right  after  Meav  took  over  in  her  new  roles-  NOT  a  coincidence  I  say.  Even  though  she  stays  out  of  the  girls'  spotlight and  doesn't  glorify  herself,  I think  we  can  rest  assured  that  cW  is  in  great  hands.  Smiley   
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BlueAquaOcean
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« Reply #2 on: June 21, 2017, 06:33PM »

I think for the number question when Alex left, Lisa L was going her replacement,but when Lynn left they couldn't find another in time. Which makes sense.

I thought I read that Deirdre left on her own to return to her own career. I never heard that she wanted to stay   Undecided

As for Tara, maybe she thought that playing two insturments and singing would be too much.
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rfcw
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« Reply #3 on: June 21, 2017, 08:00PM »

Meav does appear to our fans delight as to wonder if she would appear for a DVD taping of or similarity new show after VOA tour ends. Aka O America.

Is it truely Lisa L was to replace Alex & not Lynn or for both after? It be a lot interesting having her beside Lynn I don't know would they be too similar in bits. Unless Lisa L sings low base while Lynn stays high range.

What I don't understand or see why on the Emerald CD it features Mairead Carlin I know she was part for the Emerald Tour cast but she is not featured at all on the CD unlike TGJ with Lynn & Alex.

Had Lynn left after Lisa L would they promote Lisa L and be 3's well possibly or would there be a Rebecca or Eabha early with Lisa L in the House of fours 4's continuing alongside Lisa K & Chloe before Susan & Carlin.  Roll Eyes
« Last Edit: June 21, 2017, 08:08PM by rfcw » Logged

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The Impatient New Yorker
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« Reply #4 on: June 23, 2017, 11:01PM »

The emerald CD/DVD is a recording of the spring  2013 believe tour, which is why it features Chloe instead of Mairead.
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White Rose
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« Reply #5 on: July 01, 2017, 09:17AM »

Yup. Chloe left after the cd was recorded but not released, and Mairead C came in at that time.

I figure that with Tara, her contract was that she'd be the violinist, since she was coming in to replace Mairead N. I do agree that with her violin and harp on tour, it's plausible that throwing singing in may have been a bit overwhelming for her.
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