also, about the people being disappointed, would it be right to say, they should be lucky this happened at all?
Exactly. Most of us didn't even get to see it. We're all very lucky that Celtic Woman continues to produce such beautiful work.
I feel like I have to rant a little, so please bear with me...
Expectations of PerfectionSome people wanted to see and perhaps expected to see a tour show instead of the "DVD recording process," which is the product the audience actually saw. Personally I think the imperfect process that goes into making the DVDs that have captured our hearts over the years deserves to be appreciated. All the work and complexity that goes into the show should make one appreciate the finished product even more.
There's so much more involved in a DVD than a regular tour show. The lighting is different. The audio is different. The stage layout is different. People are standing in different places. True, every venue is different for sound and lighting, but that difference is magnified for a DVD / special recording. There's so much more complexity and pressure.
It's not like they had weeks of rehearsals in the 3Arena. Most parts of a show like this come together for the first time at rehearsals the day before or even the day of the show. But people see the perfect DVDs and expect the recording to be perfect too.
With all the factors involved, expecting a flawless one-take for an entire show means
all the different parts have to come together perfectly. That's asking a lot and defies the odds.
Granted, it sounds like they had a few more issues than normal, but unfortunately for the audience in attendance, it happens.
Perceptions of who the show is forIt seems to me like there were people in the audience that thought the show was for them and there just happened to be a DVD recording taking place. Personally, I don't agree with that mindset. The audience in a DVD recording is part of the show. The show IS for the audience of the DVD / special, not so much for the people in attendance for the recording, which is completely unlike a regular tour show. The audience is there to support the performers and yes, to a certain extent enjoy the performance, but there's an expectation that the audience will be supportive of the process too. It sounds like for the most part, they were indeed extremely supportive.
I think part of the problem for some people in the audience is that there was only one show (not just for the recording, but one show in Ireland, for the entire tour). This was the only chance to see the show for some people. So I can understand if some of them just wanted to see a good show and weren't interested at all in the process. That's a branch of fans I'd like to refer to as "customers."
The problem with having a second, regular, non-recorded show for "customers" is that:
- Ireland is their home market but not their main market.
- They want the place to be packed for the DVD recording and it's hard enough to fill an arena for one show. They could end up with people going to see the regular tour show and not be able to fill the seats for the DVD recording.
- A regular show doesn't draw as many people from out of town / country. It might be hard to fill the seats in an arena that big for a regular show.
- It takes time and money to promote each show.
The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. And there are more people in the fan base than there were in the attendance.
Just a thought...Perception is very important. I'm trying to analyze this from the perspective of a really passionate fan, not just a customer. I love Celtic Woman. But not everyone will feel the same way and I have to accept that.
We've already had this argument on a different thread. People are entitled to be disappointed and to express their opinions. But here's something to think about ...
People like me are predisposed to think negatively. It takes a conscious effort for me to be positive. Some people see that kind of negative stuff and believe it, without considering a broader picture. Then they don't go buy the DVD, they don't get tickets to the next tour, and they either don't spread the word about Celtic Woman or they turn other people off from the show ... people that might really, REALLY need a show like Celtic Woman in their lives. People like me.
Just think of where some of us would be if we had been the ones reading those non-contextualized, non-counterbalanced negative comments and just decided Celtic Woman wasn't worth our time. Think about that and tell me those negative opinions out there don't matter and that we should just ignore them.
Just a thought.
We Still Care About Each OtherA lot of this discussion has been about the few negative opinions out there, as there always will be. I feel it's worth re-iterating that most of the opinions I've seen of the show have been quite positive, in spite of all the unfortunate technical issues. That, to me, shows that Celtic Woman still has a
fiercely loyal fan base that cares deeply about the music and the show.
Celtic Woman took the time to address the mistakes that happened. Sure, they have to put out a high quality product if they want to sell DVDs, CDs, and tickets. But lots of companies put out a useless product still expecting it to sell. Therefore, I choose to believe that Celtic Woman insisted on getting it right because
they still care about their product and then fans.
Celtic Woman is a TeamI think one important thing to take away from this is that Celtic Woman is and always has been a team. It takes a whole team to make the show as incredible as it normally is. Things we take for granted, like sound, lighting, and everything that goes on behind the scenes as well, take a lot of effort and talent. So when things go off without a hitch and we see that 'perfect' show on stage, I hope we all appreciate just a little bit more how lucky we are.
Really sorry for the rant, but thanks for reading.