|
|
« on: September 11, 2017, 12:56AM » |
|
Chloë's in the midst of a tour with Nathan Carter.
On September 10th, they performed in Toronto, Canada!
Side-note re: the journey
The drive was a bit treacherous, with two people cutting me off on the highway, once on the way there, once on the way back. The first time, I was forced to swerve onto a narrow shoulder bordered by a cement barricade. The second, time, someone decided to dart between me and construction pylons at 130+ kilometers per hour with a car on my right preventing me from swerving. That forced me to slam on the breaks as hard as I could while at full highway speed with traffic behind me. Fortunately, it wasn't a truck behind me, so they were able to stop before hitting me. So that was fun.
The Show
- The show was mostly up-beat, energetic pieces. If you've seen Nathan Carter's DVDs or PBS special, you know what I'm talking about. - Like in the PBS special, Nathan sang, played accordion, and played piano. - It was a mix of Irish, country and a crossover of the two. - Nathan also performed some excellent slower songs, Jealous of the Angels being my favourite. - There weren't any songs at all that I didn't enjoy. - The lighting was well done and reminiscent of Celtic Woman shows. - Nathan's band was great.
The Fitzgeralds (from Canada) happened to be in town and had done some worth with Nathan on his upcoming Christmas special, so he invited them to perform during his show. They all play fiddle and tapdance well. That was impressive, high-energy stuff!
It was a while before Chloë came out and performed, but it was well worth the wait. This sounded REALLY incredible, probably the best I've ever heard her sing. She sounded great with a full band, bit it was more than that. She really reached into her gut for extra passion and power. I'm not sure how to explain it. The videos will never do her justice, but hopefully it will make sense if I can get them edited / uploaded ok.
Before intermission, she performed: - Feels Like Home (solo) - Galway Bay (solo) - Grace (solo) - Hard Times (Come Again No More) (duet with Nathan)
After intermission, she performed: - Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears (solo) - The Gathering (solo) - Have a Little Faith in Me (duet with Nathan)
Audience
- The audience was totally unlike what I have experienced at a Celtic Woman show. - It was pretty close to a packed house. - They were really in to it, clapping, cheering, and singing along. - There was definitely a lot of Irish blood in the audience. - The general composition of the audience seemed consistent with a PBS audience, with the exception that this was a more Irish audience than what would show up at at the typical Celtic Woman concert. - There were some Celtic Woman / Chloë fans out there, but I think most of the audience was there to see Nathan first and foremost. - A few people rushed up to the stage to shake Nathan's hand at the end.
Post-Show
- They had M+G at the show. - We asked the tour manager before the show to confirm. - There was a note near the merch stand stating there would be a post-show M+G. - It was not announced before or during the show though. - Apparently there were formal M+Gs (VIP tickets) through PBS at some of the shows in the US. - Those had a pre-show M+G I believe (presumably no post-show signing, but I'm not 100% sure). As far as I know, shows that do not have formal M+Gs through PBS have post-show signings, although there's always the possibility that will differ for each show.
- They set up a place in the lobby with a black drape screen to facilitate photos. - I got near the start of the line. It filled in very quickly behind. - There was a significant line, similar to the ones after the Rocktopia shows. - I'd guess there was a few hundred people in line. - Chloë hadn't come out yet my first pass through, so it was just Nathan. Tony and I asked the tour manager and Nathan and they said Chloë would be out in a few minutes and we could hang around. - Chloë did come out a few minutes later in her Act 1 pattern dress. - It took over half an hour for the line to make it's way through. - Chloë signed a bunch of stuff for me (I have a lot of signed photos / posters / CDs already, so she signed Nathan's DVD. She also had one of the tour staff go retrieve a T-shirt, which she signed for me. She spent quite a bit of time with us after the line cleared out taking picture, signing things, and chatting. - I was my usual shy self. I wasn't able to say much, but she was really patient and supportive as usual. I got take a bunch of photos and to hug her repeatedly. - The venue staff gave me a show poster on the way out. I didn't get to have it signed (Chloë had already held up Nathan a while so she could chat with us, so I didn't want to go back in and ask her to stay any longer). That's ok. I have enough signed stuff in here at the moment.
... Although I would REALLY like to receive that Chloë poster from the show where I met her last year. I don't think that's ever getting here though.
Overall, it was a really fun evening!
|