I just realized that after I posted my review of the Boise, Idaho show I forgot to post it here as well.
Here goes!
This past year has been a complete roller coaster. I just finished my senior year of college and can honestly say, I have never worked so hard in my life. I have also never been so emotionally, physically, spiritually, and mentally focused. That type of focus can really drain a person and I often questioned my ability to overcome what seemed to be impossible. However, I made it and the struggle was completely worth every penny, every minute, and every ounce of strength. I want to express my deep appreciation to all forum members for every interesting topic, every humorous post, every supportive and kind word, and of course for sharing your love of Celtic Woman. The forum has provided me with a getaway where I can take a break from life, have a little comic relief, and form bonds of friendship with those who share an undying musical passion. I also want to thank David Downes for his musical genius and for being the backbone of Celtic Woman. Lastly, I must express my gratitude for Celtic Woman: the reason for our smaller bank accounts (but worth every cent), our anticipation, our anxiety, our joy, and of course our silliness.
So, here begins my review of the Boise, Idaho Celtic Woman performance on May 10, 2007. I won't review in detail every song performed, just the ones I remember the most about. The day of the show was absolutely crazy. I went to BSU to tie up some loose ends in preparation for graduation. As I arrived, I noticed the CW tour buses which of course made me giddy as a school girl. If I was this excited to see just their tour buses, I wondered what kind of blubbering mess I would be that night. Then I saw some legs sticking out of the storage compartment under the bus. A torso soon appeared followed by shoulders and finally a head. I swear it was Helen Kelly but I was too far away to be positive.
My brother arrived later that afternoon after driving two hours to attend the concert with me. We picked up the fruit arrangement RFJ, Kelli, and I purchased for the girls. My friend, who is house manager at the Morrison Center informed me that I might be able to personally deliver the gift. However, when we arrived Celtic Woman management wouldn't allow me to deliver it. My friend did deliver it and returned letting me know the girls were currently in hair and makeup and that if they got done soon enough before the show began, they would meet me. I paced the lobby, scanned the merchandise table and purchased a concert program, met up with RFJ, and then I paced some more. To my great disappointment, five minutes until show time my friend said there would not be enough time to meet the girls. While that bit of bad news left me a little saddened, euphoria soon returned as I took my seat, the audience lights dimmed, and a misty darkness filled the stage.
The Sky, The Dawn, and the Sun: I turned to my brother in increased anticipation, "Here they come!" I said in a hushed voice. A single light shone upon stage like the harsh glare of the moonlight. I heard the first strains of The Sky, The Dawn, and the Sun as Mairead emerged from the darkness, drawing her bow slowly across the strings. The light silhouetted her petite form but her shadow stretched across the stage exaggerating her height. As she came further and further downstage I noticed another light above her head producing a halo effect over the first visible Celtic Angel. Another light descended over the audience like the first rays of dawn spreading over the earth, causing the same warming effect on my heart but at the same time, sending chills up and down my spine. I felt as if I were sitting upon a hillside watching the sun rise, basking it its light and feeling a great sense of satisfaction as it became real to me that I was actually at my first Celtic Woman concert. One by one, each Celtic Woman floated onto the stage amidst the darkness. The soothing harmonies drifted through the air and I tried to pick out each individual voice...there's Chloe, there's Hayley, there's Orla, and then The Voice I had been anticipating the most...Lisa. Before the show I was wondering if the girls would sound as good live as they do on their recordings. Having recorded a couple of cds I know there are a lot of little adjustments that can be made on a cd to make something sound better than it really is. Celtic Woman sounded just as good as any recording and probably better because seeing them in person made it an amazing experience. The heavenly voices, the great arrangements, the wonderful musicians, the stage set-up, and even the lighting made it perfect. To give a brief description of the girls, each was wearing what appeared to be a whitish, periwinkle blue gown, quite similar to the ones in ANJ. The only thing I noticed to be different was that Orla's hair was shorter.
As Mairead began the faster fiddle section of the song I expected everyone to begin clapping along. To my disappointment, no one did. I didn't want to be the only clapping (stupid, I know) so I sat tapping my leg. I did redeem myself later in the show after I whispered to my brother that I would not let another of Mairead's songs go by without clapping along. As she pranced across the stage I noticed what I at first thought was a white stocking all the way up her thigh but then realized it was an ace wrap to protect her injured leg. I could tell she was holding back but with a huge smiler upon her face and a sparkle in her eye, she danced, jumped, and bounded energetically across the stage. She is definitely no sissy. At the conclusion of the first song the audience erupted into a tremendous applause. I must agree with RFJ that I felt cheated when our applause was cut off by the next song. As the girls hurried on and off stage I wished we would be allowed to give them the full applause they deserved. But, I also understand time constraints so I soon got over it.
Caledonia: As Lisa appeared chills went coursing through my body again. Actually, for the remainder of the evening I had permanent goose bumps. The choir began to sing "da dee da dee da" as they walked on stage behind Lisa. The women were all dark-haired and wore black gowns and I recognized all from ANJ, including Helen. The men wore black and I recognized all but one. The one I didn't recognize was very tall and lanky with long hair, about to his shoulders. I think he was on ANJ but had shorter hair then. As Lisa's voice pierced my soul the rest of the audience disappeared and Lisa and I were the only ones left in the room. Well, that is what it seemed like anyway. Lisa did the typical arm sweep as she sang about finding other friends along the way. I felt like the friend she was referring to as I smiled with her because she "kissed the fellas and left them crying." I also wanted to shout out "you'll never become a stranger to me, Lisa!" but restrained myself and cheered with all my might as the song ended.
The Butterfly: As Mairead came on stage she "ushered" Lisa off with her violin. In a somewhat bent position she took one step toward Lisa and hit the string with her bow producing a short, harsh note. Lisa looked back at Mairead, teasing her with a challenging smile. Mairead took another step toward Lisa nad hit the string again. This teasing continued until LIsa had nowhere else to go but off stage. It was funny to watch. The song began as Mairead rocked her body back and forth with the smooth, mellow phrases. The serene smile and fluid body movements suddenly changed to a mischievous grin and more rigid stance as she transitioned into the faster section of the song. Mairead reminds me of one of those toy cars you have to pull back across a surface to wind up the wheels and then set it down and off it goes! As she bobbed up and down along with the beat I could see the excitement in her face as she waited for the right moment to take off across the stage. Twirling, sliding, and jumping she went from one percussionist to the other, interacting with each and they responded in kind. Hair flying ever direction, she triumphantly concluded the song by throwing her bow arm high the air. I was so busy watching her animated face I forgot to even clap along. "Next time for sure," I promised myself.
The Prayer: This song has been one of my favorites since I first hear Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion sing it many years ago. I even wrote a cello solo to accompany two of my friends who performed it at a talent show. Needless to say, they won. As the song was about to begin a little ten-year old girl sitting next to me leaned over to her father and said, "This is one of my favorite songs, Dad. Thanks for bringing me." It was so adorable and made my heart melt. I hope Celtic Woman realizes how much of a positive influence they are, especially on the youth of our society. There were a lot of teenagers there, male and female. Anyway, it is kind of hard to describe Chloe's voice. It is very mature for her age but there is still a youthful quality to it, which I why I think it is appealing to so many people. She also has a very powerful stage presence, is a great performer, and really knows how to connect with the audience.
Orinoco Flow: As the syncopated drum beats began I wondered how many people would really mind if I went up on stage to participate in the Orinoco Wave. Since I was in the very middle section and halfway back from the stage I realized it would probably be too much of a hassle to climb over everyone. So, I sat in my seat singing along and waving my arms like a crazy woman. When I first saw these musical antics on ANJ, I thought they were corny but they slowly grew on me. Now I can't listen to or watch the song without doing them. My brother gave me a funny look and we both laughed after I did a very wide O. wave and almost smacked him in the face. It was surreal to witness these "moves" we have all come to know and love in person, watching Orla, Hayley, and Lisa swing their arms back and forth, cast sidelong glances at each other, wink at audience members, and do the notorious Orinoco Wave, which of course only made me more giddy. However, I think someone should have slapped me back into submission when they did the Orinoco four-step because I think I love it even more than the Orinoco Wave. Unfortunately, the song had to end.
Granuaile's Dance: I didn't notice Mairead sneak on stage as the low rumbling of drums and the airy notes of the pipe floated through the air. She drew her bow through the air as if it were thick molasses, firs to the right, then to the left, and straight up in the air. Throughout the slower section of the song it looked to me as if Mairead was in her own little world, swaying easily back and forth with the beat and smiling to herself with each slide or trill. As I anticipated the tempo change I knew she had to be hurting this far into the show and wondered how she would manage such frantic and scattered movements with the limited amount of stage space. With a sly look aimed directly at the audience and a burst of endless energy she kicked it into high gear. I can assure you she used every open space on that stage and showed no pain whatsoever. With rosin dust flying and bow hairs splitting, the audience finally got the hint to clap along, myself included. Small as she may be I have yet to see a fiddle player with such incredible stage presence, such fun and energetic body language, and ability to get an audience to respond. She is the perfect example of an entertainer and an inspiration to musicians of all kinds. With a final yell, Mairead ended the song and the rhythmic clapping turned into deafening applause.
The Blessing: Some of my favorite songs Lisa Kelly sings are the ones with just her and the piano. No frills or fancy orchestration, just simple. I was disappointed to see someone onther than David Downes at the piano. He is an integral part of this show and it just isn't quite the same without him. Also, he is an amazing pianist and no one accompanies Lisa like David. They seem to have a very personal connection with each other that is apparent when they perform together. While Feargal Murray does an amazing job accompanying the ladies, I missed that intimate musical connection Lisa and David share. Lisa of course performed perfectly. Every word she sang was a blessing for me to hear and I think it is safe to say she has definitely blessed all of our lives with her gift. With the final piano chord Lisa blew a kiss to the audience. My seating put me smack dab in the middle and right about eye level with Lisa so I was the one she blew the kiss to. Sorry RFJ, but I caught the kiss and put in in my program to keep forever! The audience went wild but kept their applause at a softer drone in order to maintain the reverence Lisa left with us.
Scarborough Fair: This is one of my favorite songs Hayley sings. With the limited stage room she soon reached the end of the platform where she remained until the conclusion of the song. With her soft and graceful gestures and angelic look upon her face, she wowed the audience, especially my brother. He had a pretty stunned look on his face. I introduced him to CW a couple of months ago but he has had very limited access since I have my cds and dvds in Boise with me and he lives a couple of hours away. I left the first CW cd on the computer back home so he has only been listening to that. Even though I have been trying to convert him to a Lisa fan, his favorite was Chloe...that is, until the concert. Once he saw and heard Hayley, he was smitten.
Mo Ghile Mear: This was a great song to end the first half of the concert. It began with a single drum beat following each phrase the choir sang. Lisa, Chloe, Hayley, and Orla stood stiffly on stage with serious looks on their faces. They turned outward, then inward with each consecutive drum beat. They abruptly turned to face the audience and smiles erupted on their faces as the song transformed from a majestic chorus to a swaying melody. When Lisa sang the words, "Now the time has come to leave. Keep the flame and still believe," my heart dropped. Was this the end of the concert? I think most of the audience had the same mind set because I noticed a dismal pall fall over them. I grabbed my program and found the concert set list. Luckily it was only intermission. I also remembered how many forum members said it isn't over until Spanish Lady. The percussionists did a great job on their solos and Mairead gave us a final burst of energy before intermission. I laughed as one of the choir members was a little off in his choreography and kept turning the wrong way. But, he soon got back on track and I sat back to enjoy the remainder of the song. The crowd gave an immediate standing ovation while the girls waved and bowed, and the anticipation and excitement for the second set was evident in everyone's eyes.
At intermission my brother and I went back to the lobby and he immediately purchased a picture of Hayley. And, this post is too long so it will be in parts.
Part II Will be in my next post.
