Finally I get to post my review - the forum crashed and I was sick and better late than never, I guess.
Let me preface the review by saying I went to the concert because I had given the tickets to my mother as a Christmas present, not an entirely unselfish one, it must be said. I didn't want to miss the one time they'd be here, nor disappoint my mother, so I dragged myself out my death bed (viral bronchitis that's still hanging around) on one of the coldest days of the year - not pleasant circumstances. And I was crabby....thank heaven for inhalers.
The show sounded lovely - the ladies and the rest of the musicians were not a disappointment. Hearing my mother sniffle during "Somewhere over the Rainbow" because the harmony was so incredible made it worth the trip. Mairead - how cute is she? Like Tinkerbell, flitting around the stage - she MADE the show, and was about the only thing, beside the amazing drummers, that fired up what I thought to be a somewhat dull crowd. And Ray Fean - call me anytime - seriously....
Like many others have said, the show was too programmed, it would have been wonderful to see them more in 'live concert' mode, chatting a bit with the audience and maybe ad libbing a bit more. The numbers were exactly as I expected them, which was and wasn't a disappointment - a surprise or two might have been nice.
Now the crabby part. The venue left a lot to be desired. Getting tickets for decent seats was impossible, so we ended up in the back, and I called the instant they went on sale. Silly me thinking there was going to be a jumbotron so we could see the stage. Well there wasn't, and all I could see was hair and big dresses - that was a major disappointment. I don't know if that is artist-dependent or venue-dependent whether or not there's a jumbotron, I suspect it's up to the artists because they'd need to have camera people, so as a suggestion, Mr. Downes, get some...it would heighten the experience for everyone who attends, not just the people lucky enough to sit up front.
To further irritate me, and it didn't take much, there were two sections of seats on either side of the stage - prime viewing area, and NO ONE WAS SITTING THERE. NO ONE. What the heck was that all about? Waste of space, waste of good seats, I would have killed to sit there, and they didn't even sell those sections. Verizon Wireless Arena has seen me for the last time.
I'm glad I went, but disappointed that I couldn't see anything, no faces, no expressions. Still the ladies were on form, and delightful to listen to - thanks to all of them for a wonderful show, and I hope none of them get what I had!