Helix vs ANJ

[zankoku]

I just finished watching Helix and now ANJ. I am glad ANJ came out second or I woul dbe disappointed. Helix was a good show, don't get me wrong but there are several differences.

1. The audience was more stiff necked than ANJ and that might be the music.

2. The girls seem to be having more fun and bounce in their step, of course they were freezing in ANJ) <Maybe that is the ticket, crank teh AC down >

3. Chloe seems much more grown up in ANJ. And mroe attractive (girl to woman thing).

I like the Helix songs, but I love the ANJ ones. I had seen the PBS specials and recorded both (before I kept leaning on the remote and recording over them.) Don't know how many times I watcehd before May 2nd but when I met Lisa and Orla it was like I KNEW them not just a person on TV. Of course being on this forum and LisaKelly forum helped sine I met all of you guys.

Jim

[logalogalog]

Note:The girls did not really know each other when they performed for the first time at the Helix Center.(I think that Mairead and Lisa knew each other because they were in Riverdance together at one time but I think it ended there),

They all knew each other very well by the time A New Journey was filmed.

[Cash]

I see several big differences beyween Helix and ANJ.

Helix wasnt as prepared or as polished. The little 'moves' or 'dancesteps' werent there. Those little things, like the shoulder wiggle, are easy and simple but add a lot. Although Lisa's, Mairead's and Meav's clothing was very nice and up to ANJ standard, Chloe's and Orla's clothing was less than flattering. In ANJ, they all clearly had spent time with the wardrobe people and all looked fantastic. Another thing is use of the drummers and how they add to the show without taking attention away from the women. And of course, in ANJ, they added Hayley,the best young voice on the planet, to the team. It seems to me that they learned a lot from that first show, made a few changes, and produced a great product second time through.

The bad thing about ANJ, if one can really call it bad, is that it may have been too well done. It makes Helix look less, and raises fan expectations for 'The Next Journey" How will they top ANJ? They could produce a very fine show, but we fans, being spoiled, may be disappointed, even in a good product, if it fails to reach ANJ standards. Sort of like New York Yankees fans complaining about A-Rod. They get disappointed with 35 HRs and 100 RBIs, very fine numbers but not what his top capabilites are / have been.

[McIrish]

Hi Z,I thought I'd share a few thoughts on your observations.1)-Helix was put together only two days before the performance.The girls,for the most part, did not know each other. The audience,being family & friends,were probably cheering for the girl they knew,while "accepting" the girls they did not know.An audience can be quite fickle.I know,I had groups before them for over forty years! 2)-In ANJ they had known each other & become great friends,if not family. Sort of Celtic Sisters. 3)-How would any of us act,having just met.At Fiddler's Green in Orlando,some were outgoing & talkative while others were very shy.The girls,as we did in Orlando,reacted to each other in the same way. 4)-Chloe,as a child,on her own,at 12 years old,went out boldly to David Downes,requested an opportunity to sing for the children of Afghanistan & our troops and brought in $60,000.00 with her voice and her HEART!THAT is a young Chloe that I NEVER want to forget!!! ?As I continue to watch Cw they continue to grow. As professionals on stage they have no peers.As performers who reach the heart,mind,and soul,they have no equal!No matter who else may follow them CW has set a standard that NO ordinary human being,or group,can attain!! As they wind down their American tour,I think we can all be sure that CW will bless us with their Christmas Special and the 2008 tour.As always they will continue to fill our hearts with their talent and joy that ONLY Celtic Woman can share.May God continue to bless ALL their efforts! Mc

[zankoku]

I was making an obersvation not a criticism, just to clarify.

basically what I was saying was we have seen our little girls grow up. 

Ans proud that they have. Just think of what they will do when they are all grown up. 

I never had heard of Hayley before, but now I am a fan as I am with all of the girls, especially Lisa and Orla.

Jim

[ferngully]

from what i've seen of the helix on youtube, i do prefer ANJ. when i first found CW through something else, i went on youtube, checked them out and i wasn't that interested. i didn't know who everybody was, chloe wasn't in a dress and didn't look part of the performance and i didn't understand half the songs i saw 'walking in the air' and 'someday' and i thought, 'well this isn't celtic music, i don't know why i'm watching this.' i was too impatient with isle of inisfree and wasn't used to the harp so i skipped over that. i've only started listening to it now. i really didn't know anything about it and i thought it was good for what it was, but nothing sensational. i couldn't connect what was on the album cover and the description of them, to the performances in front of me. si do mheaoi, send me a song and siuil a run were the songs i became interested in, but i still didn't view them as a group, just a bunch of nice singers on a stage. and there wasn't a lot of videos on youtube at the time. when i saw that they brought out another album, i became more interested and downloaded them and i've been properly hooked ever since. i've only been able to get an account on amazon a few months ago so i felt confident enough to get the dvd. i have to say, as dull as i thought it in the beginning, its grown on me considerably and now i really am such a fan. i'm glad i didn't give up on them the first time around!

[Celeste]

I have to agree with all of the initial points made at the beginning of this thread. I don't think that I would ever have become a fan of the group on the strength of the Helix concert alone. Although I do think the group "number" was just right at  Helix (since my conception of the group always revolves around the group's Irish-born members), in every other way, ANJ was vastly superior.

Being outdoors, in front of that majestic castle, added so much ambience . . .

[Nero Angelo]

I suppose the Helix concert left me wanting more (in a good way), which, eventually, opened the door for ANJ. While the Helix is special in its own dream-like fashion, I suppose ANJ has more potential to get newcomers hooked. As Cash said, it feels more polished, and it doesn't feel quite as much like a traditional concert.

[Mel]

Helix is the get to meet each other and feel each other out...Plus remember...they were only suppose to do the one show...not..tour for 3 yrs, ride on buses across the U.S and back. ANJ...show how the girls frienships have grown, and how the whole CW crew is one big family now. It's like watching a family reunion show.

[zankoku]

and we are invited!!!!

[Trouble]

and we are invited!!!!

and I can't go! 

[Sorgi]

A major difference is being outdoors.  There is something about a performance outside that changes every aspect of a show.  I noticed it in ANJ and when I was at the Montalvo Arts Center last year.  It just seems that there is "more" to everything when outdoors.

[zankoku]

especially when it drops to 35 degrees with rain, hail and snow liek at Red Rocks. Glad I was in Phoenix.

Jim

[Flaming Fiddle Films]

I'll be the odd one out here.  I prefer the Helix DVD to ANJ.  Before you go jumping out of your seat, let me explain.  This is from a cinametographer's perspective.

I actually hadn't seen the Helix show until after I already owned ANJ.  I wasn't really thrilled with the quick cuts between shots in ANJ, but at the time, I didn't care.  I still thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread.  So I ordered the Helix DVD to get more of these heartwarming performances.  I was absolutely dazzled by the camera movements in the Helix.  Check out the way the camera dollies behind the choir as Meav sings the opening lines to She Moved Thru the Fair.  Or the camera pan that so elegantly shows each singer during their a capella performance of Somewhere.  Also, filming the Helix inside added a nice touch with the lighting because it created several awesome silhouette shots of the ladies.

Again, this is from a cinematographer's perspective, but the shots are held longer in the Helix and I like that.  The quick cuts in ANJ, for me, take away from the performances.  The reason I like shots that are held longer is because you forget the camera is there.  When there are several quick cuts in a row, suddenly you are aware of the camera.  Does that make sense?

Finally, this is because I'm a slave to the Meav, but she has more solos in the Helix.....who's with me!

[JEdwards]

Finally, this is because I'm a slave to the Meav, but she has more solos in the Helix.....who's with me!

What he said! 

Also, while I love them both immeasurably, Helix does have one thing ANJ doesn't: "The Soft Goodbye," which, to me, is simply one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded by anyone anywhere.