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I still can’t believe it happened. I actually sat in the front row of a Celtic Woman concert. My mind is still reeling from it. But I need to start, as they say, from the beginning.

Since August of this year, I found out from Moscapoet that he was getting tickets for the concert in El Paso, so Chris and I told him to put our names down. Lo and behold, we got them…with M&G passes! Holy moly! I immediately began wondering who it would be.
   
Saturday morning dawned, and as Chris and I went through the routine of getting everything ready for LynnFest, I kept thinking back to what I would say to who would be there. From what I’d read on all the forums, all the girls are extremely nice and make you feel at ease, but what exactly do you say to two of the greatest musical group on Earth? Well, just enough, as it turned out.
   
Moscapoet arrived with his uncle Don, who is a perfect gentleman, btw; this would be his first concert. On the way to El Paso, Mosca mentioned that Lynn had been at the M&G the previous night in Lubbock, so she probably wouldn’t be there tonight. I didn’t mind; anyone of the girls would be marvelous.
   
We met up with the gang at the Doubletree: Mr. Peabody (Mike), Rick (rick), lisaholic (Cindy), Scott (Mustang), and Cindy’s son chloeholic (Jeremy). It was great to see everyone (especially you, Scott), and it was great to finally meet Cindy and Jeremy. When it was discovered that Mel [Rockie/Mel], Dalton [DALTON], Tink, Dwight, Glenn [Rotten Rebel] and Tony [alcan1] were at the Camino Real, right across from the Plaza, it was decided to meet there before walking to the restaurant for dinner/lunch (lunch for me since I was really too excited to eat anything).

When we did, what should we spy but two big buses waiting out front.  Hmm, I wondered who those belonged to. ;) As we stopped near the front, I saw a young woman wearing a pink and black striped knit cap talking with a man. I asked who it was and was told “That’s Rachel.” Wow, she’s pretty, so I said “Hi Rachel” to which I got a little nod and smile. I turned back to Chris for a second and then turned back to almost bump into…Alex! I forgot where I was for a minute and gasped. I know I know we can’t draw attention to them in public, but I didn’t know she’d be right behind me! She gave me a little smile and continued to walk to the bus. I stood there for a few good seconds before gasping “That was Alex!”

And then as we went in, we got another surprise by seeing Niall, Ray and Nicky coming off the elevators, as well as Sarah (can I just say “She’s tiny!”), and then for a brief glance, I saw her; the young angel whose singing has stirred my soul: Chloe! Oh, wow. I stared after her until Chris nudged me in the arm and told me to stop staring. Ha, as if she were any better, for two seconds later as we stood by the chairs, a young woman with dark hair and green eyes with a guitar strapped to her back came out and walked to the counter. Tink immediately said “That’s Lynn.” If she hadn’t been leaning against a chair, I think Chris would have fainted. :D She is very pretty, I must admit, and when she walked by our group, she gave us all a smile.

Again, the elevator dinged, the doors opened, and a woman with a familiar blonde hairdo came out. It was Mairead, and the first thing I said to Chris was “She’s as short as we are!” A few in the group got some laughs at that. When she was done checking out (as they all were), she walked by us and gave Moscapoet and Glen big smiles. Awwwww! We found out that Lisa had already got on the bus a few hours before. After our assembly was assembled, we walked out. The one that I’m pretty sure had the girls on it honked, and we all waved; I even took off my hat and bowed. Hee-hee ;D.

Dinner was marvelous with everyone swapping stories and passing out forum buttons. Chris took out a sign that Bluefire (Emily) had made especially for Lynn Fest and we all signed it. I do want to apologize to Mosca, Jeremy, and Melanie for me almost choking to death on a chip; I really have to learn not to breathe and eat at the same time. We all paid, and decided to head back to the hotel to wait. At the Dome Bar (right inside Camino Real), we met up with BigDave and Mr. and Mrs. Sidepocket. It was great to hear stories of Powers Court and other shows. Around six, I kept walking outside and going back in, anxious to head over to the theater, remembering to buy some mints for later. Finally, when Mosca said “Let’s go,” Chris and I were already up on our feet.

My only issue with the venue was we never got a chance to give Rachel the bag meant for Lynn (which I’m sure Lynn has got now by the time I write this), but I was able to take in the bag that had our stuff for signage. We had the whole front row to ourselves, and we told some of the people sitting behind us that we would be very enthusiastic. One man said to his wife behind me as I sat down “I wonder if they’re salespeople for Celtic Woman”. They probably saw my CWF button, so I turned and said “No, we’re just very devoted fans.” I handed them a business card (They worked well, Rick! ;D) and told them to check us out. I was pleased to note that there was no wind this time (see my Red Rocks review), and the smoke machine was working. The band came out, and we all cheered—well, we forum people, anyway.

The lights went out.

The audience hushed.

The stage lights dimmed.

The fog began to roll.

A lone figure in white appeared, holding her fiddle bow high. I couldn’t believe it; there was Pixie dust! Right in front of me! The song still send chills up my spine and then four other figures made their way on. Dear sweet lord, I wouldn’t have minded if the roof leaked or if it was freezing; Celtic Woman was only a few feet in front of me, and there was nothing else that mattered.

I won’t go song to song since everyone knows how they go, so I’ll just tell you about the interactions…because Chris and I got a few, and I mean QUITE a few!

Alex: Oh, man! She was lovely. She’s trained, as was I by my theater teacher, to keep an eye above the audience, but during “True Colors”” she caught Chris and I giving her thumbs up…and smiled. Wow. “You’ll be in My Heart”, she saw Chris and I singing along and smiled again.

Lisa: Oh my lord, that woman has a smile that makes you melt right where you are! During Fields of Gold” she looked down the row, and her eyes locked with mine. I smiled, did a little finger wave, and mouthed “Hi Lisa.” She immediately smiled, and I was a puddle of goo. “At the Celli”, she was in top form (apparently it’s customary now to sit next to Brian as he plays, lol!), and when she chose Owen the bass player as her beau, cupping his cheek in her hand, I cracked up at the sight, and she giggled. Might I mention that she and Chloe need to be separated? Those two have so much fun together!

Mairead: Wow, Just wow. She is a bundle of energy and charisma, working the fiddle like an extension of her body; how does she do it? “Granualie’s Dance” she ran right up to the front row, and grinned at Chris and me. I held up my fiddler crossing sign, not noticing that it was upside down until I looked. Whoops! I quickly turned it back, and she laughed. Ha-ha! :D The “Reprise” was when she played to the whole front row, all of us cheering her on. Her interactions with the girls were stupendous; I nearly fell over with the giggles as she flipped up Lynn’s skirt during “Spanish Lady”.

Lynn: Boy, I definitely like Lynn more and more, having seen her twice now. During “Dulaman” I saw that she looked surprised to see the signs we held. Later we found out during intermission that they were blinding a little (I’m guessing it had to with the venue), so we couldn’t use them in the second act. When she saw Chris singing and dancing along to “Carolina Rhua”, she gave her a big smile. Wow! After each standing ovation, she said “Thank you.”

Chloe: Oh. My. GOD. She just---I mean she---oh, wow. She has such tremendous energy and cheerfulness; it carries over right into the audience. Being the big Chloe fan that I am, I enthusiastically responded to her. During SDS, she saw where Chris and I were sitting along with Jeremy, who was holding up a “Chloe fan” sign. The instant she saw the two of us singing along and him, she gave a big grin and winked. Oooh my, that smile could melt ice.

“When You Believe” she walked over to where we were again near the last part of the song, and she saw me watching with adoration. I mouthed “hi”, and she grinned again! I couldn’t believe it and actually pointed to myself saying “Who, me?” She grinned even broader and nodded. I almost fainted ;D

“Nella Fantasia” was another melt moment. She locked eyes with Chris and me; we both gave her thumbs up and smiled. The smile we got back could have lit up a thousand lamps. She saw us singing along during “Sing Out” and we got another big ol’ grin. ;D. During her speech, she was so bubbly and smiling; the way she said “lovely El Paso” made me grin.

But the big one was during the “Reprise”. Chloe saw us singing along again and grinned at me. I promptly grabbed Chris and said “She saw us!” When we looked back, she nodded “Yes, I did!” Oh, I didn’t mind if I could die in that moment, it would be enough.

We also got big grins from all the ladies during “Spanish Lady”. I am very proud to say we did the Shoulder Shrug perfectly, and they all saw us doing it. ;D As we applauded and cheered, Chloe did another ringer: she blew a kiss to Jeremy, who didn’t even realize it until we told him later.

Part Two is on the way.

Whoa.
More please?

Gah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  This is awesome!!!!!  The interactions are the best part!!!!!!!!!!  Your review is great, Gaby!!!!!  CAN'T WAIT to hear the rest!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now that makes sense. During the Long Beach show Mairead flipped up her own skirt during Spanish Lady, and then she and Lynn started laughing really hard, looked as if Mairead almost fell over backward! I felt like I missed something but now I know.


Great review so far. I almost feel as if I was there. Looking forward to part 2. ;D

Part Two: Destiny Takes Place

One thing I forgot to mention is that during intermission several people came down to the front row and chatted with us. A woman with her two daughters (my guess, anyway) told us that they were really enjoying the show, but were also enjoying watching us as well. When asked who their favorites were, the lady said that she loved the “angel in white with the fiddle”, and one of her daughters said she liked the girl wearing the green. That being said, I gave her my Chloe Agnew forum button that I got during dinner. :)

After the show, we all waited in the front row as the M&G passes stated, and were soon met by Mitch (a very nice guy ;D) who told us to follow him. As we made our way up to the door, we saw Rachel cutting across; apparently going backstage and finding out which girl would be there. We all chorused a hello and inquired how she was doing; she said she was all right and asked if we enjoyed the show. Need she ask? ;D ;) She then said “I’ll see all of you in a few minutes.”

We went into the lobby where a table was being set up, and we forum people took our places at the back of the line. However, Glenn (Rotten Rebel) got to go first (lucky devil :D). As we waited, many items went through my mind: who was it going to be? What was I going to say? Would I babble like an idiot? That had to be the longest wait of my life, I’ll tell you right now. Claire then appeared (very attractive girl, btw) and told us that she had pictures available for us to sign, but we were only allowed five items each. I quickly made sure I had all my things ready and waiting.

Then right behind us, we heard a “Good evening, everyone!” We all turned to see…Alex and Mairead walk right past us in their dresses. My jaw dropped, and a small twinge of disappointment did go through me, but as Scott told Chris, there would be other times. He was right, and disappointment quickly turned to “Oh, my god, they’re so beautiful up close!” :o

I started going into panic mode again as it got closer and closer to our turn. I started to pray ‘Oh, please don’t let me do anything stupid, oh, please don’t let me do anything stupid!’ Chris quickly told Rachel that the silver bag was for Lynn, who confirmed that she would get it right to her. I gave her my things to be named and couldn’t help but playfully ask “Hey, where can I get a top like yours?” She gave me a look that said “Yeah, people have asked me that question too many times.”

Then I heard Scott say “Alex, I’d like to introduce you to some long time fans; this is their first meet and greet. This is Chris, and this is Gaby.” Oh, man, here goes.

Alex smiled a knock-out smile and said “Well hello!” She examined our faces for a second and then asked “Are you sisters?”

We both did the ‘twin thing’ and said at the same time “Twins, actually.”

Rachel grinned and said “Well, that’s interesting.” As Chris spoke to Alex, she asked me how I spelled my name. I told her, and then saw that Chris had moved onto Mairead. It was my turn now.

I held out my hand to her. “Hi, Alex, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Hello!” She took my hand and shook it. “Gaby, right?

I nodded yes; after she let go of my hand, I stared down at it and said something that I didn’t mean to say out loud “Wow, you have a really firm handshake!”

Her reaction was “Oh, did I hurt you?”

“Oh, no, no, not at all! You didn’t hurt me; I like people with firm handshakes! I’m fine, really.”

“Oh, good,” she said, apparently relieved and a little amused at my sudden babbling. She signed my picture and then went on to sign my autograph book asking “Did you enjoy the show?”

I nodded. “Yes, I did. I bet you could tell from the front.”

She chuckled. “I could. Is this your first live show?”

“No we were at Red Rocks with the rain. Oh, I heard about the generator getting cooked at Powers Court.”

She laughed. “Yes, indeed.”

I then said “I think you’re a great addition to the group, and I liked your version of True Colors better than Cyndi Lauper’s version.”

She looked up at me with a grin and a wink that turned my brain to mush. “Well, David Downes did a good arrangement of it.”

“Huh? Oh yeah, he did!”

“And we have a great choir, too.”

“Uh-huh.” As she took my ANJ DVD liner, I said “I know you’re not in this one, but would you sign—“

“Of course!” She did, and then signed my TGJ DVD liner. I could tell it was time for me to move on, so I said to her “And your background in theater stands out as well.”

She gave me a flattered smile. “Thank you!”

I took her hand and shook it again. “It was very nice to meet you, Alex.”

“You too, Gaby. Thank you for coming to the show.”

And now it was Mairead’s turn. I jumped right in with “Hi Mairead!”

“Hello! How are you?” She took my hand in both of hers and shook. Boy, for someone so tiny, she’s got a strong grip! ;D

“I’m fine, thank you.” I answered. She took my things and began to sign them. “Your playing was amazing tonight.”

“Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it.” She flashed me that ‘pixie dust’ smile, and I felt myself grinning back.

“I know you saw my ‘fiddler crossing’ sign upside down,” I admitted sheepishly, and she laughed.

“You said this isn’t your first live show?” she asked looking up at me before signing my autograph book.

“No, ma’am, it was the first night at Red Rocks with the rain.”

“Ah.” She nodded.

When she took my ANJ liner I immediately told her “That’s my favorite special.”

“Yeah, that was fun.” She said with a grin.

Before she signed my TGJ liner, I very tentatively said “Mairead?”

She looked up. “Yes?”

“I just wanted to, uh, tell you—“ At this point, I timidly placed my hand on top of hers. She immediately took mine in hers and didn’t let go.

I took a deep breath and said “Your playing is amazing, and,” I swallowed, “You and the girls are ambassadors of peace and light and music, and I hope that you’ll continue to so for the rest of your musical career.” It took all of my composure not to break down as I gazed into those big beautiful green eyes shining with compassion and understanding.

She gave me the most loveliest, gorgeous smile I had ever seen and said “Thank you so much.” I felt myself grinning right back.

She let go, but before she went back to signing, I quickly said “Oh, my aunt calls you the ‘pixie’; she loves you and says ‘Hi’.”

She giggled and said “Well, tell her I say ‘hi’ back.” As she signed my liner she then said” Oh, by the way, I love your hat.” I was wearing a gray fedora that complemented my pinstripe suit I was wearing.

“Thank you!” I said, then said good-humoredly “Do you want it?”

She laughed “Ha ha, oh no! I think it’d look better on you than me.” :D

I grinned, and then, picking up my stuff, I shook her hand again. “It was nice to meet you Mairead.”

“And you as well. You have a good evening, Gaby.”

I said I would and then walked away from the table, where Chris was waiting. We both beamed at each other, and I jumped up for joy, hearing perhaps Alex or Mairead chuckle. ;D ;D

Wow, what a night.

Part Three: Final Thoughts to come soon.

You should have given Mairead your hat. ;D

Thank you. :)

Thanks, Katharine. ;D

Hey, I've had that hat for a long time. But it does give me an idea for a M&G present the next time.

Awesome awesome awesome!!!!!!!  It really sounds like you had an amazing night!!!  Excited to hear your thoughts about it all!!!!!!!!!

Wow thats amazing!!!! If I ever got a chance to go to a meet and greet, I wouldn't of composed myself as well as you did.haha Oh yeah and so totallly jealous!!!!

Thank you, Katharine ;D

"Composed"? I was shaking on the inside, but as as soon as I started talking to them, I felt completely and totally at ease. ;D

 :D  Loved it, Gungsailor...pictured it all , handshakes, smiles, your impressions...wonderful...and your talk with Mairead!!

shankdee

I've been squealing like the crazy fangirl I am through the whole thing. *insert copious amounts of said squealing here*

WOW!!! WHAT A FABULOUS EVENING!

Hey you. More thoughts. ;D

After finals :)

I would of totally lost it OR hyperventilate if I had gone to a meet and greet. and of course Mairead has a strong grip. she's been playing the violin since she was 6

It makes her seem more cute, though :)
I was close to fainting ;D

Part Three: Final Thoughts (I know it took so long to write this, but I have been really busy)

Looking back on that amazing night, I realize that I have many people to thank, so I better get to that.

First off, to the girls themselves.

Alex: You are such a kind and beautiful lady. How wonderful it was to actually meet you at my first M&G! You are so gracious and lovely and your smile can make the world a better place. :) You also have a wonderful laugh and, as I said, a very firm handshake. Thank you. :)

Mairead: Well, what can I say? Thank you, Mairead, for also being at my first M&G.  Your energy onstage is there when you meet your fans, and you shower them with your pixie dust. I really enjoyed how you laughed as you saw my fiddler crossing sign upside down, and then when I admitted it sheepishly at the M&G. When I told you how much you and the girls meant to me, you were so understanding and the smile you gave me warmed my soul. Thank you :)

Lynn: You are a truly amazing artist, and you have such grace and style when you’re onstage. You seemed to know we were celebrating you that night, and you gave us all beautiful smiles during our standing ovations. I hope to meet you one day and share how much I have enjoyed your CD as well as your work with Celtic Woman. Thank you :)

Lisa: You made my night when you smiled at me during “Fields of Gold”, and when you giggled after hearing me laugh during “At the Celli”, well that was wonderful. It truly shows you have as much fun onstage watching US as much as we do watching you! I also hope to meet you one day and tell you what you and the girls have done for me. Thank you :)

Chloe: Chloe, the Angel of Music, you voice is a soothing balm to my soul, and your smile (well, all of you ladies’ smiles) can light up a whole room. The interactions I had with you and the others are memories I will treasure until the end of my days. The smile you gave me during “When You Believe” truly floored me, and I was in high spirits the rest of the night. But when you grinned at Chris and I during the Reprise, and then when we looked back at you after realizing you saw us and you nodded “Yes, I did!”…what can I say? I hope to meet you as well one day, and say what you, Alex, Lisa, Lynn, and Mairead have done for me. Thank you :)

Rachel: Without you, none of it is possible. You are such a lovely person, and I wish we had had a bit more time to talk. Thank you :)

Mike (Mr. Peabody), Rick, Cindy, Scott (Mustang), Jeremy, Mel, Dalton, Tink, Dwight, Glenn,  Tony, Dave, and everyone else: It was wonderful to hang out with all of you and have this experience. It’s really something to attend a CW concert with fellow fans, and you all are awesome! Thank you, guys! ;D

Chris: You were the one who planned the whole get-together and everything. I truly am glad you’re my sister; I love ya, sis! ;D

Moscapoet: If it weren’t for you, it never would have happened. I thank you for being a fellow fan and a good friend, as well as an excellent liaison. I hope to attend another concert with you someday! Thank you, man ;D

And thanks to all of you for being patient with me as I finally decided to finish this. With the new tour having begun and hopes of it being extended into the summer, there may be a chance to see Celtic Woman again. Thank you very much everyone! Until next time! ;D

Nicely said!