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Author Topic: Random thoughts from Seattle 6-4-13  (Read 10959 times)
RoAR
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It's far beyond the stars...


« on: June 05, 2013, 11:39AM »

For those of you who don't really want to read yet another review, I can sum it up in one word and 2 smilies: WOW! Shocked Cheesy
For the rest of you, I'm sorry if this "review" sounds rather scatterbrained. I'm writing down random thoughts at random times as I find time.

So, I'll start with the random story of how I ended up at this concert. I've been trying to find a way to get to this concert from the first moment I heard they were coming back to Seattle. It helped that it was just four days before my sister's birthday. She likes the Celtic Cuties, too (though she isn't nearly as obsessed as I am.) I convinced some of my family members to help me purchase a ticket for her (which took until the week before, of course Tongue). We were all getting excited...until my parents found out it was on a Tuesday night... I thought they knew that already, but apparently they didn't find that out until I went to purchase the tickets. They were concerned that she would be too tired for school the next day, especially when they found out she had a big test on Wednesday! We tried to figure out some other option, but nothing really worked. She still had school the day after the Spokane show, I was babysitting the night they were in Portland, I couldn't get an enhanced driver's license before the Vancouver show....Eventually my parents just said no.  We were crushed, but I consoled myself with the hope that they might come back in the near future. (Not that that was really helpful...)
My brother ended up unintentionally saving the day. You see, he was invited to a baseball game the same night and he had to take the same test the next day. My parents said yes and then realized that they had said no to our event the same night. After several warnings about how this may cause them to do an awful job on their tests, they said yes to game and concert! Needless to say, my sister and I were super excited!
....hopefully, she'll still do well on her test.  Undecided

I'll get into my random thoughts on the actual concert later.  Smiley
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RoAR
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It's far beyond the stars...


« Reply #1 on: June 09, 2013, 03:10PM »

SHE DID WELL ON HER TEST!  Grin

Random thoughts Part 2:
My sister and I were located in the 3rd Mezzanine that night....for the 15ish minutes we waited for the show to start. The second Mezz was mostly empty, so as soon as the theatre went dark a bunch of people moved down there. My sister started to get up to move as well, but I tugged her back down and told her to wait until the stage was flooded with light (we moved as soon as the chorus began and ended up with a great view of the whole stage! Not bad for the cheap seats!)
Mairead made her appearance on the stairs (a very majestic entrance, I must say). I had goosebumps as the opening notes of the Awakening sounded out. All the ladies sounded fantastic, but Susan received most of my focus during this particular song. I hadn't heard her sing much yet and I must say I wasn't truly prepared for her beautiful performance. She is now high on my list of favorite singers!
Next came Lisa's rendition of Dulaman. I now have a confession to make. I love Lisa's version far more than Meav's. *Goes into hiding from all the angry Meav fans*
Don't get me wrong! I love Meav, too, but Lisa brings so much energy and a playful spirit to this song that I never got from Meav.
« Last Edit: June 09, 2013, 06:45PM by RoAR » Logged

Emer Dreamer
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« Reply #2 on: June 09, 2013, 04:44PM »

   (restraining self and  applying  extra mental filters )     Roll Eyes    Tongue      I think you did a great job of capturing the pre-concert spectrum of emotions and the  atmosphere of  when  you were actually there. I , as well as many others,  can certainly relate to that.  now...I liked Lil' Lambe's  "Dulaman well enough-very sweet- but I must  posit a respectful rebuttal  as  far as my  Sweet Lady Meav is concerned.   Meav's   version  was   VERY  playful - tastefully flirtatious and  classy sensual .  I found it to be high energy from my perspective.   Maybe it's a gender perspective.   I  have actually found that  most-but not all -  men favor Meav's version and  most-but not all- women tend to favor  Lil' lambe's version. go figure.  But - as I said- I still liked  Lil' Lambe's version too.    Over all...not bad so far.   Smiley   I look forward to hearing more from you.   Smiley
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RoAR
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It's far beyond the stars...


« Reply #3 on: June 09, 2013, 06:37PM »

Haha, I was wondering how long it would take you to reply to that one! Wink
I do still love Meav's version, I just prefer Lisa's. True, Meav did have some playfulness, but I tend to think of Meav as more the refined beauty while I think of Lisa as the playful flirt...I don't know....maybe it's the spoons... There are times when I prefer the refined beauty (more on that later), but Dulaman just isn't one of those times for me.
Of course, there are other factors coming into play here. For one thing, I was already super excited simply because I was there ((my sister and I were literally bouncing in our seats before the show started and I had to resist the urge to scream in excitement (which is way out of character for me. I'm the quiet girl in the corner, not the screaming fangirl in the front row!)) I have often said that a show is 10x better live and CW are proof of that. Enthralling as their cds and dvds are, nothing can match the magic of Celtic Woman live.  Add to that the haunting minor key intro (seriously, I was sold before the actual song even started!) and is it any wonder that I prefer Lisa?
Perhaps I would be singing a different tune if I had heard Meav sing it live, but I didn't even hear about CW until after she had left. Cry
« Last Edit: June 09, 2013, 07:04PM by RoAR » Logged

AggieGuy
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« Reply #4 on: June 09, 2013, 06:54PM »

I'll chime in on the differences in Lisa and Meav's retention of Dulaman.

As I see with Lisa's Caledonia and Susan's, both are totally separate to be judged on their own, is how I see Lisa and Meav's Dulaman.  And I know how hard it can be to do this; I had to try very hard when Susan was singing Caledonia and especially The Voice.

Meav is much more "matter of fact" when she sings it where as Lisa is bouncing all over the stage, a more lighthearted rendition. It clearly demonstrates the girl's different personalities which is why both are enjoyable in their own right and can't really be judged against one another.

And RoAR, can't wait to hear more.
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RoAR
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It's far beyond the stars...


« Reply #5 on: June 09, 2013, 07:15PM »

Yes, I tried to separate the new versions from the old, but my inner critic wouldn't allow it. I'll try to hold back those opinions as I have no wish to be killed in my sleep by a fellow fan. Grin (Yes, I am one of those people who is constantly comparing books with movies. I find it quite impossible to separate the two....)
Moving on!
Chloë took the stage next and gave her usual welcome speech. It sounded about the same as what I have read in other reviews and I found myself wondering if the girls get tired of saying the same thing over and over night after night..... I know I would get sick of it! If they do, they hide it well and put pleanty of enthusiasm into their words amd songs to make you feel as though that this audience truly is their favorite. I did notice she added something I hadn't noticed in past reviews...she mentioned that she wanted to move to Seattle some day. Has she said that in the other cities she visited? I found myself wondering if she's only visited in our brief moments of sun. Then again, I've heard somewhere that Ireland is similar to WA as far as the rain goes. It would be neat if she did end up in Seattle one day. Grin
Chills raced up my spine as Chloë and Mairead began Nocturne. This is most likely my favorite Chloë song. Smiley I noticed throughout the night that Chloë seems to be playing around with that style where the singer ends her lines with sighs and moans (if that descrption makes any sense whatsoever). I'm not particularly fond of that style, but I still found this number breathtaking.
« Last Edit: June 09, 2013, 07:20PM by RoAR » Logged

AggieGuy
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« Reply #6 on: June 09, 2013, 07:38PM »

Chloe tailors her intro depending on where they are such as in Texas how she does a totally over the top but adorable Texas accent.  As for moving to Seattle, I've never heard her say it and don't think I've seen anyone else say she's said something similar.  And I doubt they get tired of saying it.  They know that without all of those who enjoy their music, be it casual fans, diehards, or in between, the group would never have found success.  I personally think they enjoy talking to the audience as much as they do performing the songs.  Unlike many so called performers, the girls truly love and appreciate their fans, and not just because we're buying their tickets like you'd see with losers like Bieber.

On Nocturne, Chloe really does just runaway with it.
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Texan
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« Reply #7 on: June 09, 2013, 09:28PM »

RoAR,

Thanks for the review. Enjoyed it much. As far as Dulaman - seen them both sing it and, well, love them borh.
Different styles, personality is reflected. Seems to me I remeber some years ago Chloe made a comment
about Seattle / Washington. Can't recall her saying she would like to move there, she may have. But, I do remember
her saying shs liked it there very much and it did remind her of home.

Lester
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Appreciation is a wonderful thing: it makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.

Thanks for all of your wonderful music Deirdre
RoAR
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It's far beyond the stars...


« Reply #8 on: June 09, 2013, 09:33PM »

The last time I saw them was 2010. I remember she said something about how she turned (thinks) 16 in Seattle while on tour. Does that ring a bell?

Thank you all for your kind comments. I'll try to add more to this later this evening, but don't hold your breath. Wink
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RetPgmr
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« Reply #9 on: June 10, 2013, 10:45AM »

RoAR,

...Can't recall her saying she would like to move there, she may have. But, I do remember
her saying shs liked it there very much and it did remind her of home.

Lester

Yes, she said she would like to move to Seatlle during her speech last Tuesday in Seattle. And did not say anything like that in Boise 2 nights later. So she does alter her speech a little from city to city.
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RoAR
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It's far beyond the stars...


« Reply #10 on: June 10, 2013, 11:27PM »

Nice!

Moving on!
Coast of Galicia came next. I present this piece as proof of my subjective belief that live performances are (usually) 10x better. I will admit I've never been a huge fan of this song. Typically, if I'm playing it for someone, it's because I'm trying to show them how much dancing is involved in Mairead's performance. However, I'm not a fan of the tune. It's almost too......crazy? Too many different themes stuffed into one song? I'm not sure why, but this has never been on my list of favorites. (No, I do not have a complete list of my favorites....I tried to put one together in the form of a youtube playlist, but after about 30 songs I gave up.)
However, I must admit this piece was one of my favorite Mairead moments. (Can an entire song be considered a moment? Whatever...) I'm not sure what made it so much better. Perhaps it was just that I was seeing her play it....like actually her, not her on tv.....Perhaps it was the million and one little changes she added....I don't know, but I definitely loved this one!
I also submit this as proof that she is actually playing up there not lip sincing....fiddle sincing?.....whatever. The easiest way to do that would be to simply replay the cd version while she danced around with a fiddle, but anyone familiar with the song can attest that her concert version was very different. Maybe she feels like she has more freedom to play around with it since it won't be replayed a million times by a million people.
This was followed by The New Ground. Now, I already knew that this wasn't leading into Isle of Hope, but I had forgotten to warn my sister. She recognized the tune instantly and started making little excited noises and I decided to take on the unfortunate task of informing her that Orinoco was coming next instead. Sad This confused her completely and we ended up spending most of The New Ground whispering back and forth about it....which was fine by me. I don't even like this one live. Sorry, folks! The guy who plays this (forgot his name...sorry) is great at what he does, I just don't like this one.
The eerie intro to "Orinoco Flow" sent shivers down my spine. It was almost on the side of creepy! I LOVED IT!  Minor keys all the way!
....ok, ok, so major keys are good, too.....BUT MINOR KEYS!!!!!!
This is as good a time as any to go rave about the choir.
The choir was stunning! I was not expecting that much power from four singers, but they will blow you away, I promise! WOW! They were amazing. They did a good job of filling in the gaps left by a lack of strong altos amongst the trio of featured soloists. (I really missed the altos during the Awakening. I love these ladies, but could we possibly add a fifth lady who is a strong alto who can also handle the soprano part rather than a strong soprano who can also handle the alto part?)
Orinoco Flow is yet another song I don't particularly like. (Seems to be the theme of this post....totally unintentional) This song is yet more proof that live is 10x better! I usually find this song annoying due to its repetitive nature, but this time I found it entrancing! Maybe it was the way the girls were swishing around their pretty dress additions, maybe it was their added harmonies on the chorus, maybe it was the way they lit up the stage, maybe it was the super awesome choir..... Most likely, it was a combination of all of the above. Whatever the case, I loved it!
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« Reply #11 on: June 14, 2013, 05:28PM »

   C O G  is my 2cd  fave Mairead  "fast piece"  behind   G D .   but i guess you have a different perspective if you are playing the  above mentioned instrument.  I agree with  the  "eerie"  quality  extent  in some of the concert. It gave a feel of  "medievalism"  to the show- from  a nation deeply steeped in multi-layered tradition.  Again...I appreciate your enthusiasm.    Smiley
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RoAR
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It's far beyond the stars...


« Reply #12 on: June 23, 2013, 10:23PM »

Ok! It's been way too long since I started this. I started working full time recently and I'm finding I really need to work on my time managing skills. Any ways! Let's see how far I can get in a half hour. (So glad I wrote down my initial reactions when I got home from the concert! Reading them instantly brings back the excitement!)

Caledonia is where we left off, I believe. This one was beautiful! Susan has a lovely voice! She makes a great addition to the group. I have no idea what else was happening on the stage during this song because I found my gaze locked on Susan again. (Seriously, it wasn't until late first act-early 2nd act that I was able to pay attention to anyone else on the stage at the same time as Susan....The "new" girl gets all the attention. Wink ) I loved the way she sat down on the edge of one of the stairs during the third verse. The look on her face (or rather the look I think was on her face.....cheap seats, you remember) as well as the way she was holding herself was almost exactly how I picture the girl in the song looks at that part. (And yes, for all you who really don't care about this, I do picture a girl other than the singer and I do picture a guy when a guy sings it.)
And at the end of it all, I must say.....I still prefer Lisa on that one. Sorry! I love Susan, but this is Lisa's song. I honestly can't wait for the day when Susan has her own solos so that I'm not mentally comparing her to one of the other girls.
Next came one of the few times when I regretted going cheap. Teir Abhaile Rieu sounded like it had a great intro, but I couldn't see anything until the girls made it onto the stage. I still thoroughly enjoyed this song, though! My sister was totally cracking up for most of the song. Even after reading the summary of what happens in other reviews, I still just about died laughing. AND THE DANCER! Sorry, I don't know his name. BUT HE WAS AMAZING! After his first dancing section, my jaw pretty much hit the floor. My favorite "Ceili" song is still "At the Ceili" but having seen both live I would say TAR live beats ATC live....now if only they performed them both....
Granuaile's Dance....Wow! Wow! WOWOWOWOWOWOW! Wow........
Let me try that again. Mairead was....wow.....I mean, her playing and....wow.....just wow.
Ok, last time. This might be my favorote Mairead solo.....still being debated. This is the piece I turn to when I'm trying to prove to someone that Mairead is a pixie. If you haven't gotten this already, I loved this part of the concert! Wow....
Danny Boy was the piece that really, really, really made me miss the four singers line up. Sorry, Mairead, but we really need another singer there or perhaps a different arrangement? There was just something awkward about this one to me. It seemed as though Mairead wasn't really there so much as a fiddler as she was there to cover for a missing singer. That's just my take on it however. I ended up spending most of this one watching the asl interpretor who was standing off to one side of the stage. Have I mentioned the asl interpretor yet? That fascinated me! Of course, asl fascinates me, but think about it! Our girls are so good, even the deaf attend their concerts! YES!
I don't know how anyone could fall asleep at a CW concert, but if someone had fallen asleep, the choir made sure to wake them up with the opening notes of Mo Ghile Mear. Again, I must say THIS CHOIR IS EPIC!!!! What they lack in number, they make up for in pure energy. Honestly, if this choir doesn't bring up your excitement level, nothing will. (Ok, well, maybe Mairead will....maybe) Also, the other musicians were epic as well. They all rocked this song. (Can you say a group rocked a celtic song? Oh, well, I just did!;D) This was the first song I found myself singing along to. I don't typically sing along during concerts, (I came here to hear them sing, not to hear me sing!) but I ended up singing quite a bit this concert. I absolutely LOVED this song, but I was a little sad because I knew that meant the first act was over already.
My sister and I spent the intermission wandering all over the theatre. Seriously, if you haven't been to the Paramount, you should go there sometime. This theatre is amazingly beautiful! My sister and I determined that if we had the money to sit wherever we wanted, we would sit in the first balcony. Then again, we never did walk all the way down to the front row...
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