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Author Topic: Celtic Woman in Omaha (review)  (Read 5117 times)
David Knisely
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« on: June 15, 2013, 02:13AM »

Celtic Woman at the Orpheum Theater
in Omaha, Nebraska
June 11th, 2013


     Well, my 6th Celtic Woman concert is now history (and what a WONDERFULLY FANTASTIC experience it was).  For once, I didn't have to travel very far to see Celtic Woman perform (about 90 miles from my home to Omaha).  As was explained in my "Blindsided at Christmas" posting, my sister had secretly pledged to Nebraskans for Public Television and thus got prime seats three rows from the front.  More importantly, she had received two backstage meet-and-greet passes, so for the first time, I would be meeting the four girls up close and personal.  This little Christmas gift kind of hit me out of the blue, and it was definitely a long six months to wait for the concert.  I picked up my sister from her job in Lincoln and we headed out early in the afternoon.  Once in Omaha, we stopped at Anthony's Steakhouse just off I-80 on 72nd St. in Omaha and had a very fine dinner there (I highly recommend them).  After that, it was back on I-80 and then up north on the I-480 "Gerald Ford" Expressway to the Orpheum Theater in downtown Omaha.  Even after missing a turn to the parking garage, we still arrived more than early enough to get our blue triangular "media" stickers at the box office for the meet-and-greet.  This time, it would be a photo session only, so the "meet" part would be rather brief.

     Just before 7:00 as the doors to the concert hall began to open, we were ushered down a long side ramp passage into the bowels of the Orpheum Theater and up on the left side of the stage area where all the sound equipment had been assembled.  Once behind the main stage area, we received our "instructions" from their manager and then, after a short wait, the girls arrived.  My sister got her picture taken first, as she was first in line, but then, IT WAS MY TURN!  All I can say is "WOW", and as I predicted a while back, I was more than a little tongue-tied.  I shook hands with them and did manage to say "Hi" (and at least remembered to address them by name), but I don't think I could have said much more.  For my one and only picture, I ended up between Chloe and Susan with Lisa Lambe further on the right and Mairead next to Susan.  The picture has me with a rather silly grin, and probably could have been captioned, "I have absolutely no idea what I am doing here".  I thought that Chloe might be a little taller than I am, but it turns out that I am just a hair taller than all of them (must be their incredible "stage presence").  Still, they were each wonderful and, as my sister put it, "really sweet", especially when compared to other performers who may hold such photo sessions with fans.  All too quickly, the session was over, and I chased after my sister who was heading for our seats.

    The Orpheum Theater is an Italianate architecture 3-tier concert hall built in 1927 and then used as a movie theater from the 1940's until 1975.  It has been extensively re-modeled and re-purposed for performance and concert events as many of the older downtown theaters in the U.S. have been, currently seating around 2,600 people.  I hadn't been in the Orpheum for a number of years (last saw Mannheim Steamroller there), but from the looks of things, there had been some definite improvements made.  Our seats were on the main floor's lower orchestra level in the third row back from the orchestra pit seating and nearly dead-center, which put us pretty close to the stage, but not so close as to not be able to see all the action at a glance.  The stage is a little narrower than some I have seen Celtic Woman play on, but it still was wide enough for the group to get a lot of motion going.  After we got in our seats, we got a look at the stage setup, which was similar to the Believe Tour but without the arch above the stairway.  From the looks of things, the theater was fairly packed with very few open seats visible.  We had the usual wait until the announcement about recording or video devices being prohibited came on, followed shortly thereafter by the dimming of the house lights as the band performers took their places.

     As with the Believe tour, the first song was "Awakening".  Again, after the initial drum blasts, Mairead appeared at the top of the stairs in a cone of light and started playing, followed by the Chloe, Lisa, and Susan as each sang their opening parts.  Like last year, this one really brought out the tears and at the same time just about blew me a few rows farther back in the theater, as it is always stunningly rich and powerful.  Even more than last year, the three vocalists were perfectly matched together, and the choir had a hard time competing with them.  I was still thinking about meeting each of them (that effect lasted quite a while), so I wasn't paying quite as much attention to the song as I should, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

     The next piece had Lisa Lambe appear on the lower stairs doing an unfamiliar solo in Gaeilge, which left me a little confused until it abruptly changed to "Dulaman".  This intro I hadn't heard before, but the old Irish language portion kind of harkened back to the early days of Celtic Woman, so it was a pleasant surprise.  What was an additional surprise during Dulaman was that percussionist Ray Fean was on-stage and miked-up as one of the male vocalists (and yes, he CAN sing!).  There was the usual playing around between Lisa and the male vocalists, and all in all, Lisa hit this one out of the park as she usually does.    

     Chloe then came on stage and asked us whether we were having a good time yet (followed by a loud roar from the audience).  She followed with "Nocturne", which once again was just plain stunningly beautiful (I don't think my goose bumps ever went down).  One of the girls (it might have been either Chloe or Susan) mentioned that in this performance, they would be doing some songs that haven't been heard in a while, which pleased me to no end, as there are a few that I never got to hear live in-concert before.  One thing about my location was that it was close enough to the stage to often hear her directly as well as through the theater's sound system with little doubt as to which was which.

     True to that idea of re-visiting older pieces, Mairead started one of my favorites from the Songs From The Heart DVD, "Coast of Galacia".  This one really brought up the tempo of the concert and, while I Mairead didn't spin more than about five or six times, she still danced and flew across the stage (she got a standing ovation for that one).  Then, it was Tommy Martin's turn at the Uilleann pipes, performing the haunting, "The New Ground", which was immediately followed by the entire ensemble doing the slightly modified, "Orinoco Flow".  As usual, the song was very nicely done, booming out over the crowd in the audience.

     Now, it was time for Susan to perform one of Lisa Kelly's "signature" songs: "Caledonia".  This was one I had only heard in recorded sound on the Live from Slane Castle concert DVD, so this would be a real chance to see what Susan could do with it live.  Well, while I will always love Lisa Kelly's version, Susan really impressed me with her rendition.  She was pretty faithful to the "original", while at the same time giving it just a little more depth and power in all the right places.  She has really mastered the vocal strength that she showed in last year's concert, and has done up this song just right.  Well done Susan!!

     And then... IT WAS TIME FOR FUN!!  Yup, it was "Duelling Surpranos" again, with Lisa sneaking down into the audience and starting the "La, La, Da Dat'n De Da" before "Teir Abhaile Riu" while playfully interacting with the people on the left side of the front row (really embarrassed one gentleman).  Of course, I knew what was coming, so I quickly told my sister to look to the other exit on the other side of the stage for Chloe to make her appearance.  Very quickly, the spotlight fell on Chloe down in the audience as she did her answering "La, La, Da Datn' Dee Da", changing it up and improvising it all to pieces.  At one point in the duel, Chloe was singing and sat down abruptly in somebody's lap.  Her little boom microphone quit for a few seconds, but I could still hear her singing very plainly (and loudly) as she plead her case with the segment of the audience on her side of the theater (she must give Celtic Woman's sound man fits).  I am never more impressed with these two singers as when they take something and really push it to its limits as they did here (I didn't know that Chloe could even make those sounds!).  Chloe seemed to be having an absolute ball with this staged "musical fight" as she and Lisa carried the vocal joust back up on the main stage.  Most of the crowd was in stitches at this point.  Of course, in the dark on the stage's stairway was Susan.  She looked at Lisa and Chloe, and then came down the stairway towards and then between the two of them.  When she got there, she thrust her arms out from her sides in a non-verbal "ENOUGH!!" gesture.  This time, however, there was a deafening roar of cheering and applause from the audience, so it was clear that most people there knew this little "skit" pretty well.  Of course, then Susan got that pleased look on her face and also started in with the "La, La, Da Dat'n De Da", whereupon both Lisa and Chloe gave exasperated looks and marched off to the opposite sides of the stage to plead their respective cases to the band members.  They have clearly been working on this for quite some time, as the routine was even funnier than it was last year when it debuted.  At one point, I thought Chloe was going to strangle the guitar player with his guitar strap!  Wow, and to think some people feel live concerts are boring!

     Once they settled down a bit, "Teir Abhaile Riu" began in earnest.  I wondered how, after the previous hijinks, they had enough energy remaining to do the song, but they did (and in fine style).  With my location close to the stage, I got to see and hear Lisa do her "spoons", as well as watching the group do their dancing spins.  However, the grand spin (three girls and three guys together) that they did last year wasn't done this time, perhaps due to space limitations.  What was fun during many of these pieces was to see that these performers actually have FUN doing this, as they never stopped smiling or interacting, with occasional playful improv going on on the edges of the stage.      

      Next was Mairead doing "Granuaile's Dance", and once again, her performance was virtually flawless (and my hands were *really* sore from all the rhythmic clapping we did).  My only regret was not being able to see her do this for the first time in Ireland when the Slane Castle concert was filmed.  After that, Susan introduced "Danny Boy".  This had just the four girls performing with Mairead adding just a minimal amount of violin to complement the other three voices.  The harmony and elegant simplicity of Celtic Woman's rendition just makes this classic magic to hear no matter how many concerts I attend.

     Finally, the group did "Mo Ghile Mear", which left me a little breathless as it always does.  I also knew that it would mark the intermission, which I used to relax a little.  Following the intermission, the lights went dark and a single spotlight hit the back of the hall.  A bagpipe rang out with the first notes of "Amazing Grace", and it never fails to send chills down my spine and tears down my face.  I don't think very many people in the audience were dry-eyed after it ended.  Following that, Celtic Woman went "back to its roots" with another oldie, "She Moved Through The Fair".  This time, Susan and Chloe made it a duet, which is a bit different than Meav's solo performance at the Helix.  However, this arrangement was absolutely superb, as it honored the original while making it a little newer with very fine performances from these two incredibly talented women.

     Next was Susan introducing Celtic Woman's "Tribute to Broadway" ("I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables (Susan and Chloe) and "The Circle of Life" from the Lion King (Lisa and all)).  Like most live Celtic Woman pieces, it sounded far better live than even the best sound system can replicate (which is the main reason I keep going to these performances year after year).

     Lisa remained on-stage to introduce something rather stunning.  She talked about songs telling stories and about how one was a particularly American one: "Bridge Over Troubled Waters".  This time, Lisa did this one solo with only minimal accompaniment, in an absolutely gripping performance that held the audience spell-bound.  It was definitely different, but different in a way that showed Lisa was making the song truly hers.      
 
     Again, it was time for more hijinks from Celtic Woman.  During the costume change for Nil S'en La, Ray Fean again performed his extended Bodhran solo, demonstrating his drumming skill back and forth across the stage.  He did the little trick with his stick (making it "play" the drum apparently without actually being in contact with the drum head), but then, the audience began to stir.  A spotlight went down to reveal that during this time, the choir and dancers had 'escaped' into the audience and were having a lot of fun creating various levels of mayhem there!  They were pulling a hat off of one gentleman and dancing in the isles, until Ray finally began to notice them.  There were a few shouts back and forth between stage and audience, but this play continued for several minutes until Susan, Chloe, and Lisa came back onto stage in their Nil S'en La "wrap" costumes, apparently to find out what all the ruckus was about.  They stood on stage for a bit giving each other more feigned exasperated expressions and gestures until they finally started trying to get the attention of the choir to come back up on-stage and get on with the next song!  It was absolutely hilarious!  These performers again showed that they truly enjoy what they are doing and are more than willing to share this enjoyment with the audience.  Finally, "Nil S'en La" began, and the performance had all the snap and rhythm that I have learned to expect from Celtic Woman.  
                      
     Mairead was up next with "Shennandoah".  It was its usual stunning piece of violin magic, but then, instead of doing Pacific Slope, she started in with the "reel" from Mna Na hEireann, with Craig doing the Irish dancing "duel" with her.  The finish brought out a roaring standing ovation from the audience (and my hands were *really* sore by this time).

     Then, Chloe appeared in a red cone of light, performing "Ave Maria".  The goosebumps came and stayed up for the entire song, as she really does this one with virtual perfection.  Another standing ovation resulted from this fine performance which never seems to get old no matter how many times I hear it.

     Susan was next, and again, it was a chance for me to hear her do one of Lisa Kelly's "signature" songs: "THE VOICE".  I had heard Lisa do this at my very first Celtic Woman concert, but after hearing Susan tackle this one, I was even more impressed with Susan's singing prowess than when she had done Caledonia.  Susan has the power and gentle but dynamic strength that really makes this song stand tall and grab you by the lapels.  I dearly love both versions, but Susan has really made this one her own.  Very well done Susan!!

     Finally, the entire ensemble appeared with Mairead speaking to us.  I know what that usually means: the end of the concert, and that was confirmed with the fine performance of Celtic Woman's signature song, "You Raise Me Up".  This one again brought out all the tears along with an incredibly loud standing ovation that never seemed to quit.  However, they didn't quite want to end it, as they responded to the crowd's vocal request with the stunning "The Parting Glass".  After another roaring standing ovation, Chloe came on again to thank us and to "leave us jumping" with the "Mo Ghile Mear/At the Celi" playout finale.  This one really gave us a chance to see the individual band members each highlighted in the spotlight and acknowledged as performers in their own right.

    All in all, this was definitely the best concert by Celtic Woman I have ever heard (that is, until I hear the next one).  I don't know if the girls or band members read this forum, but if they do, let me just say that you incredibly talented performers just made my year.  Well done Celtic Woman and THANK YOU!

David Knisely  
  
« Last Edit: June 15, 2013, 02:19AM by David Knisely » Logged
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« Reply #1 on: June 15, 2013, 12:27PM »

 Thank  you for  your  extended and  thorough review  David.    Cool  Yes...It  is my understanding that the gals   do check into the forum from time to time ( incognito) .  I think they enjoy  hearing how they  have  made a difference  in the lives  of others.  You effectively  captured  the  magic of the evening. And our special ladies do have a way of making one feel at home, eh ?  Now that you've  had  an M@G, I think if you are anything like me, anything less than that will not do.    Smiley  Thanks  again...
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