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« on: April 18, 2014, 07:15AM » |
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In many ways the show I saw at Tulsa was very much like the one I saw at Houston just 4 days earlier. The setlist was the same, the girls gave performances that were about the same as those at Houston (most of which were excellent at both sites), and the crowd's enthusiasm was comparable at both shows. But a key thing can make all the difference in the world at shows. That key point was having familiar faces close up front, and the girls certainly had that at Tulsa as there were a bunch of die-hard fans in the front row; at Houston, there was a motionless pit that was almost devoid of interest, even if almost all of the rest of the audience at Houston had been loud and enthusiastic. This creates a bit more energy in the performers; they feed off it and it becomes palpable, and I've seen it happen at some incredible CW shows past that I was fortunate enough to be at. Tulsa ranks as one of them.
I rose early and arrived via Supershuttle with plenty of time to spare to Houston Intercontinental. I entered the terminal to find the longest security line imaginable; it wrapped almost all the way to the door into the terminal. I wasn't really concerned as I had plenty of time, but the TSA did two interesting things to alleviate the backlog: a roving TSA agent sent some of us near the end of the line to a different security checkpoint with a shorter line; it wasn't much of a walk, and I did want to get through earlier than later even if a walk was involved. Then, when I was about halfway up that line, another TSA agent took those of us who were travelling alone and sent us through the faster, pre-check line. They swabbed my hands and then told me I wouldn't have to remove my shoes or jacket, and would only need to remove metal from my pocket. I was through security almost instantly. It was beneficial to me to get through it quicker but it made me wonder how much of a security compromise this was.
My flights (Houston to Dallas to Tulsa) were uneventful, and Mike was there to pick me right on time. We also went to pick up Rachel, who would be spending the afternoon with us. We had lunch at Ollie's Station Restaurant and Railroad Museum on old Route 66 - perhaps the most unique diner I've seen. Later we were joined by Hubert and Alexa, and were joined at dinner at Kilkenny's by Colin and several other local Tulsa people, including Vicki, and Carla's sister. This brought our dinner group up to ten people - a decent turnout. After discussing a few different CW topics, we headed over to the will-call box office; four of our group had meet & greets, and they needed to be on time. Hubert and I would be waiting for them, and he and I talked all the while.
The Mabee Center is part of a massive civic center building on the campus of Oral Roberts University. The place has a spacious front lobby with box office and mingling area. A couple of hallways and gantries lead further into the bowels of the main structure, with the basketball arena being our ultimate destination. The venue is circular, much like the Frank Erwin Center in Austin. Three upper decks serve as the equivalent of balconies, all set well back. For the show there was about a half dozen rows of folding chairs set onto the floor as the orchestra section. The stage is not overly high, but is both very deep and very wide. There would be no curtain for the stage. They had made this show a half-house, or perhaps even a one-third-house, again much like the Erwin Center that several of us had attended to see them in 2011. I mentioned to Hubert that I was very curious how the sound would play out in this venue, particularly with "My Lagan Love." My own seat was in the center floor section, row 1 over towards the band-side with Mike beside me, and as the lights dimmed - once again, on time - I sat down to it.
The energy level I spoke of is a feedback process, and first became evident during "The Sky And the Dawn And the Sun"; as the song built up and as the girls interacted with those who had been at the M&G in the front row (and there were at least eight M&G people in the first row alone, though I was not one of them), the sensation of the song became stronger and by the end it was every bit the song that I had fallen in love with long ago... again I marvelled at the contrast between Mairead Carlin's sweet voice and the pressing power of the drums as "Newgrange" began; and the high note that she hit at the end, done just like at Houston, was fantastic... THE BUTTERFLY!!!! I can't prove it, but I'd swear Mairead N. performed an extra stanza before she let the musicians have their parts... I didn't mention last time how the stormy intro to "Orinoco Flow" is even better this year because they use a light that performs almost like a strobe to create the "lightning" parts; one advantage of being in the front row is that you can hear some things on the stage even without a mic pickup, and that was true of the choir in this song as I could actually pick some of their voices out this time... gorgeous version of "The Moon's A Harsh Mistress", one thing they did with it for this year is to alter the tempo of the song; this change makes it easier to appreciate Susan singing it... you have to remember that this was a show in the true heart of the Heartland, and the poignant rendition of "Amazing Grace" got a standing ovation from the entire house; Anthony acknowledged it with his usual sharp bow but also with a quick smile... today I will eat crow: I judged "Si Do Mhaimeo" too soon in my last review, and in this show at Tulsa I saw a number of things that I had missed during the previous show, such as the choir girls looking despondent as the boys ran off, which was both humorous and indicative; I always have and always will love the little theatrics that embellish CW's songs, I only wish I'd seen more details of this song in my previous show... during the opening part of TAR, Lynn sat down in some patron's lap and Mairead Carlin came along the front, stopped in front of Mike and I, gave her hand to Mike and admired him as he stood up; the crowd clapped along very enthusiastically during the climax of the song, although there weren't many standing o's for this song.
The lighting was about the same as at Houston, but the real improvement was in the sound. I'd had a feeling the sound might be vastly improved, and it certainly seemed to be, to me at least. The crowd excitement was about the same as at Houston, with the big difference being that the front end was leading the way for the audience on this one. So far I hadn't been getting anwhere near as much attention from the girls as I had at some previous CW shows where I'd been in front tow, but with the show building the way it was and the girls obviously feeding off this crowd, that didn't bother me. One strange thing during the intermission was when the gentleman to my left asked me how "the lady with Lou Gehrig's Disease from Kansas" was doing. I knew immediately that he was speaking about Kelly, and so I told him what I knew.
Ok, straight on with it... I love the playfulness in "I Know My Love" and I forgot to mention from the Sunday show that sound that MC makes - I'm not sure what you call it; this was another song that seemed to be turned up a notch in intensity... I'd been waiting eagerly for "My Lagan Love" because this place had such great acoustics; with Lynn's first notes it was clear that the subtle echo that I had experienced in the similar arena in Austin was playing out beautifully again; this was a marriage of talent, song, and environment all working together to create magic... the supporting cast's time down in the audience during the lead-up to "Nil Sen La" was longer in this show, I'm sure of it, plus their frolicking was hilarious... in "Granuaile's Dance" Mairead tore into the violin as the crowd immediately clapped along when they were supposed to; another well-deserved standing o... "Mo Ghile Mear" got one too, and deservedly so.
It was during "You Raise Me Up," just before MC began what is now HER line and no longer Chloe's, that I realized that I have now truly become a fan of Mairead Carlin, and not just someone who is accepting the fact that she is in the group; her personality and the presence she creates on stage have won me over, and I'm glad she's with Celtic Woman. At the end of the song, as has happened many times with us at shows, Mike and I rose at exactly the same time to give them the one standing ovation in their reportoire that they always can count on.
At different points in this show, as at Houston, I'd been whooping and hollering the way I often do, and this time I did quite a lot of that during the new encore. I wish Mairead could introduce each choir member individually as she does with the band, but no matter: this song allows us to show our love to most of the individuals in the cast who have toiled so hard for so long at shows near and far. It was a beautiful finish.
We headed over toward the buses, not certain what we'd get but wanting to at least wave; Ray came over again, like he had at Houston, and talked to us for a couple minutes; then the icing on the cake occurred when Mairead Carlin came over. I introduced myself and quickly thanked her, and Rachel had the good sense to get a picture of me with her. I've had longer M&Gs, and I've had better improptu meets. But the occasion of first meeting the "new" Mairead is one that I will always cherish. It may be the only time I meet a Celtic Woman soloist this year.
We got a few waves from some of the other performers, and eventually headed over to Steak N Shake for an after-show repast. Finally Rachel, Alexa, and Colin had to head out. Mike and I dropped off Hubert at his hotel and then spent another hour or so at Mike's hotel room talking and checking things online. The time finally came for Mike to bring me to the airport. In all my life I've had very few friends as consistently loyal and understanding as Mike has been. I look forward to seeing him, and a bunch more friends, next month for something very special indeed.
I believe the weaknesses in the song choices that I pointed out previously still remain, with the exception of "Si Do Mhameoi" which I should have given a second look before judging due to the complexity of the scene that plays out. And I do still miss the girls who were not here for this tour, who created so many memories for me and for so many others on tours past. But I did place another notch on my list of Celtic Woman shows that I can truly call great. Or, perhaps more accurately, these performers placed another notch into me, giving me one more night of memories.
I may have another show in June, it depends if I can make it to the show or not. I'll either write my annual Celtic Woman retrospective after the end of the tour if the show doesn't happen for me, or I'll include it in my finale report. In the meantime you will definitely be receiving a report from suburban Atlanta next month, from me and others, telling the tales of a couple former CW girls who love to sing. It'll be nothing short of dazzling.
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