Re: my defensive rant a couple of weeks ago some people that were being disrespectful of the the girls, I found this really old post from right here on the Celtic Woman that I though was quite applicable:
" It bothers me more that they would post it if they do find a fault. With the members devotion to, and love of CW, it's almost like someone wants to start a controversy and I don't understand the reasoning behind it."
It may not be a "fault" that they are posting. When someone says "I thought the lighting was bad at some venue", I am surprised sometimes at the response that people give defending the lighting. Did you ask the question "Where were you sitting?" Maybe the person sat in a bad seat. Maybe they did not know that. Someone who knows the venue could have explained that so the person would not choose that seat the next time. The harsh responses in defense of the group is troubling. Educating someone will make them more willing to see another viewpoint. If that person who said the lighting was bad just gets a bunch of hard-line responses saying the group can do no wrong and they are perfect instead of asking a question to find out why, then you may have lost a chance to show them that they could really be a good fan. "A dead man can learn no lesson".
"I really don't care for the tries at "comparing" this girl to another and things like that. "
If you have a favorite in the group or choir or band then you have already done that. Just the fact that you may have an alex or lisa or chloe or lynn or mairead picture in your signature shows that by the action alone.
"What Celtic Woman gave me is an escape from harsh reality of human nature. When I want piece and quiet and beauty from reality, i listen to their music and watch their shows. When I want to escape from the hard day at work and from all the BS in this world, i listen to Celtic Woman and watch their show."
I can relate to this one very well for I do the samething. What better way to escape from the harsh reality of this world than to watch talented, pretty women dance and sing like angels. They are about love and hope and peace and all that stuff that this world seems to have forgotten. The image of them dancing and singing and being all happy and stuff is great. I wish I could be happy. The thing is I know that it is the image of Celtic Woman and what it represents that I like. It is not the women personally that I love, it is the music that they produce. As I said again, I have not had the opportunity to meet them in person and what little contact I had with some of the past and present members has been less than heart-felt like others may have had. Again, I should not be shredded for saying that or met with some hard-line response.
Ask me questions or say something like Rich said in response to the person who thought Mairead show a little too much leg. He said something like "Opinion noted but Mairead is 100% flesh and blood human and she would not wear anything she felt was inappropriate." Well done!!!! Excellent way of handling it. He gave the person a reason and did not make the person feel bad. Some of the responses were a bit harsh. Maybe the person comes from a different generation or has a religious view or something. Ask questions or give a reason. Educate people.
I am not just focusing on the negative comments. I am focusing on the harsh and sometimes hard-line positive ones as well. Have love for the group and the music. I do. But temper that love with some of the harsh reality that we all try to escape. They are human and with humans, they can fail. If you get angry at someone who says something less than glowing and is not a personal attack on the women, then you need to look at yourself as well as the people who are saying the negative and put it in perspective. Look at it objectively. Make sure that for your own health that this is not an obsession. As "The Quiet Man" said "However, discussion of choice of music, arrangements, performance details, and so on, as long as it’s done in a non-cruel manner, I think is fair game and in fact healthy."
- thedoctor
So... there's something really important that's on my mind.
I know almost all of us on the forum have been really supportive of Tara ... and this time around, even social media has been more supportive than I've seen in the past for some of the new girls.
That's great to see!
But as we all know, not all fans feel the same way and more importantly, not all fans follow the group closely. There will be people that buy the upcoming Celtic Woman album and go to see them on tour that will be completely blindsided to see her instead of Mairead Nesbtitt. These are the types of fans that are going to be shocked and disappointed (the word I hate most in the world). We've seen it happen many times before, most recently during the Destiny tour.
"Where's Lisa?" "Where's Chloë?" "Where's Mairead?" "It's just not the same
"
We've all seen it and it frustrates me like few other things in the world.
These are the types of fans, the fringe fans or on-and-off fans that really scare me the most, because they generate strong negative feedback and honestly, can ruin a performance for everyone else in the audience and for the girls. I read some horrible things during the Destiny tour (not a huge amount, thankfully). Things like people booing during the performance, walking out of the theatre during the show, and then bad-mouthing a group they know almost nothing about all over review sites and social media.
Whenever I see that stuff on social media, I do my best to intervene, but it's the people that aren't following the group on social media that are the most challenging.
To compound the issue, we know there will be MANY venues that will still have Mairead Nesbitt (and maybe Chloë and Lisa Lambe ... heck, maybe Orla) plastered all over their marketing material. And casual or "returning" fans won't know any better.
I'm not sure what we can do, if anything, but I feel like it's our responsibility as Celtic Woman's most dedicated fans, do whatever we can to ensure that the fans have the right expectations and that the girls have the best experience possible.
I'd appreciate any thoughts you have on this.