Review: Duluth GA Sept 2nd

I had been anticipating the event in Duluth for more than three years. It was at Red Rocks on June 9th, 2013 - Chloe's birthday - that I had last talked to her. My next CW show, at Dallas in December of that year, didn't feel the same, no matter what Mairead Carlin did (and that's no fault of the wonderful girl from Derry!). Things were alleviated somewhat when Chloe performed as a guest with Lisa Kelly five different times in Peachtree City, and those shows were fantastic, but Chloe was always a guest, not a headliner. Several times Chloe had announced one-off shows where she would be doing the bulk of the performing, but each time I was unable to make it work. Finally in May a shows was announced that I could do: Duluth, Georgia, for Friday, September 2nd.

For the first time in several years, I had no doubt at all that I'd be there once I purchased the ticket. Since that very same Red Rocks show in 2013, my finances have not been secure enough to guarantee that I'd be able to follow through with travel plans for shows. The only reason this show was different was because my busy summer work schedule would just be completed and I knew I'd have the funds to make it possible.

I also decided to do things differently. For this show I would make a road trip of it. I hadn't taken a real road trip since the 2012 shows. I began planning my route: Texas through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and up to northern Georgia. It would be 850 miles each way, likely 13 hours of driving. I planned an overnight stay in southern Alabama, slightly more than halfway through the ride. Then, about a week before my departure date, I started hearing about a storm below Florida that was expected to impact my route. Dubbed "Invest 99L" and later Tropical Storm Number 9, it stayed just south enough to not cause me any problems.

So on Wednesday in the late morning I picked up the rental car for the trip. I wasn't about to risk my old clunker on a trip of this magnitude. I got caught in heavy traffic in Louisiana, so I stopped for dinner at Cracker Barrel, then got caught in more heavy traffic in Mississippi. These traffic problems delayed my progress by several hours, and it was only near midnight that I finally arrived in suburban Mobile, Alabama at my hotel. Then it occurred to me that I had forgotten one thing: the time zone change. I would be losing an hour the next day once I crossed into Georgia. I decided to get an hour less sleep so that I could arrive in the Atlanta area according to my original plan.

There were no real delays on Thursday, and I came into the Atlanta area to pick Sarah up at the airport. We then headed over to Duluth. I have been to many American cities during my travels, but I have never been to a city as poorly designed as Duluth. Like Peachtree City, there is a serious lack of signage along the roadsides, and the traffic is about as congested as PTC, but far worse is that the street names are changed constantly at each intersection: for example, as you drive down Smith Street, you will find that the street that crosses ahead is named Jones Street on your left and Doe Boulevard on your right. This happened over and over again in this city. And of course the city is laid out in curves, not grids. There is a confusing contraflow intersection above Interstate 85 that has to be seen to be believed, with traffic routed to the left side of the road and then back to the right (and this was a PLANNED intersection; this was not caused by construction detours). I had a dickens of a time finding the entrance to my Hampton Inn hotel; Tony couldn't find it at all, and I went outside to wave him to the proper entrance.

I had arranged a dinner for this night, at Longhorns Steakhouse. We had Sarah, Tony, Randy, Eric, Linda, and myself. This dinner was and always will be special to me, as this date (Sept 1st) was my tenth anniversary as a fan. Back at the hotel, Tony and I talked far into the night.

For Friday, Linda had arranged a gathering at Dreamland BBQ, a block away from the venue, in the one part of town that actually had a "block." We had eighteen people for the dinner, including the Sterling, Hargrove, and Meeks families. I had the chance to catch up with Mike, who had not been able to arrive until Friday. I also met Noel for the first time, and gave him a printout of my newest graphic in honor of this being his first big fan gathering. We then headed over to the venue.

Eddie Owens' Red Clay Music Foundry is a small theater, holding perhaps three hundred people. It is painted all in black and is somewhat dark even with the lights turned on. There is no balcony. The stage is a couple feet high and is not very large, which would be perfectly sized with just Dermot and Chloe using it. For our show the stage held a piano, a guitar, a couple stands for sheet music, and some mics. As with all theaters, I was curious how the sound would play out. While standing around talking with the others, I met up again with Don and Donna. I also thought of those Chloe fans who would not be here in body but who would be here in spirit and in my heart: Daniel, Jim, Roy, Karen, Rachel, and Moscapoet.

The Meet and Greet was held in the theater, very close to the stage. There were over fifty of us attending the M&G, which made for a very long procession. I spent the time talking off to the side with Don and Randy, watching some of the interaction while Chloe and Dermot bantered with the others. I lined up near the very end. I only had a moment but accomplished my objective of hugging Chloe for Rachel and Roy who could not be there. Chloe thanked me for doing so much for the fan base. In that moment, all the long waiting since Dallas in 2013 was made right. I did not ask her to sign anything but I did ask that Dermot join us for a picture. It's one that I'll always, always cherish.

Shortly after, the theater began to fill with the other concertgoers. I settled into my seat in Row D (effectively third row), center section slightly to stage right. I had Randy to my left and Kellie to my right, with Mike, Tony, and Sarah further down the row. Eddie Owens took the stage and urged us to check out the bar in the lobby haha. Then he introduced the one and only Chloe Agnew.

"When You Believe" and "No Frontiers" were basically renditions true to the versions Chloe had done for the Heartstrings album. And that was a good thing. Dermot accompanied her on piano. I must admit I really like stripped-down version of "When You Believe" though I still love the full-on version that CW created. In my opinion, less is more as far as "No Frontiers" is concerned.

Speaking of less is more, "Galway Bay" is an example of a song that has to be done that way to be effective. And effective it was. I'll never tire of hearing Chloe sing this song. As the song started, I was flooded with memories of her renditions of this song from times past. Thank you, Chloe.

Now for something that I'd been waiting for many, many years to hear: a Chloe composition, in this case "Something Beautiful." She sings of something beautiful being lost over time. One of the lines in the song made my jaw drop, as she sang of some people taking more than giving, which resonated within me as that very morning Tony and I had talked of that very thing. Almost as if she had been listening to us...

She introduced "Dream A Little Dream Of Me" as a Doris Day song; this is a Doris Day song? I always associate it with Cass Eliot. Either way, a sweet version.

"All I Want"; again much like the Heartstrings album version.

"Grace" was Chloe honoring her great-grandfather's role at O'Connell Bridge in 1916. Now THIS is a fine tribute to the Easter Rising!

"The Island" was a song I had not heard yet but had heard about; Rachel it was awesome. As usual, she was right. A beautiful duet by Chloe and Dermot. I need a recorded version of this song!!

Now the highlight of the entire show: "RATTLIN' BOG!!!!!" I had seen the vid of Chloe's St. Patrick's Day version of this song at least a dozen times, and had hoped against hope that Chloe would do it for tonight. I had been telling Randy and Sarah about this song for days. On this night, Chloe did it perfectly, and that's not easy. For those of you who don't know, this song is a feat not just of singing but of memory. Very few professional singers nowadays could do it, no matter how good their voice is. When Chloe finished, the whole place was on it's feet. Ten years of me being a fan, and Chloe Agnew still finds ways to amaze me. This was the finest live performance of any song that I've ever seen.

Lighting was mostly static, and that was to be expected in such a little venue. The sound was playing out fantastic. The crowd had been extremely loud and animated, and you'd expect no less with so many dedicated fans. Intermission was spent talking about the show. I made sure Don got to ISU into the empty aisle seat on the other side of Randy.

For the second act, "Isle Of Hope" made me think, yet again, of when Mike and I went to Ellis Island, in what feels like a lifetime ago yet feels fresh in my mind.

"Vincent" was done with piano instead of guitar. It's interesting to think of the progression of Chloe's voice over these many years, and there are moments in this song that you can hear the young girl still there. But Chloe did make a mistake in her introduction. I'll let it go this time hehe.

The Sara Bareilles song "She Used To Be Mine" didn't resonate within me. Sometimes this happens. Maybe a second listening would do it... but it's clear that it resonates with Chloe.

Before the show I had asked Dermot if he would sing for us, and now he came through with a beautiful "Danny Boy" with just him and the piano.

"Galway To Graceland" was a hilarious song about an Irish girl who has an obsession with Elvis Presley. Played out in this song, I almost died laughing!

Of all the Country singers that Chloe could cover, Faith Hill would not have been my first choice. Still, her version of "If I'm Not In Love With You" was pretty nice.

"Ave Maria" with a twist: the Beyonce version. Not exactly the lyrics that Schubert had in mind when he composed the tune, but I liked it. However, I think Chloe should only sing this version of the song with piano accompaniment, and nothing else.

"What A Wonderful World." I have never heard a satisfactory version of this song... until now. Part of it reached within me, for a reason that I will mention at the very end of this review.

It's time to go already? Ugh. But Chloe sent us off with another of her new compositions, one that was so pertinent: "The Gathering". Although it is written about gatherings of Irish people across the world, it was easy to think of our own fan gatherings with this song. I had tears in my eyes as I gave her a final standing ovation. My 2016 shows were over.

I had arranged a meeting for a post-show dinner at IHOP. I made sure everyone got the address. But I erred in my directions to Tony, so we arrived last; funny that the one who unquestionably had the correct address got there last! No harm though, as I sat with Edna and Randy and others and talked about the show. Alas, the time came for goodbyes; the hardest of these farewells, as usual, was to Mike, with whom I have experienced so much over the years. I also gave a heartfelt thanks to Linda, who, along with me, had planned this fan gathering from start to finish. I think we did a good job.

Tony and I dropped Sarah off at her hotel, and Tony and I talked for a couple hours. In the morning he and I were joined by Don at breakfast. Finally the time came to bid Tony farewell before he left to bring Sarah to the airport. He was the last of the fans that I would see til next time. But all things come to an end, like the seasons, and this had been a great fan event.

I had a long trip ahead. Once I got past Atlanta I didn't have any real traffic problems. The problems were of a bodily variety, as I was tired after getting about 4 hours sleep for three consecutive nights. A number of times I pulled into Rest Areas and Travel Stops due to fatigue. I made a couple stops for food along the way as well. When I finally got to my hometown, I had logged over 1,700 miles. It was the longest solo road trip I'd ever taken but it had been well worth it.

Taken on it's own terms, the show was excellent. Nothing at all like the Celtic Woman production, this was just two outstanding performers where the music takes center-stage. But Chloe has a great sense of humor, and related a couple of interesting stories to us, including one hilarious story of a songwriting workshop where a California girl asked Chloe: "Are those Irish castles real?" I would love to see Chloe do a show like this again. Perhaps next year.

After all these years, one of the things about Chloe that has amazed me the most is that she can cast an interpretation of a song that changes my entire perception of that song. On this night she performed three songs that, when performed by others in times past, were songs that I had actually disliked. Yet her covers of all three are irresistibly gorgeous. She is not merely a musician; she is a magician.

Thank you to Chloe and Dermot for finally putting together a tour and giving us a great show. Thank you to my dear friends, especially Mike and Tony, for being there for something very special to me. And thank you to the Lord for keeping me safe on my road trip.

I would like to close with a personal experience from my trip that relates to one of the songs that Chloe sang. There has been so much division in America lately, so much talk of people turning against one another, yet... while in stop-and-go traffic on a street in Louisiana near my Cracker Barrel restaurant, I saw an SUV on the other side a traffic barrier that suddenly put on it's hazard lights; the vehicle was obviously dead and the occupants - a family with small children - were suddenly faced with moving the SUV out of the traffic stream. The man of the family hopped out to push the SUV from behind while the woman of the family rushed over to the driver side to steer it onto the shoulder. A single man in a nearby truck - someone in another lane who had nothing to benefit - rushed over to help the family man push the heavy SUV off to the shoulder. When they were finished, the family man shook hands with the single man and each went their separate ways. The people were different races; one vehicle held black, the other held white. Does it matter who helped and who received the help? No. It was a small thing, but it's something I'll always remember from this trip... and so, when Chloe sang "What A Wonderful World", and came to the line "I see friends shaking hands" I thought of those two nameless men, strangers on a road, and how people come together in common cause when there is need, regardless of who they are and who is in need. Til next time, blessings to you and all you hold dear. "I see trees of green, red roses too/I see them bloom, for me and you/And I think to myself, What a wonderful world..."