Roadtrip Stop #4 - Buffalo NY 10-31-09

THE REDEMPTION OF MOHEGAN SUN

My stop at Buffalo must rank as one of the most important shows in my Celtic Woman experience.

Mike [Mr.Peabody] and I drove the almost 7 hours from eastern Connecticut to Buffalo, New York. I was so tired that I occasionally dozed as Mike drove. We felt we were on a mission to make up for the disinterest of the crowd at the Mohegan Sun show the day before. We arrived in Buffalo and checked into our hotel, then went to look around the downtown area where the venue was.

There had been a heavy rain and extremely high winds as we drove into Buffalo, but upon stepping out to look for a place for dinner, the rain let up (though the high winds continued) and we saw a majestic rainbow, which Ralph and Connie arrived in time to see. I am not kidding; Mike took several pictures of it. We decided on a steak dinner at Buffalo Chop House, which I must say was the finest steak dinner I have ever had. We then walked the one block over to the venue.

Shea’s Performing Arts Center is yet another old theater that has been restored. When I walked in I was absolutely floored… the place was gorgeous. There are rich reds and golds, indescribable chandeliers, even exquisite paintings on the walls. The entire place is a work of art. The balcony seems to extend slightly farther than at Rochester but not as far as at Syracuse. The pit seats are the perfect distance from the stage to allow a feeling of closeness and still permit stretching out without being in the way of anyone stepping through. The stage is at eye-level to the pit. The combination of beauty and functionality makes the Shea PAC the greatest theater I have ever been in, surpassing even the Wang Theater in Boston.

We had Section A pit seats, row CCC. These placed us piano-side, in front of the stage, but we noticed that the opposite half of the center pit section was totally unoccupied as the lights dimmed… and thus began again “The Sky And the Dawn And the Sun,” which I love so much. It was such a joy to see the girls up close again, particularly after the events at Mohegan Sun. The four of us gave the most rousing standing ovation imaginable.

It became clear during “Fields Of Gold” that this was to be a special concert. Lisa gave us a tremendous amount of attention. It was the same during practically every song of the first act, as all the girls smiled and winked directly at us. I had thought the group I was in had gotten a lot of attention at Wilkes-Barre; but that was practically nothing compared to what the four of us experienced tonight.

We were honored with what I consider the most joyous rendition of “Coast Of Galicia” that Mairead has ever done… “When You Believe” was as heartfelt as always… “The Blessing” just keeps growing on me more and more, I truly love it now…

The ultimate song of the first act to me was “Isle Of Hope, Isle Of Tears.” I had heard them perform that song every day now for nearly a week, but being there for it at the foot of the stage, after the events of 2 days earlier for Mike and myself at Ellis Island, just overwhelmed me, and I welled up with tears. Mike and I stood at the exact same moment to give them a standing ovation… one of the most heartfelt standing O's that I have ever given the girls.

It just kept getting more and more personal. In the 30 or so seconds at the end of “Mo Ghile Mear” every one of the girls mouthed “thank you” at us.

During intermission we performed the most no-brainer ISU ever; we found ourselves in the center pit seats. We also met a family that had attended Wilkes-Barre that was also sitting behind us. We told them to show the girls how much they loved the show, and the two little girls and their parents needed little urging.

In the second act, we received so much attention from the girls that it was almost unfair (notice I said “almost”). I have neglected talking in all of my previous reviews about “The Call” but they did a great job with it tonight. “Carolina Rua” was as beautiful as always. “You’ll Be In My Heart” continues to wind itself into my being. Standing O for Chloe for her “Nella Fantasia”.

The girls seem this fall to have more fun with “At the Ceili” than at any other time since the early days of the ’07 tour. Tonight was no exception as they danced their hearts out. Their performance was beyond excellent.

We led the clapping along during “The Contradiction,” and a very special moment happened when Nicky looked down at our vigorously clapping group, and he closed his eyes for a moment, smiled, and nodded to us. I swear it looked like he was holding back a tear, but I’ll never know.

There was one technical glitch during the show: the back spotlight failed before the show started (the crewman climbed down ladder before showtime after climbing up). This was most noticeable during “The Voice” when Lisa was unlit for the first portion of the song. I wouldn’t say it was better, or worse, than having the spotlight… only that it was different.

For those of you who are wondering, the only nod that CW gave to Halloween during the show happened after “Sing Out” when Chloe said that they were in full Halloween costume… they were “dressed as Celtic Woman” haha.

One of my all-time greatest CW moments came at the end of “Oh America!” as Chloe waved twice to me. Needless to say, I waved back. Perhaps the very ultimate moment came at the end of “The Finale” as Chloe blew me a kiss with the biggest smile I have ever seen from her. The moment will forever be etched in my memory.

The girls were absolutely glowing at the end of “Spanish Lady”. Just like at the end of the first act, all 5 of them mouthed “thank you” down at us, and I know that I tried to say “thank you” back to them, which is hard to do when you are screaming yourself hoarse haha.

As we made our way out, we talked again with the family behind us, with an usher coming over to single out the mother of the two girls for recognition for her enthusiasm. Nice touch, that.

Ralph and Connie had been with us for 3 of 4 shows on our roadtrip and their companionship with us was wonderful. Mike and I then made our way back to our hotel; we couldn’t stop talking about the show. Maybe it was a good thing that we didn’t have a M&G for this show; if we had, we might well have become a puddle of tears in front of the ladies.

One more stop to go on Roadtrip ’09… Columbus, Ohio.

I am not new to these shows. This was my twenty-fifth show, done over a period of five tours. I have had first and second row seats before. I have received “looks” from the girls at other shows before. But I have never experienced anything like this. It was as if the show was being performed for four people – and we were those people. This show, and this entire night, will always have a special place in my heart.