The day so many of us planned, dreamed and longed for had finally arrived-our next Celtic Woman experience and basking in the presence of Lisa, Méav, Máiréad, Órlagh and Chloë!!! George, Tony, Rickie, Jan, Jenny & Brian, Michael, Chris, Danielle, Michelle and I were off to The Hummingbird for a glorious, unforgettable evening.
We got there early, anxiously awaiting the opening of the doors. Surprisingly, there were already a few patrons in the outer lobby when we arrived. Our group was filled with excited chatter of past Celtic Woman concerts and what we hoped to see shortly. I could see and feel the strange, puzzled looks over our behavior from other concert-goers who did not know what they were in for...but they were about to find out. George gave several of us a wonderful surprise while we were waiting in the main lobby-Michael and I would take the 2nd row seats for the first half of the show and Danielle and Michelle would get them for the second half, when we moved to their 4th row seats!! I nearly needed to be scraped off the floor as he told us-it was already incredible to me that I would be in the 4th row.
As we walked into the auditorium, Nicklecreek's CD Nickelcreek was playing, which was perfect because their Southern Bluegrass sound was an excellent segue into Celtic Woman. Chris Thile's mandolin, bouzouki, and banjo were a wonderful lead-in to Máiréad's lightening fiddle and evocative violin. Michael and I visited with the two ladies sitting in the front row giving them an overview of Celtic Woman, our forum family and invited them to the CW websites and forum. I wish we could have talked to them after the show but I could tell in the first half they were really enjoying themselves.
The house lights dimmed, a hush fell over the audience and the red-haired beauty lit our vision and imagination. Then the first notes of "The Sky, The Dawn, The Sun" were upon us!!! From the moment Máiréad, Méav, Lisa, Chloë and Órlagh took the stage you could tell they were on fire; the energy flowing from them completely enveloped heart, mind and soul. I was so entranced through the first songs I could only sit and listen but by the time Órlagh sang "Siúil A Rún", approximately 20 minutes into the show, I was singing right along with her. I sang through the rest of the show, danced in my chair, clapped and stomped my feet-10 times more than I did in Dallas.
The most awesome part was having the girls singing to me and smiling at me and them knowing I was smiling and singing right back to them. Michael and I were the leaders of a number of standing ovations, I saw one guy behind us was getting kind of miffed when we jumped up but I didn't care, we were going to give praise where praise was due. In reality they all deserved standing ovations for every number in the show. Another mark of the spirit flowing between the girls and the audience is that from the beginning of several songs, including "At The Céilí" and "Ashoken Farewell/The Contradiction", the audience needed no cue to start clapping to the music-they joined in spontaneously. In addition to that, when Órlagh strummed the first notes of "Isle of Inisfree" on her harp there was a roar of applause through the theatre that I know sent her heart soaring.
Máiréad had me enthralled and in stitches at the same time! One instant her face would be set with an intense fierceness and the next it was overtaken by a silly grin and she was sticking out her tongue. She is an absolute ham. I think the designers must have borrowed material from the Torino Olympic speed skaters' suits and put it in Máiréad's dresses because she was flying across the stage faster than Apolo Anton Ohno and Chad Hedrick flew in the 5000 meter races.
Méav gave an excellent performance in her first concert since Celtic Woman's Helix debut. Her first solo was "Danny Boy" which was shaded with greater sadness and longing than her previous performance. "Sí Do Mhaimeo Í/The Wealthy Widow", as most know it, was as cheeky as ever. My anticipation of seeing Méav live well surpassed my expectations.
"My Lagan Love/Somewhere" was even more breathtaking than I remember. Máiréad's violin tinged the air with an exquisite, bittersweet introduction for the sonorous blend of the girls' pure voices. If anyone doubts the authenticity of the vocal powers and abilities of Lisa, Méav, Chloë, or Órlagh, they need only to listen to the first bars of this a capella arrangement and that myth will be shattered. Their vocals alone fill the entire venue with an unbelievable harmony and melody so poignant I am nearly in tears writing about it now.
Lisa performed fantastically and the light in her eyes said there was no where else she'd rather be. I fell in love with "At The Céilí" the first time I saw it and I must say Lisa totally owns that song! We were no longer in the theatre we were transported to a little town somewhere in Ireland at a real Céilí. Órlagh and Méav each played her part to a tee.
The number that has affected me the most is "The Voice" whose chorus continues to echo in my mind.
Chloë was an absolute pleasure to watch perform, communicating with the audience as only she can. Her voice has matured over the last several months and she is coming into her full vocal capacity. She is the embodiment of youthful innocence and seasoned professional and Chloë's struck a wonderful balance between the two. "Rain" was the most memorable solo for me even though I could not understand the Italian lyrics her joie de vivre needed no translation.
Órlagh was fabulous on "Siúil A Rún" and she looked right at me when she was singing "Is go dte tu mo mhuirnin slan" midway through the song. It was very special to me as I was singing back to her and sharing that moment of connectedness though the music. "Shooting Star" was another highlight for me because it's uplifting message and Órlagh is so carefree as she performs it.
Their love for Ireland, their passion for performance and their desire to please the audience came through in the consummate professionalism of Méav, Lisa, Chloë, Órlagh, Máiréad, David, the chorus and the musicians. Lisa wrote a few weeks before the tour she hoped they could continue making us happy....you have outdone yourselves once again and I must say "Thanks a million" to every one of you!!!