REVIEWS BY SCOTT

October 3. CW: A Christmas Celebration CD

October 9. Chloe's DVD

December 3. CW DVD: A New Journey, Live at Slane Castle

March 3. Review: Wallingford, CT

March 8. Review: Manchester, NH

June 8. Review: Boston MA, Friday (Day 1)

June 9. Review: Boston MA, Saturday June 9th (Day 2)

June 21. Review: Bridgeport CT, Thursday June 23rd

June 23. Review: Philadelphia PA, Saturday





October 3, 2006 Celtic Woman: A Christmas Celebration CD
(as Posted at the Chloe Forum)


Even if it's not beginning to LOOK a lot like Christmas, it's certainly beginning to SOUND a lot like it.

The ladies put out a very sweet and touching album. Most everyone has their own favorite Christmas songs, I'm sure. They covered a number of my favorites and their performances here, taken as a whole, are as good as any I've ever heard.

(1) Meav and Mairead's version of "Silent Night" is IMO the very best version of that great song that I've ever heard. I believe the first part was in Gaelic, the second part in English. Meav's version of "The Wexford Carol" is just about as good ....... Orla's "Away In a Manger" and Lisa's "The Christmas Song" are soft and pretty ...... What was most revealing about Mairead's "Carol of the Bells" is that the chorus and orchestra were allowed to come to the fore in really glorious fashion. They are NOT just a backup band for CW and this song displays that fact beautifully. This is not to take anything away from Mairead's playing, which is fantastic as usual ....... Of the combined performances by the soloists, "Ding Dong Merrily On High" is a beautiful interplay of chorus, the ladies singing and some magnificent Mairead violin ...... "Christmas Pipes" starts with the more Celtic feel of the Uilleann pipes, which recur throughout the song ....... "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" was with just the 4 singers and Mairead, very special, almost an acapella ....... The only track that did not blow me away was "Let It Snow," which to me had too much brass and seemed to overshadow the girls. It's not that it was bad performance, it was just not as spectacular to me as the rest of the album.

(2) So many other people on this forum have had the incredible opportunity to see the concerts where CW performed in the last year. So, you had a chance to discover the change in Chloe's voice already. I had been reading posts here and on the other forum which hinted at the change. This album was my first chance to hear how Chloe's voice has changed. Knowing that "Panis Angelicus" was Chloe's one solo performance, I deliberately saved that track to listen to for last, so as to mentally compare how she sounds now from when the "Walking In the Air" CD was made. As I went through the other tracks, I started feeling uneasy. I couldn't pick out Chloe. I don't mean I couldn't hear her voice, I did and her voice, though somewhat different, was as beautiful as ever. But it somehow felt like I was listening to a stranger. I guess you could say it didn't feel like she was singing to me. Then, when she started singing in "That Night In Bethlehem" I felt it, and said to myself, "Now THAT'S Chloe!!" She wasn't even singing in English, but it was just like the very first time I ever heard her, all over again. Same with "O Come All Ye Faithful," she was singing to me. Then it was my alltime favorite Christmas song, "The Little Drummer Boy," which she did with Orla. Chloe again touched my heart as no singer ever has. She and Orla did a magnificent job, as good as any version of that song I've ever heard (and we have all heard many). Finally it was "Panis Angelicus," and at first I thought they merely took the "Walking In the Air" CD version, and then I realized that, no, it IS a different recording. The differences are very, very subtle. Michael said in another post somewhere that her voice is richer now, and that is about the best way to put. Not only has her voice changed but I think she has also learned to use it even better (if such a thing is possible!!!!) and the new album in January will probably reflect that even more.

In conclusion, a great Christmas album, hopefully the first of several Christmas albums they'll give us in the coming years. Anybody else want to chime in?





October 9, 2006 Chloe's DVD
(as Posted at the Chloe Forum)


This has truly been a week of Chloe's music for me. This past Tuesday, I bought the newly released Christmas CD, then two days later, my copy of the "Walking In the Air" DVD arrived from allcelticmusic.com which is based in Scotland. I was relieved to find that the DVD worked fine in my player. As I watched I became enthralled. I had already heard the entire CD at least 15 times since I bought it, so I felt I knew the music, but I was completely unprepared for the journey she would would take me on.

As mentioned previously, the DVD shows a variety of locales throughout Ireland, a variety of wardrobe, and a variety of views of Chloe. In most of the songs Chloe is shown sitting down or standing up, but in some of the songs Chloe walks around. There are a lot of very flattering closeups along with some nice long views which show Chloe in some of the spectacular Irish scenery.

Two songs which come to life especially on the DVD are "Vivaldi's Rain" and "The Prayer." In "Vivaldi's Rain" Chloe is shown stepping playfully through the water in a dress in what to me seemed the only scene where she appeared to be the 15 years old that she really was (watching the other scenes you would believe her to be 17 or maybe quite a bit more). In "The Prayer" she walks along a beach with other people nearby. An interesting aspect of this is the two little girls seen playing in the background, who stop playing and sit to listen as Chloe sings to the camera.

Chloe's use of body language to reflect her mood is evident on the DVD, especially in "To Where You Are." There were at least 5 different camera angles which show a completely stationary Chloe. In the entire song, her body remains at just about the same position; only the camera position and Chloe's head move, but she shows more emotion in the position of her head and face than many actors do with their entire body. The ending of this song, when Chloe rests her head against her shoulder, evoked such a feeling of sadness that my eyes welled up. To which I say: Why can't MTV, with millions of dollars to work with, do something like this? Ahh, maybe nothing in this world makes sense anymore.

Perhaps the best quality of the DVD is the feeling of intimacy. On the CW Helix concert DVD, it was difficult for Chloe or any of the singers to make eye contact with the camera because it was, after all, a live concert. Here Chloe is shown continuously looking at the camera and it shows her smiling in a way that can only be described as beguiling. This production showcases a beautiful young woman singing some of the most beautiful music ever recorded onto a DVD, and no fan of Chloe Agnew will ever want to be without it. Once you see it, you'll understand.





December 3, 2006 Celtic Woman: A New Journey DVD, Live At Slane Castle
(as Posted at the Chloe Forum)


Where to start? The "Celtic Woman2: A New Journey" is a magnificent and touching performance which is glorious for casual and dedicated fans alike. The show is almost tailor-made to create new fans. I consider this to be the best recorded concert performance that I have ever seen.

The biggest difference compared to the first Celtic Woman video, superficially, is the addition of the wonderfully talented Hayley. But even beyond the personnel addition, the major change is that the ladies are animated. They dance, twirl, and in the case of Mairead the violinist, spin. They sing as beautifully as they did for the original concert, perhaps even better, and show even more of a human side than ever.

Among the fantastic combined performances featuring all of the soloists are "The Sky and the Dawn and the Sun", "Beyond the Sea", "Spanish Lady", and "Mo Ghile Mear". Excellent solo performances include Lisa's "Caledonia", Orlagh's "Newgrange" and "Carrickfergus", Mairead's "Granuaile's Dance", and Hayley's "Scarborough Fair" and "Laschia Ch'io Painga".

Several songs stand out, which is hard to do in a performance of this magnitude. "Over the Rainbow" is a rendering by Hayley, Chloe, Meav, and Orlagh. This song, originally in the "Wizard of Oz", is beautifully harmonized and FAR outstrips the original. Another spectacular song is "The Last Rose of Summer" with Meav and Hayley singing a willowy duet. Perhaps most incredibly, in "Shendendoah/The Pacific Slope", Mairead plays her violin while she dances and jumps in a manner that seems impossible if you hadn't seen it with your own eyes. Chloe only has one solo performance, "The Prayer", but she makes it count with her incredibly expressive voice in a way that only Chloe Agnew can.

When this DVD comes on sale in the shops, get it. Trust me on this. You will NOT be disappointed in the least.




March 3, 2007 Celtic Woman Concert Review: Wallingford, CT


The evening of my first Celtic Woman concert was one the most satisfying nights of my entire life. No concert will ever have quite the same meaning for me as this one did.

I was late getting to the show, and was seated (5th row!!!) after "Caledonia," and Mairead lit into "The Butterfly." She has an energy and intensity that must be seen to be believed. Orlagh's "Siuil A Run," Meav's "Scarborough Fair," and Chloe's "The Prayer" were spectacular. By the time they sang "Orinoco Flow," the audience was starting to get into it. The group number "Mo Ghile Mear" finished the first set, with some smashing percussion and and some dazzling lighting. I must admit, seeing them up close was all that I was told it would be. It's almost like they are singing just for you alone.

After the intermission, it was back to the music....a very haunting "Newgrange" from Orlagh, Chloe sweetly singing Hayley's part in "LastRose Of Summer," Lisa bringing life to "The Voice," and a heart-rending "Carrickfergus" from Orlagh (which song I had never really thought much of before hearing Orlagh perform it live). Words cannot describe how this song moved me. All of a sudden, I understood really what that song meant. I have Orlagh to thank for that.

"At the Ceili" was an absolutely tremendous song. Watching the DVD version was one thing, seeing it live was quite another. There was so much going on that the DVD cannot capture it all. One part that was very funny is when Meav "makes her choice", the jilted male backup singer looked seriously bummed out while down on one knee, and the other smiles at him and shrugs his shoulders. This was nothing short of hilarious to see, but made me wonder if it was something I could have picked up on had I been seated further back.

I knew before the show that "You Raise Me Up" was going to overwhelm me. It's a deeply personal song to me, a song I never get tired of hearing and yet had never heard live. Even hearing just recordings of this song has stirred up some incredible feelings within me in the past, and as Mairead began to play the first notes, so many emotions raced through me, it's a wonder I didn't break down and cry. Just before they finished the song, Chloe chimed in with "You've been a lovely audience, thanks for coming!" The encores included a rousing "Spanish Lady." The crowd loved it.

After the show, those of us with Meet & Greet passes began to congregate at the room set aside for the Meet & Greet. I was informed that this occasion there were going to be 5 ladies there for the Meet & Greet, and he said it was "unprecedented for them to do this." Normally 2 are all you would get to meet, but this time it would be all of the ladies at this show - Chloe, Meav, Mairead, Orlagh, and Lisa. For one thing there were a lot of us Forum members there. I couldn't believe my luck at picking just the right concert. It suddenly began to hit me - I was going to meet Chloe Agnew, my favorite singer in the world!

After we were seated, the ladies filed in and we came over to meet them at the table where they sat. Chloe was the first to receive us, and she and I exchanged greetings. She was sweet and vivacious. I told her she was my favorite singer, and she said "Oh, thank you!" But as I moved aside for the next person in line, she told me "Scott, I tried to email you but I think you didn't get it." She would only have said that if she had read what I had written about her in her Fansite Forum. I stared at her and said "You've read what I wrote in the Forums?" She smiled at me and nodded. It was very gratifying.

Mairead and Meav were next. It seemed they were tired but were very, very outgoing and friendly. Lisa and Orlagh were also very friendly. I had been asked by two different Forum members to give greetings to Meav and to Orlagh. It was all a very positive experience.

After we were all finished with the ladies, we headed out to dinner at a local diner. We sat and talked about the show and about Celtic Woman in general. We didn't get finished until nearly 12:30am. For me it was a 3 hour ride home, but as I pulled away to head home I realized it had been an incredible day and night, and I had memories to last a lifetime.





March 8, 2007 Celtic Woman Concert Review: Manchester, NH


This concert was the first time I had seen a live performance for a second time. This show met every expectation that I had, and more.

The show was at the Verizon Wireless Arena. This is a new venue, opened in November 2001, and seated about 8,000 for the show. I figured that this show could never come close to being as good as the one I had seen in Wallingford Connecticut the Saturday before - the biggest reason being that, having seen them once, part of the novelty was gone and I didn't think anything could compare with the glory I had experienced before.

I was wrong for several reasons. In the first place, regardless of how much I enjoyed the entire experience in Wallingford - going to an International Airport for the first time, meeting all the girls, meeting so many Forum members - the simple truth is that 5th row in Wallingford, good though the seats were, was NOT the same as the first row center section for the concert in Manchester. In addition, though I didn't know this before the show, the lighting would be a lot better in Manchester. The sound was also to be slightly better. Even my fear of the novelty being lost was actually wrong. Since I had already seen the show before, now I would know what parts to concentrate my attention on in particular, to see details that I might have missed before in Wallingford. Considering just the shows themselves, I must say that my second show in Manchester was better than my first show in Wallingford. But, I guess it's like comparing pizza - it's all good, just some is better than others.

I was with Tony, and we arrived early unlike the parking nightmare which made me late in Wallingford. The concert began as Mairead stood near the back of the stage, backlit by a purple light. She began to play the opening of "The Sky and the Dawn and the Sun", which is one of my favorite songs. Then came the girls harmonies as they took their places on the stage. It was at this point that I saw that the lighting was going to be very special indeed. Chloe, Orlagh, Lisa, and Meav weaved the song together, then gave place to Mairead and the backup singers. As the soloists moved to almost the foot of the stage, I began to realize how incredible it was being in the first row. In the fifth row you can see their faces, but in the first row you can see every nuance of their expressions. And, they can see you clearly. It makes the concert feel like it's just for you and no one else. As the song smashed to an end and the stage went dark, I knew it was the best live performance of any song I had ever experienced.

There was "Caledonia", which was another song I had not seen in Wallingford. There was "The Butterfly" with Mairead's fiery intensity and masterful percussion by Nicky and Ray. "Mo Ghile Mear" ended the first set (just as in Wallingford), but as the ladies again came to the foot of the stage near the end of the song, Orlagh took her place directly in front of me and as she sang she looked right at me and smiled. She had met me at the Meet & Greet in Wallingford and had made a great impression on me there, and knowing that she had recognized me as she was singing was a feeling that was indescribable.

In the second half I was especially captivated by the dazzling green lighting of "Newgrange", the aching love of "The Soft Goodbye", the shattering beauty of "The Voice", and the unique gentleness that only Chloe can bring with "Nella Fantasia". I think I led the standing ovation for "You Raise Me Up", which always carves itself into my heart whenever I hear it. An encore medley by Mairead, with some of her remarkable twirls and spins brought still another standing O, as did the final number, "Spanish Lady." It was wonderful as the ladies stood before us one last time - we were only a few feet away from them, and it was yet another moment that I'll always remember. I seem to have had a bunch of those moments in the last 7 days!

After the show we were ushered into a room for the Meet & Greet. Very different from Wallingford, this time there was perhaps 20 people, and only 2 of the ladies (Mairead and Lisa). I talked for a moment with Mairead, who remembered me from the previous M&G, as did Lisa, who immediately remembered my name, which impressed me no end. Although it was a very fast M&G (perhaps 20 minutes total), it was very good to see the ladies again. I had a card for Chloe, and I asked Mairead to take it for me. The sweetness of these ladies is truly something to experience.

Finishing the M&G (and accidentally meeting up with another Forum member outside!) Tony and I walked across the street to his hotel, where we talked about the show for an additional 2 or 3 hours. It was finally time for me to head home. The show was over but the magic of Celtic Woman continues.





June8th, 2007 Review: Boston MA, Friday June 8th (Day 1)
(as Posted at the Chloe Forum)


It had been three months to the day since my last Celtic Woman show... which, if you ask me, is just too long. I only realized that later, once the show started as I will tell about shortly.

I wasn't even supposed to be here for this show. The plan that Mel and I had made was that we were supposed to see the performance on Saturday evening June 9th (Chloe's birthday). Due to some complications with Mel's reservations, she would arrive many hours sooner than she had originally planned to. I was originally supposed to meet her at about 6:45pm, which would be about when she would be checking in at her hotel across the street from the venue. Now because of her reservation change, she would likely be checking into her hotel at about 11am. Rather than leave her sitting around in a strange city, I moved up my meeting with her to 11am.

Mel is a lot of fun to talk to. After we got coffee (my first ever Starbucks coffee!) we talked for several hours. I was still hoping we could find a signing event for Boston for Saturday or even for that Friday afternoon. We already knew that there was a concert that Friday night, and I had seen a notice in the newpaper the day before mentioning ticket prices, which I thought was odd, since the Friday show just HAD to be sold out. Looking at the paper again with Mel on Friday afternoon at Starbucks, I again found a reference to tickets to the Friday night show. This time, it even mentioned the ticket prices as $40 - $75 (and much to my disappointment, I found no mentioning of a signing). I doubted that tickets could possibly be available on the day of a CW show, but I suddenly remembered that I had once told Alex that she should not give up on tickets until she checks for them. I realized that the least I could do is take my own advice. I mentioned to Mel that we should at least check at the box office and see. I was resigning myself to sitting in the balcony for the first time, but to our absolute amazement the lady at the ticket counter said that they had seats in orchestra Row G.... would be like those? I don't think I ever said yes so fast in my life. This was an unbelievable windfall... two shows in two days for us!! These seats were actually better than the seats for our Saturday show. It was all just.... amazing. All of this had been made possible because of a mistake.

We used up the remaining time before the show walking around the outside of the venue, and having dinner earlier than we originally planned. We were among the first people in line as they opened the doors. The inside of this building is utterly magnificent. Mary had once given me links to the pictures of the Fox Theater in St. Louis which had left me breathless, but this theater was even more beautiful. Everywhere you turned there was beautiful marble work, exquisite ceiling depictions, and filigree around the doorways. I must say it is the most beautiful interior I have ever seen of any building in my life.

We got to our seats. Orchestra Row G is actually the equivalent of about 13th row or 14th row, when you include the pit seats. Our seats were at the center... in fact Mel found that her seat was exact center. At showtime, we noticed that there were still vacant seats to Mel's left... the show was NOT a sellout. I also discovered later that the show was not sponsored by PBS... perhaps this was why it was not sold out?

The lights dimmed, and the ghostly image of Mairead appeared as she began the first notes of "The Sky And the Dawn And the Sun." Always overwhelming to me, this song this time struck me anew as I had not seen it in concert for three months. I realized suddenly how much I missed these shows. At first it seemed everything was so far away compared to my previous shows (which were 5rd row and 1st row), but as the song unfolded I felt just like I had at the previous shows... the show seemed to come alive in a way that is indescribable. The other girls made their way out onto the stage. The only disappointment was that the sound quality was inferior to the two previous shows I had seen. Even so, it did not dampen my enjoyment in the least. Orla, Meav, Lisa, and Chloe sang their parts to perfection, and then Mairead spun into action... and there was no indication of her previous injury in Phoenix. The lighting was about as good as I had seen at Manchester in March. As the song reached it's climax and the applause swept the theater, I noticed right off that the Boston crowd was very enthusiastic, more so than at my previous two shows elsewhere.

Lisa did not hit the high note she usually did at the end of "The Blessing." I liked that high note, but I'm sure they changed it for a reason. "Mo Ghile Mear" was even more lively than I remembered it... it's clear the girls are having more and more fun with this tour as it's progressed, inspite of long it may be. In "Dulaman" Meav showed a more playful side than I had ever seen from her. "Sing Out" was excellent, and again the Boston audience did not need to be told when to clap - it appears that people have watched the broadcasts and the DVDs enough to react in the proper places (finally!!).

As always with me, seeing the girls perform "You Raise Me Up" just hits me in the most emotional way. As Orla started singing the opening lines of the song, the events of the last three months in my own life just caught up with me, and I absolutely had to choke back tears. In a way that no one else has, these ladies of Celtic Woman have found my heart and know precisely how to tug at it. The crowd came to it's feet, as it would again for Mairead's medley and Spanish Lady.

After the show we went to the stage door to watch for the ladies. They came and went immediately to their waiting van. They had obviously been instructed not to stop and chat. We saw practically everyone who had been on the stage, including even David Downes. As we moved off to leave, we encountered Maureen whom I had met at the M&G in Wallingford, along with Jan whose posts I had read many times on the Chloe Fansite Forum.

It was a wonderful evening, all made possible by a twist of fate. It was yet another example in life how, when something looks bad (Mel's reservation being messed up), it can turn out to be very very good (getting to see a show which we would not have gotten to see together under the original plan). It was a weekend of lessons for me. But I didn't have time to think much about that on Friday night, as I had to drive home to get some sleep before coming back into town Saturday to prepare for the OTHER concert.





June9th, 2007 Review: Boston MA, Friday June 9th (Day 2)
(as Posted at the Chloe Forum)


This was my fourth Celtic Woman show. I had never suspected that I would attend this many shows this year. Things have just snowballed since this Tour began.

After getting about 5 hours of sleep on Friday night after the previous show, I had to get into Boston early Saturday to meet Bob (also known as Penguin Laminating Device), who was coming in from Maine for the show that night with Mel and myself. Bob had been the very first Forum member I had ever met... we had met up back in November 2006 when I was in his town on business. Mel and I found him and went for breakfast. Bob is a very funny guy (as many of you Forum members might know!!) Mel told him what had transpired the previous evening.

We had all arranged to attend this concert in the first place because it was Chloe's birthday. For months we had toyed with possible ideas to give her a birthday she would never forget. We had even considered making a huge banner with "Happy Birthday Chloe!!" written on it, but we finally decided the idea would be impractical for us. We finally decided, a few weeks before the show, on a birthday card as being a great gift, and decided that morning to get a couple flowers as a nice touch. We ultimately got two lovely Peach Roses wrapped very nicely, and we went to bring them to the venue. We had no intention of asking at the stagedoor for Chloe herself, but we would ask instead for Rachel Davis (the Tour Manager). So we set out to get the flowers. After a couple of hours of misadventures, including having the streets of Boston closed by a parade, having to find practically the last florist in the city, and then not being able to get ahold of Rachel, we finally got one of the crew to bring the flowers and card inside to give to Chloe.

As showtime drew near, we got to our seats. For this show, we had Leftside Row J, which was three rows back and far to the left side compared to where Mel and I had been for the previous night. I wasn't terribly happy at the idea of being in what I thought would be "worse" seats than the previous night, but I would soon have some enlightenment on that point.

The show started much as it had the previous evening, but two things became immediately apparent. First the sound was MUCH better than the previous night. On Friday night the bass had been too loud; now on Saturday night, it was perfect. It was the best sound quality I had heard at any show so far (funny that this should be in what I had dismissed as "worse" seats). But far more important than that was the crowd. The previous night had been the most enthusiastic crowd I had seen to that time, but the Saturday night crowd just absolutely blew away the previous shows. This crowd made for a truly unforgettable experience... they clapped in all the right places, at the end of Caledonia someone yelled out "Lisa!!!!" and it seemed like everyone in this audience was really into this show.

The songs were much as they were the previous evening, but one song needs special mention: as "Last Rose of Summer" began I remembered the incidents with the flowers earlier in the day. As Chloe began to sing the words "'Tis the last rose of summer, left blooming alone" ...I started to chuckle ...that song will always have a slightly different meaning for me, from now on.

After the show we went back to the same back stagedoor. We really weren't sure what we would see this time, but I knew I would say "Happy Birthday Chloe!!" as soon as Chloe came out. Much to our surprise, all the other girls came out... but not Chloe. We figured she was probably just a little late getting changed, but then the van that had come to pickup the girls drove away with the others. It was puzzling to us that Chloe should not be with them, especially on the night of her birthday, but Mel and I at least had the satisfaction of shaking hands with Ray Fean the drummer as he walked out of the building.

I found that I had enjoyed the Saturday night show even more than the Friday night show, inspite of having a seat much more offcenter and further back than on the previous evening. The biggest reason why I enjoyed it more? It was because of the crowd... we all made the show a fitting birthday celebration for Chloe. It made me realize that seat position is not quite as important as I had thought. Although I have enjoyed every show I have been to, I had more fun at this show than at any of the others.

Thus ended an incredible two days of Celtic Woman. I don't know if I will ever get to see the ladies on back-to-back days ever again, but I will tell you that it is quite an experience. My thanks to our favorite ladies for putting on a couple of great shows, and thank you Boston for putting up with a few crazy CW fans like us and making the whole experience so special.





June21st, 2007 Bridgeport CT, Thurs
(as Posted at the Chloe Forum)


It's a shame that this tour will have to come to an end.

Going to my fifth show, at Bridgeport, would be my first time staying overnight for a Celtic Woman show. It would also be my first time renting a car in 10 years. Upon picking up my rental, I was happy to see that it had a CD player. I made a point of bringing along my CW and solo CDs. Perhaps this sounds routine for many of you, but not so for me - because I had never heard Celtic Woman on a car stereo system before (my regular car has no CD player or tape player). I got the chance to listen to CW, on a very awesome sound system. This made the drive down to Bridgeport very enjoyable indeed. Infact, I can say that it was the most pleasant drive I have ever had.

I arrived at the hotel in time to greet the other Forum members who had made the trip, including Mel, Lauren, Ryan, Dwight, and JEdwards. We all decided to go out for a light dinner... so we went to an authentic Irish pub, interestingly called "Murphy's Law." This name became quite appropriate, as our server proceeded to give us a list of all the items on the menu that were not available that day. We hoped this would be the only glitch for the night.

After being shuttled to the venue from our hotel, we went into the Bridgeport Arena At Harbor Yards. I have come to like arenas since the tremendous show at Manchester NH in March. I noticed that this arena was smaller than the Verizon Arena. We all had seats in row G... I was at dead center (well, Mel and I were). We recognized other Forum members around us in the crowd, infact Charlie Brock was sitting next to me!! It was tremendous to meet yet another Forum member in person.

The show started in the familiar pattern, although annoyingly the ushers continued to seat people as "The Sky and the Dawn and the Sun" began. Although this crowd was not as lively as Boston, the crowd got much more into the show as the evening progressed. But regardless, the girls were in top form, and seemed to be having the most fun that they have had in the entire tour.

On "Caledonia," Lisa not only bounced... she also wiggled. Meav was incredibly fun-loving in her numbers with the group, as well as in "Dulaman," where she let out a "YEEOOOW". Orla got so excited from doing her parts in the previous songs that when she started singing "Carrickfergus" it was more heartfelt than ever.

I have said it before, I really wish they would record and release a copy of that Encore Medley that they perform on the live stage. Of all the songs in this world, this one is now at the top of the list for songs I want to have but do not already have it.

Then we went to the Meet & Greet (my third and final for this tour). It was a large group for this M&G, but they still had only two CW soloists for this one - Chloe and Mairead. It was wonderful seeing Chloe a second time and Mairead a third time. We also took the opportunity to present a plaque to the girls, in the name of all the Forum people, commemorating the magnificent shows we had witnessed on this Tour. After the M&G we all stood outside the venue and talked about the show, walked back to the hotel and talked about the show, and then sat in the hotel lobby and talked about the show. It made for an interesting time, and for that I must say that there is nothing like having other Forum members around to talk to, especially when you get like 6 of them. We all had the time of our lives and I am glad I came for this show.

Now, after this admittedly brief review, I need to rest up for the drive to Philadelphia. That will comprise my sixth - and final - review for this tour.





June23rd, 2007 Philadelphia PA, Saturday
(as Posted at the Chloe Forum)


Back on September 26th 2006, I was informed about a show in my area for the upcoming 2007 Tour, and the next day I got on the phone and pledged to Connecticut PBS for the tickets for the March 3rd show in Wallingford. It was to be my very first Celtic Woman show. I also figured it may well be the only show I would get, as I was not sure at the time how many shows they would do, since the entire schedule had not been released yet. At the time, the only fansite that I was a part of was the Chloe fansite Forum and I had been a die-hard fan of Celtic Woman for less than a month. Back on September 26th 2006, I was informed about a show in my area for the upcoming 2007 Tour, and the next day I got on the phone and pledged to Connecticut PBS for the tickets for the March 3rd show in Wallingford. It was to be my very first Celtic Woman show. I also figured it may well be the only show I would get, as I was not sure at the time how many shows they would do, since the entire schedule had not been released yet. At the time, the only fansite that I was a part of was the Chloe fansite Forum and I had been a die-hard fan of Celtic Woman for less than a month.

Last night, almost nine months to the day since the day I pledged for those Wallingford tickets, I went to my sixth and last show, at Philadelphia PA. I never in a million years thought that I would attend six shows on this tour. I also never thought I would meet so many outstanding individuals from my association with Celtic Woman. I also never would have thought that the most important review I have ever written would be my last one from this tour (I will explain why later).

After the show at Bridgeport on Thursday, I had a full day until my Saturday show in Philadelphia, so I spent Friday in madcap mayhem shuttling Lauren and Ryan to their respective airports and getting myself into Philadelphia. I met up again with Mel, and this would be our fourth show together on this tour. We had lunch on Saturday at an excellent Italian restaurant in Philly, and then headed over to the venue. The gates were opened two hours prior to showtime, which was an absolute shocker... it gave me the opportunity to actually examine the merchandise table, which had been next to impossible at the prior shows. It also gave me time to examine the venue itself more closely.

In a strict sense, the Mann Center For the Performing Arts is an outdoor venue. Set against a hillside, much like an amphitheater, it has a large high roof that covers over the first three sections, with balcony seats set into the roof. There are also seats out past the cover of the roof, with general-admission lawn above/behind the seated sections. Although there is a roof over the stage and lower seats, there are no walls. I was extremely curious how good the sound would be for this show. Mel and I had seats in the second section, about 30 rows from the front.

When the show began, it was not quite sunset. I was amazed to find the sound was truly excellent, far beyond my expectations. Infact, I must say that it was the best I had encountered on this tour. The lighting was also done very well, about as good as any on the tour. Before the show, we had been treated to an unexpectedly animated speech by the Director of Programming for the local PBS affiliate. All signs were pointing to a magical evening. Unfortunately, the audience did not pick up on this fact. Put simply, the audience in Philadelphia was wooden. They applauded politely at the end of each song, but they had to be absolutely pushed into anything more. They clapped a little bit during Granuaile's Dance, but that was about the extent of their involvement. Mel and I gave rousing standing ovations at the conclusion of a bunch of songs, but almost no one else did. At the end of "Mo Ghile Mear", while Mel and I were on our feet applauding, I looked around and was shocked to find that we were the ONLY people in the audience who were on our feet. When Lisa was singing Caledonia, while it was still light out, the woman next to me started reading a PBS handout that had been distributed that evening. The woman on the other side of Mel did the same while Orla sang "Siuil a Run." At the end of Mairead's encore Medley, where she points her bow to each of the singers as they come back to the stage, Mel and I were on our feet for Mairead even before the other girls came out, but almost no one else in the audience got up until all five of the soloists had come out.

It was heartbreaking, because the girls gave an excellent show. There were fine performances all around. In particular I must say that Lisa's "The Voice" and Chloe's "Nella Fantasia" stood out to me. Orla's "Carrickfergus" was back to it's more usual somber pre-Bridgeport tone, but Meav's "Dulaman" and "Scarborough Fair" were even more sultry than ever. Mairead wore a bandage on her right leg again, yet she seemed by her performances to be entirely uninjured as she twirled and spun. I will assume that most of the audience was ignorant of Mairead's previous injury, otherwise most of the people in the audience should be ashamed of themselves that they did not show a more spirited applause for an amazing woman who has been through the preverbial ringer on this tour.

After the show Mel and I talked about the show, but not for long - we didn't want to dwell forever on the crowd's attitude, Mel had an early flight home to catch, and I had an incredibly long drive that night, so we said our goodbyes, knowing fully well we would meet again on the next Tour. After a number of little misadventures getting out of Philadelphia, I found my road and headed home.

Why was this my most important review of all? Well, let me give a little bit of personal background. I am a teacher, and the subject matter that I teach is of more than just passing interest to most of my teenage students. But, as no two people are exactly alike, no two class groups are exactly alike either. Some are more animated or participatory or distracted or interested, than others. My favorite groups to teach are the ones that participate and show an interest in the material that I am presenting. And yet, as a professional, I try to give my best each and every time that I enter my classroom. After watching the Philadelphia show, I know that the ladies of Celtic Woman truly try to give their all at every concert they give.

I am almost certain that the uninvolvement of the Philadelphia crowd must have bothered the girls, especially so late in a long tour. Maybe, just possibly, one or more of the girls will read this review after the tour is done, and they will know that at least a few people loved their performances that night in Philadelphia and that their hard work was NOT in vain.

So ends my active participation in the 2007 Tour. I learned a few things with each stop on this tour. At each show I got to meet and spend time with some truly awesome Forum members - some just for a minute, most for many hours on end. So my heartfelt thanks to Caite, Maureen, Tony, Micheal, Danielle, Josh, Ryan, Mel, Bob, Jan, Lauren, Dwight, John, and Charlie for making this tour so special for me.

It is difficult, knowing I won't be seeing the shows again for many months, after having so many memories. I was privileged to meet my favorite singer twice, and got to meet every one of the girls that I saw on the tour (I never did get to meet Hayley and I also never did see her perform this year either). I got the unforgettable opportunity to meet Mairead three different times, including once since her injury so that I could give her my personal well-wishes. And, there's always next year... so I close with my goodbye until next time to the ladies of Celtic Woman, words that finally gave me the strength to let them go until we meet again: "Rain comes over the gray hills, and on the air a soft goodbye, hear the song that I sing to you, when the time has come to fly. When I leave and take the wind, and find the land that faith will bring, the brightest star in the evening sky, 'cause you're not waiting far from me."

Celtic Woman Forever!