FEATURE ARTICLE:

Tracy wrote one of the most well-written, insightful, observant, and thorough reviews we here at CelticMeav have ever read. Here is her experience, in her own words:


As to why I went to so many shows, I'm not really sure what came over me. I pledged to WGBH (Boston's PBS station) for the March 10th show, but about a week later I began looking at the other venues nearby. As soon as ticketing opened for the other venues, I began looking at prices and available seating. Only the rear of the venues would show up on Ticketmaster because the front of the venues were still in PBS' s control. Once PBS released those seats, there were some very good seats available and I took the plunge and bought what I could. It was really just impulse buying.

I learned that some of my relatives in Minnesota had watched the PBS shows and enjoyed the group, so I decided to treat them to a show as well.

When I learned that the tour was extended, I took the initiative to get good seats through PBS before their pledge drives started. So whatever CW fever I had was clearly getting worse. Boston wasn't doing M&G's this time around, but Springfield was, so I leaped at the opportunity.

Next tour, I'm going to concentrate on PBS/M&G opportunities and probably attend fewer concerts. I'll have to see what my finances are next time around.

I had intended to post reviews after each show like I had seen others do, but on my drive back from Wallingford on the first night, I realized that I remembered almost no details or even the order of the songs. It was just paralyzation from information overload. The next night, I could easily spot small differences from the previous night, so I knew useful information had been retained, but still I wasn't able to keep my thoughts in order. It really wasn't until the final shows that I felt that I could relate my whole experience in the form of a review.

The June 22nd concert at the Mass Mutual Arena in Springfield, MA was my 11th (and last) concert for this tour. This was the first time that I sat in the front row and this was my first M&G.

I discovered CW like most everyone else, by channel surfing and landing on PBS. It was the first airing of the Helix concert. I saw Méav walking down the stage singing "...with vassals and serfs at my side...," which got me hooked. I never even knew that I liked this type of music. Méav is my favorite.

I thought very seriously about attending the Boston shows at that time, but finances and traveling for work got in the way. So this tour (2007), I was determined to see as many shows as possible and I even took some of my Minnesota relatives to the Minneapolis show.

As I work through the review for this show, I'll point out different things I noticed for the different concerts I've seen. One of the nice things about seeing so many shows is the ability to concentrate on different things. During my first shows in Wallingford, CT and Boston , I spent so much time awestruck by the whole experience that I missed out on a lot of neat little details. It was also nice to have a completely new giddiness this time due to the M&G.

Mass Mutual Arena is a hockey arena and my experience with arenas has been somewhat poor. At both Manchester, NH and Mohegan Sun, I had floor seating way in the back. This far back the acoustics aren't that great and the view is virtually nonexistent (imagine what it's like for kids). Trying to crane your neck over other people who are trying to crane their necks is very frustrating. I will have to say that I accidentally ended up with outstanding seats for the Chevrolet Theater in Wallingford, CT right before Manchester. Perhaps I had unrealistic expectations for arena floor seating. The problem was compounded for Mohegan Sun because I had PBS assigned seats in Boston the two previous nights. So I had vowed to NEVER end up in an arena again. Fortunately I changed my mind based on the reviews of Forum members who had front row seats in Manchester. I had contacted WGBY in Springfield right after the extended tour dates were announced and when I realized that I would get front row and M&G tickets, I was ecstatic (even for an arena).

I've become a bit of a seat Nazi in that I scan all seats in front of me to scope out which have been filled (in a very obsessive manner). I'm very annoyed by latecomers. Everywhere I've been, latecomers are held until the after the 3rd number and then they are ushered in. In some places, after the 3rd number, it feels like an invading horde because so many people are late to the show. The 4th song is Méav's Danny Boy, so I'm particularly irritated if my view is blocked. Being in the front row, I was completely oblivious to any latecomers and it was bliss. By the time the concert started, the arena was pretty full with no empty seats up front.

Another advantage in being up front is being able to see backstage to the right and left. In Wallingford and the first Boston concerts, I was so in awe that I didn't even notice there was a backstage. For the June Boston concerts and last night I did notice the performers getting ready to enter the stage. Ray spent a good deal of time pacing while preparing last night. He puts a lot of work into making sure all of his hair is in place.

I can now gauge when the beginning of the concert is near when the fog machines ramp up and the stage guy places water bottles in appropriate locations for the musicians. At my first show in Wallingford, the theater was pretty foggy well before the beginning of the show. I haven't noticed quite as much pre-show fog in any other venues. I sat next to a couple in Wallingford who were debating the fogginess. The husband thought it was due to condensation as warm bodies enter and heat the cold theater. The wife thought that it was a far-fetched idea. I pointed to the fog coming out from behind the stage fixtures. The wife and I bonded immediately.

The stage setup:

To the left front is the black piano with the synthesizer (I think that's what it is) on top. David Downes was not in the show tonight, so Feargal Murray was at the piano. To the right front is Des Moore on guitar, John O'Brien on Whistles and Uileann pipes and Eoghan O'Neill on bass guitar. These three guys are lined up at about a 60 degree angle to the front of the stage so that they don't face the audience directly, but rather face the left side of the arena. Des sits on the right, John sits in the middle and Eoghan stands on the left in front of the right side percussion area. The percussion areas are at back right and left of the stage and raised up a few feet. Ray Fean is to the left and Nicky Bailey is to the right. There are a number of backdrops behind the piano and guitar guys. Some are transparent and some opaque against which lighting effects are projected. There are also backdrops behind Ray and Nicky as well as a large, semicircular-like, overall backdrop at the rear of the stage in front of a black curtain. The women can enter and exit the stage on the right and left at the very front, behind the piano and guitar guys but in front of the percussion, or behind the percussion. The stage itself consists of 4 tiers - the stage proper and 3 riser sections as part of the set.

At 8pm the standard CW announcement came that the show would begin shortly and at about 8:15 the lights dimmed and the audience clapped. At the beginning of the tour, a representative of the local PBS station would come out and address the audience and we even got Lord Henry Mount Charles in Boston. There was no such introduction at Mohegan Sun, in Minneapolis, at the June Boston concerts, or last night, so we went directly to the first notes of "The Sky and The Dawn and The Sun" as Mairead walks out in the fog with backlighting. Although this was my 11th time seeing the show, I'll never get over the giddiness I feel when these notes are played. Perhaps it's the energy and anticipation in the audience; I could feel the hairs stand up on my arms.

The first half dresses: They are going with a white/gray theme. None of the dresses are the same as the Slane Castle Show dresses, although there is some similarity, particularly for Méav. Chloë's dress is gray (or light purple, you get the idea). Lisa's dress has a sparkly top. Except for Mairead, the other women have to deal with longish trains. At one point in a previous concert, Méav reached behind her rather abruptly to control that train. The women generally have to pull the dresses up to efficiently get on and off stage.

The Show Begins.

First Half of the Show: As soon as the women filed onto stage, I immediately understood the advantage of front row seats - face time! I could tell when they were looking at me and felt their smiles as they reacted to what must have been a huge silly grin on my face. From my own public speaking experience, I know how good it feels to find a friendly face in the audience and so I try to always project positive feelings to speakers. The women pay particular attention to you if you sing along (silently, mind you) to the songs and I hope that Méav was impressed at my mastery of Dúlaman. In fact, I've become fluent in Irish - well, as long as the conversation is limited to yellow seaweed or wealthy old women with young suitors (OK, so that's somewhat less than fluent).

I also had an exquisite view of their facial expressions, and I could watch their eyes as they panned the audience and their more solemn expressions as they were concentrating on their lines and their movements.

It's also neat to notice the between-the-songs action. The nice thing about the DVDs is the close-up shots, but it is difficult to transfer the same amount of energy as a live concert and the percussion MUST be felt in person.

At the previous concerts, I felt the energy of a live performance, but lacked the "close-up shots." Lisa, Chloe, Orlagh, and Mairead are so physically expressive that not seeing their faces is OK because you can still feel their presence. Méav, however, is not as physically expressive, although her facial expressions are priceless. At this concert I finally got the whole package. Compared to the earlier concerts, I think that Méav has stepped it up a notch with regard to physical expression. She was very animated last night and during the June Boston shows - it was a real treat, from all of the performers.

Being up front, you can also hear the individual choir members and see their facial expressions. You can hear the singers' voices directly, and to me it felt like more of a "pure" sound than what is heard further back through the speaker system.

In the other arenas, when I sat well back, I had difficulty hearing the women over the speaker system. Sometimes the singers are drowned out by the music (I noticed when I sat further back from the stage). Close up in the theaters was pretty good. But last night was impeccable.

The Songs:

Sky and The Dawn and The Sun - You can feel the energy as Lisa begins her "da da's" and the women take their place on stage. This song has it all: the women, instrumental, chorus, lighting, and wonderful faces between Lisa and Chloe. They are just having so much fun on stage and the audience can feel it and it's contagious.

As noted by previous reviewers, the lights can sometimes blind the audience, but I didn't find it that annoying. After the song ends in its final crescendo, the audience is stunned beyond belief. The women have huge smiles on their faces and I could swear that they are even laughing because they are having so much fun up on stage, just as we the audience are also having so much fun.

If the show had ended there with an announcement of "thank you for coming to the show, CDs, DVD, and other items are available for sale in the lobby, American Airlines is the official airline of Celtic Woman," everyone in the audience would have felt they got their money's worth - this song is that powerful.

Caledonia - Lisa is so much fun to watch because she is so expressive and seeing her eyes and sly smile as she sings is very captivating.

The Butterfly - This song begins by Mairead entering from the right side of the stage and "chasing" Lisa off stage to the left. This exchange is a little more playful than earlier in the tour with Lisa and Mairead making a face at each other. Mairead proceeds to interact with the other musicians on the stage as she runs around and hops and whatnot. Being up close, I could hear her whoop and holler as she played. People are always stunned by Mairead.

Something I noticed about Ray, when he plays the spoons on his knee (I think that's what they are), he has to transition rapidly to the drums, so he just tosses the spoons up in the air and they land behind him.

Danny Boy - I think Méav is still holding that last note. At every concert I've heard someone say 'wow' at the end of this song.

The Prayer - Chloe is really an expressive singer, she skips and hops around on stage and she has a wide beaming smile.

Orinoco Flow - Orlagh makes her way to the back of the stage and she is joined by Méav and Lisa and the first notes of Orinoco Flow are played. The audience has been waiting for this song and you can always feel the excitement and anticipation. The audience is never disappointed.

Granuaile's Dance - Mairead went barefoot for this song in the early concerts and in Minneapolis in mid April, but for the June Boston shows and last night she wore shoes. Perhaps this is related to the mishap at Gammage. Anyhow, whatever injury she had, there's no evidence of it. At one point she works herself to the very back of the stage then runs out and leaps off the first step then leaps down 2 more steps. This again is one of those songs that cause people to say 'wow.'

Beyond the Sea - On the DVD Méav does that stand out bit at the end "beyond the sea" and "never again," but on tour the choir takes that part.

The Blessing - When David plays the piano, he comes out and kisses Lisa on the cheek and they both bow. When Feargal plays, Lisa just bows and says thank you, but it's an audible thank you and the audience appreciates it.

Some early reviewer comments indicated that people wished the women would speak to the audience, so even this little bit is wonderful. You can hear the joy in her voice when she thanks the audience. Not only with Lisa, but with all the performers, you can see by their expressions how modest they are and you can clearly see that they are still so surprised at how well they are received. This is just as surreal of an experience for them as it is for us.

Scarborough Fair - I had the pleasure of watching Hayley perform this song twice. Meav's version has grown on me though. I think that Méav has finally found the right combination to make this song her own. When I saw my first show in Wallingford, I was surprised and overjoyed to see Orlagh accompany on the harp.

Vivaldi's Rain - this is such a light, airy, and happy tune. It fits Chloe perfectly.

Over the Rainbow - At every performance you can hear a pin drop. It's amazing how an arena full of people can be so quiet. "Moments of silence" are never this silent. AhhŠ The power of Celtic Woman.

Mo Ghile Mear - An appropriate song to end this set the way it began - the women, instrumental, chorus, lighting, and wonderful faces between Lisa and Chloe, and even Mairead appeared to be singing along. The end of the first half comes much too soon. The women and other performers take a bow and stay on stage for an extended applause. Sometimes the audience gives them a standing ovation.

Intermisson. During intermissions I often talk to others near me and sometimes I'm astonished at how little they follow the group. Who are these people and why are they here? Common conversations include who is missing from the show tonight, who are the original members, what their names are, who has children, how they got started, etc. The Hayley/Méav switch caused some consternation for people.

The Show Continues.

Second half dresses: Méav is dressed in red. Chloe in blue, Lisa in green, Orlagh in purple (not the Slane Castle Show dresses, but similar), and Mairead is in a multi-colored dress.

Second Half of the Show:

Dulaman - The second half opens with Ray and Nicky on their bodhrans for Dulaman. The black curtain background is now dressed with tiny lights that look like stars. The audience is always amazed by the pretty lights; there is always an audible reaction. These lights will change color for different songs. Méav injects a lot of sexiness into this song and I think the audience gets it even though they have no idea what the song is about. Méav injected an extra whoop into the song that wasn't there earlier in the tour.

(I had the opportunity to hear Hayley tackle Dulaman. The first night she sang it she had some trouble that I think was mostly due to nervousness. This is such a difficult song that you really have to admire Hayley for taking it on. She had to step into Méav's long shadow on this song which was really quite unfair. The second night Hayley sang the song, she was really good, which confirms that the first night was an anomaly. Hayley projects more of an innocent, smitten teenager rather than the more mature, sexy image Méav projects. I'm glad I got to see both perform the song.)

Newgrange - This song and theme fit Orlagh's voice so perfectly. The fog machine goes into overtime again as Orlagh enters the stage for Newgrange. I swear for one of the June Boston shows, there was a little more fog than intended and it was difficult to see the performers.

The Soft Goodbye - This is one of my favorite songs from the first CW Helix Show. Lisa enters from the back of the stage and hums to the music, and then Méav enters from the left and Chloe enters from the right.

The Last Rose of summer - Lisa exits and Chloe and Méav walk to the back of the stage. Méav walks to the very back while Chloe stays just in front of the drummers. Méav turns around in the shadows and faces the audience as Chloe begins singing. As Chloe finishes the 1st verse Méav walks forward for her part. This time there was a noticeable pause as Chloe sang "and gives sigh for (pause) sigh." Méav gave Chloe a smile and Chloe giggled in return. It's songs like these where I like to compare the women's voices. Although Chloe and Méav are both sopranos, their voices are completely different. Méav's voice is so crystal clear. How music critics are confused, I do not know.

The Last Rose of Summer Instrumental - Mairead enters the stage from the rear and slowly spins around with Méav on one side and Chloe on the other. I could clearly see Chloe giggling - she has so much fun on stage. Chloe and Méav exit the stage to the rear holding hands. The violin here is very serene and very powerful.

Mairead always impresses the audience with her jumping around, but she is just as impressive standing still and playing beautiful music.

Nella Fantasia - Chloe comes back out on stage. When Des did his guitar solo we gave him an ovation. That's some really fantastic playing. During my first concert in Wallingford, we didn't clap for Des. The second night at Wallingford, when the audience clapped, my first thought was that it was rude to Chloe because she's singing. I can now see from her expression that she prefers when the audience claps for Des; Chloe gives him her own ovation with her facial expression. I think he gets an ovation from the audience more often than not, which is good. At the end of the song Chloe blows Des a kiss as she giggles and skips off the stage.

At the Ceili - This song is just so much fun. Méav and Orlagh enter from the very front of the stage, do a spin at center and meet up with Lisa at the rear of the stage. They are now wearing their Ceili dresses which are different from the Slane Show dresses. There's a lot to do for the choir members and they get to play some too. There are quite a few faces as they dance and tease the musicians.

It has already been noted in other reviews that Méav's rich man shows a sad face when he is rejected and he lowers his head, but little has been reported about Méav's poor man. He has some good facial expressions too. During the "being poor is not much fun" line he gives an exasperated look and when he "wins" he has a very happy, gloating look. During Meav's washing dishes line she also made a new gesture with her fingers kind of like when you sayick and shake your hands. At the Ceili is over way too soon.

Shenandoah/The Contradiction - Mairead has more fun with the drummers and there's more whooping and hollering. Something different from the previous shows is when she's jamming with Ray on the right hand side of the stage they both hop on one foot. Previously they hopped on both feet.

Carrickfergus - Some verses were removed for the tour and I must say that I really prefer Orlagh's full version on her CD. At the end Orlagh says thank you which is nice to hear.

The Voice - This is one of my all-time favorite songs. I love when Lisa comes to the front of the stage and plants herself for the percussion heavy part. This always leaves the audience stunned.

Sing Out - The women come out onto the stage from different places at slightly different times with Méav entering last from the left. This is a very fun song with audience clapping and I could see Mairead singing along. The women come right to the front of the stage at the end of the song.

You Raise Me Up - There has been some discussion about Mairead getting her hair caught in the fiddle. Well, I saw it happen in Boston. She simply finished Sing Out and then pulled her hair out before beginning You Raise Me Up. The only disappointing thing about this song is that it signals that the end of the concert is near.

Right before the final line, Chloe thanks us for being a wonderful audience and then we clap through the final line of the song. The women all bow at the front of the stage and acknowledge the other performers. The audience gives a standing ovation and then Mairead launches into the finale as the other women leave the stage.

Instrumental Finale - Mairead launches into an instrumental that I think is supposed to represent the whole concert while being accompanied by the choir. They then break into Mo Ghile Mear and each woman reenters the stage. Everybody bows again and they get another standing ovation.

Spanish Lady - At the end of Spanish Lady, there is another round of bows. Everybody stands again and we clap continuously as the performers leave the stage and wave to the audience.


Meet and Greet Experience:

Those of us with M&G passes all gathered near the mixer. I overheard people question themselves - is this the right place? Arena officials met us and escorted us to one of the meeting rooms.

I chatted with others in line and it still amazes me that the people in the M&G's don't know the women or who's in the group so I explain about Hayley and that these are the original 5 and what their names are that this is their only night in Springfield.

I had brought my program to have it signed, but Rachel passed out pictures that we could use instead if we wanted. It's the same picture found near the very front of the program with all the women lined up in their "white" Slane Show dresses.

There were about 25-30 of us and we waited for a few minutes as Rachel explained that the women were cooling down and drinking water as it is very hot on stage with all the lights. Rachel said that it would be Méav and Orlagh and that they would be wearing their second half dresses. Rachel cautioned that the dresses are delicate since they are used every night and that we weren't to touch or grab or otherwise imperil the dresses. One man asked if their hair was delicate and Rachel responded that the hair is also delicate.

I was concerned that I would just be awestruck and not remember my own name when I finally got in front of Méav and Orlagh, so while I waited I was thinking of something appropriate to say to each instead of just drooling uncontrollably with a huge silly grin on my face.

Méav and Orlagh finally appeared and we gave them another round of applause. They thanked us and took their seats - we would pass Meav first and then Orlagh.

The line moved pretty fast and the women were willing to sign any number of photos and programs, there was no (unrealistic) limit per person. The women have learned to be very forward with the M&G attendees probably because we are "dumbed-up." So they extend their hands to shake ours and ask us how we're doing to bring us back to reality. Rachel stood at the front of the line and opened people's programs to the right page and asked peoples names to personalize the greeting.

The woman in front of me had two photos and a program to sign so when she moved to Orlagh, Méav thought the program was mine. Méav extended her hand and said "hello, nice to meet you" and I shook her hand and explain that it was not my turn yet and I didn't want to intrude on the other woman's time.

Then I moved over and we shook hands again and I put out the hello first. I told Méav that Silver Sea was my favorite of her albums and she opened right up. The line stopped moving as she and I had a moment. Perhaps they meet so few of us CWF members that when they meet someone who is an actual rabid fan they are more appreciative.

Méav also described how much fun she had making that album and working with some of the musicians who were good friends and creating fun sounds. She also said that working from home was nice and she could sleep in her own bed each night, unlike touring.

After what seemed like an eternity with Méav, I moved over to Orlagh. We shook hands and said hello. I told her that I noticed the lever switching on the harp, something I would have never known to look for if it wasn't for her forum. She said that she noticed me having fun in the audience and I said that this was my 11th show. She said that I must know the music pretty good by now and I said that I was well versed in the differences between the DVD and the live concert. And then it was over.

As others have noted, there are absolutely no airs with these women. They enjoy meeting us just as much as we enjoy meeting them. Or if they don't they are damned good actors. Anyhow, Méav and Orlagh made my year. I'd like to also point out that they have very solid handshakes, no limp wrists.

Thanks, Tracy!