pete4winds Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 If you had described Celtic Woman to me before I'd ever seen them on PBS, I probably would have no interest in going to see them live. As an almost lifelong musician, I do have a deep respect for all things music, and my musical tastes cover a pretty wide range, but as for my taste in live concerts specifically, I'm usually going to some kind of rock or metal show. In the case of Celtic Woman, however, I'm glad I'd seen them on TV before having them described to me. For those of you unfamiliar with them, Celtic Woman is a theatrical music show built around four female vocalists (originally five) and a female fiddler. Think of it as Broadway meets classical vocals meets top 40, all with a strongly Celtic/Irish flavor to it. These tickets, for this past Tuesday, were my Christmas gift to Jen, and it was supposed to be a full dinner-and-show date night, our first in a few years. However, over the weekend the whole family battled a fast-moving flu-ish thing, and by Tuesday afternoon, we were all feeling much better, but still with reduced appetites. Jen and I skipped the all-you-can-eat meal at Fire and Ice in favor of much more manageable small pizzas from Papa Gino's before we left. My mom was at our house to watch Connor for the night, so she joined us for pizza. The show was absolutely amazing. It ran about 2-and-a-half hours, with a 20 minute intermission a little less than halfway through. Our seats were a little high, but the Dunkin' Donuts Center isn't that big to begin with, and we were directly above our section's entrance. The only thing in front of us was the handrail! GREAT seats... This is my first "full" TR with my new camera (THE first, my son's trip to Hooters, was only 13 photos or so), so this one gets a little long...the show was a real chance to see what the camera could do. The 12X zoom was a godsend, and I even managed to get about 2 minutes of video! I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking. Enjoy! One last look from our seats. And the same for Nicky Bailey's kit. Ray Fean's percussion kit with house lights up, for all my fellow drummers and percussionists. ...and the entire band thanks the Providence crowd. The ladies take their bow... The only flash photo I took all night. If Lita Ford was a fiddler... Pre-encore bow. Yet another costume change, while Máiréad rocks center stage. She has the grace of an eagle, the the energy of Steven Tyler, and the speed of a sprinter...in heels, no less! I wondered out loud how many times she slid of the stage during rehearsals. More dueling Irish hand drums. Lynn (in brown), Alex (in blue), and Lisa (in purple) dance the ceilidh. First costume change, for the song "At the Ceilidh" (observant TPRers will recognize that word as my daughter's name - it's a particular type of Irish/Gaelic celebration, like a square dance). ...for a little djembe solo. ...before Nicky Bailey joins her out in front... Alex Sharpe's solo moment... Those are some gorgeous...um, gowns. OK, well, the gowns were beautiful, too. The sound board, for those of you so interested. Máiréad shows a little leg...rowr! An unzoomed view from our seats. The cola bottle on the left is for perspective. On the video screen is a shot of Ellis Island, during "Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears," the show's tribute to Irish immigration during the heyday of Ellis Island. At the far left of the stage is Celtic Woman creator, composer, and pianist David Downes. The Aontas Choir backs Alex literally and musically. See? She's starting to get into it a little, joined by bassist Eoghan O'Neill and Uileann piper Gavin Whelan. Lynn, Lisa, and Alex shine in front of Ray Fean's "office" Nicky Bailey rocks out. Is it Celtic Woman or Revenge of the Sith??? Ray (left) and fellow percussionist Nicky Bailey join Lynn and the Aontas Choir for a little dueling Irish hand drum action. Percussionist Ray Fean Chloë and the Aontas Choir. Lisa Máiréad looks docile now, but this is the rockin'-est fiddler I've ever seen. L-R: Founding member Chloë Agnew, Alex Sharpe, Lynn Hilary, founding member Máiréad Nesbitt (in white), and founding member Lisa Kelly. The start of the show. The new camera. Celtic Woman.wmv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alomar Posted March 14, 2009 Share Posted March 14, 2009 Those women are amazing! Pretty good songs too! And those percussion sets are making me drool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alomar Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Just saw their 2005 performance about 2 hours ago on PBS, couldnt stop watching. Simply amazing. They will be here in Az on the 23rd of april, but the only way to get tickets is through PBS for $300 for 2 tickets!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete4winds Posted March 16, 2009 Author Share Posted March 16, 2009 Oh, spend the $300.00!!! "It's viewers like you who make it possible for us to bring such quality programming..." Bah, I assume it's sold out otherwise? That's a shame. I imagine they'll be back next year. I certainly wouldn't pay $300.00, but whatever (regular) price you pay if you ever go will be well worh it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alomar Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 "It's viewers like you who make it possible for us to bring such quality programming..." yeah I had to listen to that numerous times while watching it. The tickets are only available from PBS, no other online ticket source has them so..... But if they were available else where cheaper I would probably go, the women are very nice to look at. And the music is amazing. For the type it is, it kept me interested (not easy to do) Im part Irish so I guess that part came out in me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Team Thriller Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 I love these singers. I got their album and my favorite two songs are Walking in the Air and One World. They look so fantastic. I wish I could go and see them. --James Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xdisneyfan Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 I've enjoyed watching the PBS specials, but personnel changes have definitely lowered the pulchritude punch of Celtic Woman, most especially the departure of Meav. Meav Ni Mhaolchath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christianscoasters Posted March 18, 2009 Share Posted March 18, 2009 What song is that in the video? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete4winds Posted March 18, 2009 Author Share Posted March 18, 2009 ^ "The Voice," performed here by Lisa Kelly (minus about the first 30 seconds or so of the song). Originally recorded in 1996 Eimear Quinn for the 1996 Eurovision Song Contest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now