garcia5
03-24-2007, 09:29 AM
We saw this show at Ovens Auditorium last night and my first thought was "Man this place is small". It felt like a church setting with mostly older folks standing around at the bars on both the upper and lower level while they talked amongst themselves. As we began to move into the auditorium the stage opened up in shades of purple and dark blue. The first thing I noticed was the set up of the drums, which there were two uniquely different sets. One was set up traditional with a giant drum elevated behind the set while the other was a mix of bongo drums, chimes, cymbals, and tom's. The stage work had the look of what I can only describe as giant pipe's from a pipe organ while the actual stage itself was three or four levels slightly lower then the next divided in shape. To the side there was a lone piano with a keyboard on top and on the opposite side there were three chairs; one for an acoustic guitar player, one for a flute player, and one for a poor guy who probably played an instrument but was shadowed the entire time by poor lighting on his angle. Standing near them was a man with a bass, also poorly lit.
My excitement had brought me this far and when the house lights went down and the show lights went up I sat up straight in my seat thankful I was one seat off from being directly infront of a bar that would have blocked my view (I felt sorry for the two people sitting next to me). The singers came out for an ensamble number and the sound, in person, is what I can only describe as a choir of evenly matched but uniquely different beautiful voices that were magnifyed to shake your inner core, literally. I watched in awe as the two drummers seemed to move in a systematic formation; one providing this awesome off time beat while the other, who reminded me of this cartoon octopuss I saw once playing the drums, threw his arms about wildly beating on bongo's and timing the slide of his chimes and then picking up a rainmaker and shaking it all in perfect percision. It was incredible. The Piano player, who instantly reminded me of Ray Manzerick, with one hand working the piano and the other working the keyboard to supply a synthetic ambiance that matched the variations of light and display from the show lights, which blinked blue with renditions of waves in their midst or yellow with Celtic Crosses. The combination of all these things at once heightend my excietment.
The next few songs were slow and the music maybe a little bit to relaxing. If you've ever wondered what a baby feels like as its sung to sleep by a beautiful voice, this is how it feels. The resonate effects of the singers voice seemed to warm me all over and relax me to the point where I couldn't tear my eyes away and yet I wanted to be lulled to sleep. My head tilted to one side and if I would have allowed myself to fall asleep I can bet my life on it that it would have been the best sleep I have ever had. As I drifted between the perfect sleep and the beauty of the stage and the performers I was warm and comfortable and calm. Luckily Celtic Woman is supplied with one of the greatest fiddle players I've ever had the fortune to see with my own two eyes. Máiréad has been playing fiddle since she was 6 years old and it shows as she blazes across the stage in a costume that makes her look like an imp fluttering back and forth on the stage working the fiddle so quickly and so presicely you would expect to find the fiddle smoking from such use. Máiréad came out quite a few times and it was obvious she was the temptress to lure you from your comfotable sleep and it worked. I felt energized again and and ready to see more of the show. After about an hour and a half there was a twenty minute intermission inwhich half of the auditorium cleared out. My wife and I stayed put and I stood to stretch my legs and shake the sleep out of me.
The second half of the show began and unfortunatly Máiréad did not perform as wildly as she had done before. The singers came out and performed a few slower songs which brought me dangerously close to sleep, my head swayed back and forth as I nodded off, but I managed to stay awake, it also helped that the audiance clapped wildly after every performance. Then it happened. Máiréad came out and played a soft slow number on her fiddle which all but killed my chances of staying awake. My wife nudged me a few times but I couldn't help but be enveloped in this soft sound of piano and fiddle. I was out. The guy next to me sneezed and woke me after only a few minutes but even after I was shaken awake by his sneeze I drifted in and out of a heavy perfect sleep. After that number was over the ensamble cast, plus a small choir of men and women, began the "Sail Away" number which was loud and energizing and again I was dumbfounded at the drummers and their ability to move everywhere at once. On their belts they kept a number of different drum sticks for each specialized drum which they switched off from every few seconds with professional familiarity. Again, after that number ended out came the slow songs such as "Danny Boy" and a number presented in the Celtic language which was both beautiful and sad but all together a tempting lull to sleep.
As Chloe, the youngest singer on the tour at age 16, thanked the audience for being so wonderful the place lit up with just about every light formation that had spilled onto the stage, the musicians came alive with loud and intertwining sounds that fitted perfectly into one another, the choir sung strong and loud and the singers sang soft and beautiful as they danced side by side. Máiréad appeared again blazing her fiddle and leaping across the stage wildly again and then all at once everything ended. The audience jumped to their feet and clapped and hooted and whisteled which brought the show back out for a couple of more encores before they all bowed in unison and left the stage.
Celtic Woman. If I would have known I would have downed a few cappaccino's before going in, because even though I will probably never know that kind of comfort and want for sleep again, I do regret not being able to keep my eyes open to see the entire show. Could I see myself going to see this show by myself? Probably not. But now that I've seen it in person I know there is an atmosphere that you will take away from that show that will probably not be replaced by anything else.
http://www.celticwoman.com/viewSection.asp?idSection=199&id=artists
My excitement had brought me this far and when the house lights went down and the show lights went up I sat up straight in my seat thankful I was one seat off from being directly infront of a bar that would have blocked my view (I felt sorry for the two people sitting next to me). The singers came out for an ensamble number and the sound, in person, is what I can only describe as a choir of evenly matched but uniquely different beautiful voices that were magnifyed to shake your inner core, literally. I watched in awe as the two drummers seemed to move in a systematic formation; one providing this awesome off time beat while the other, who reminded me of this cartoon octopuss I saw once playing the drums, threw his arms about wildly beating on bongo's and timing the slide of his chimes and then picking up a rainmaker and shaking it all in perfect percision. It was incredible. The Piano player, who instantly reminded me of Ray Manzerick, with one hand working the piano and the other working the keyboard to supply a synthetic ambiance that matched the variations of light and display from the show lights, which blinked blue with renditions of waves in their midst or yellow with Celtic Crosses. The combination of all these things at once heightend my excietment.
The next few songs were slow and the music maybe a little bit to relaxing. If you've ever wondered what a baby feels like as its sung to sleep by a beautiful voice, this is how it feels. The resonate effects of the singers voice seemed to warm me all over and relax me to the point where I couldn't tear my eyes away and yet I wanted to be lulled to sleep. My head tilted to one side and if I would have allowed myself to fall asleep I can bet my life on it that it would have been the best sleep I have ever had. As I drifted between the perfect sleep and the beauty of the stage and the performers I was warm and comfortable and calm. Luckily Celtic Woman is supplied with one of the greatest fiddle players I've ever had the fortune to see with my own two eyes. Máiréad has been playing fiddle since she was 6 years old and it shows as she blazes across the stage in a costume that makes her look like an imp fluttering back and forth on the stage working the fiddle so quickly and so presicely you would expect to find the fiddle smoking from such use. Máiréad came out quite a few times and it was obvious she was the temptress to lure you from your comfotable sleep and it worked. I felt energized again and and ready to see more of the show. After about an hour and a half there was a twenty minute intermission inwhich half of the auditorium cleared out. My wife and I stayed put and I stood to stretch my legs and shake the sleep out of me.
The second half of the show began and unfortunatly Máiréad did not perform as wildly as she had done before. The singers came out and performed a few slower songs which brought me dangerously close to sleep, my head swayed back and forth as I nodded off, but I managed to stay awake, it also helped that the audiance clapped wildly after every performance. Then it happened. Máiréad came out and played a soft slow number on her fiddle which all but killed my chances of staying awake. My wife nudged me a few times but I couldn't help but be enveloped in this soft sound of piano and fiddle. I was out. The guy next to me sneezed and woke me after only a few minutes but even after I was shaken awake by his sneeze I drifted in and out of a heavy perfect sleep. After that number was over the ensamble cast, plus a small choir of men and women, began the "Sail Away" number which was loud and energizing and again I was dumbfounded at the drummers and their ability to move everywhere at once. On their belts they kept a number of different drum sticks for each specialized drum which they switched off from every few seconds with professional familiarity. Again, after that number ended out came the slow songs such as "Danny Boy" and a number presented in the Celtic language which was both beautiful and sad but all together a tempting lull to sleep.
As Chloe, the youngest singer on the tour at age 16, thanked the audience for being so wonderful the place lit up with just about every light formation that had spilled onto the stage, the musicians came alive with loud and intertwining sounds that fitted perfectly into one another, the choir sung strong and loud and the singers sang soft and beautiful as they danced side by side. Máiréad appeared again blazing her fiddle and leaping across the stage wildly again and then all at once everything ended. The audience jumped to their feet and clapped and hooted and whisteled which brought the show back out for a couple of more encores before they all bowed in unison and left the stage.
Celtic Woman. If I would have known I would have downed a few cappaccino's before going in, because even though I will probably never know that kind of comfort and want for sleep again, I do regret not being able to keep my eyes open to see the entire show. Could I see myself going to see this show by myself? Probably not. But now that I've seen it in person I know there is an atmosphere that you will take away from that show that will probably not be replaced by anything else.
http://www.celticwoman.com/viewSection.asp?idSection=199&id=artists