I had planned to leave from my three days at my employer's satellite facility in Wytheville, VA, bright and early Thursday morning, but I got a call at the hotel and had to stop in to fix a DSL problem.  It turned out to be CenturyLink's issue so I headed out about 2 hours later than planned.  Charlotte is only a little over two hours from Wytheville so I still had plenty of time.  I had an idea for a great gift for Lynn and spent most of the afternoon trying to find it locally but had no luck.  It's too late to order it online now so I guess it won't happen.  I also got to eat dinner at my favorite place, Steak 'n Shake; there aren't any in the Northeast so I eat there whenever I am near one.  I got to the venue about an hour before show time and ran into John (JByrd) and his wife before I even got to Will Call to pick up my tickets.  There was a momentary panic when they weren't there but Chad from WTVI took care of everything.  Thanks, Chad!  The show was a complete sellout and John had talked to a lady before I arrived who was looking for a single ticket.  So my second ticket found a home and Caitlin (Trouble) got my extra M&G pass.  Hannah was there, too, with her parents.  It was the Charlotte regulars!

The Ovens Auditorium is not a fancy theater but it is quite nice.  The pit was raised up level with the stage but the girls were not allowed off the actual stage so they weren't able to get very close to the audience.  It made eye contact difficult but I was quickly spotted.  Even though there were several other forum members there I was not close to any of them and it was my first show “alone” in quite a while.  It felt a little strange; I've gotten used to the shared experience.  I was in the second row in the center section near the left end of the row.  The two seats in front of me were empty so I had an excellent view of the stage and the reverse was true, as well.  I planned an ISU but someone else tried it before I had the chance and they immediately got booted back to their regular seats, so I stayed put.

There were no set changes since Roanoke and the LCD screens seem to be permanently gone; I don't miss them.  Despite a somewhat lackluster audience, at least in the first act, the girls poured their hearts out and gave a fabulous performance.  Máiréad was on fire and did her full 10 spins during Coast of Galicia.  She didn't switch from slow to fast spins until the fourth or fifth one, otherwise she could have probably done 11.  Every time I hear it I fall in love more with Alex's new solo, My Heart Was Home Again; she puts such emotion into it.  There was only a fractional standing ovation at the end of the first act and I felt a little sorry for the girls.  The audience perked up a little during the second act and even sort of clapped along occasionally.  There were no steps added for the chorus and Anthony to use to enter the stage, they used the steps at either end.  John mentioned that they used steps in different places at other shows so it appears to be a venue-specific thing.  Anthony got a big round of applause after his entrance for Amazing Grace.  The girls still leave the stage at the end, though, so I guess David is not going to change it.  The girls continue to ad lib during their song introductions and Lynn did not insult Ray and Nicky tonight.  Máiréad still sounds very nervous when doing her introduction; I don't think she's used to speaking to that many people at once.  They got a big standing ovation at the end of You Raise Me Up and the Finale and we all stayed standing for Spanish Lady.  It was a great show.

After the show, Mitch checked everybody off his list and we headed upstairs.  WTVI had coffee and assorted desserts for our enjoyment while we waited.  We were all very happy when it was announced that we would have Lisa and Máiréad as our guests.  I had lots of stuff for Máiréad so I hung around until the end.  By the way, they finally have a new group picture for people to get signed.  Rachel was not working tonight, there was a brunette in her place.  When I got to the head of the line I jokingly said, “Who are you and what have you done with Rachel?”  Her name is Kelly and she said that Rachel was “working” elsewhere.

The only thing I had for Lisa to sign was the new group photo and the Roanoke poster.  She remarked “You were all alone out there tonight.”  I agreed but told her it was OK.  We talked about the show a little before I moved over to Máiréad.  I first gave her a letter I had written for her to read later that introduced me as the new Administrator of her forum and discussed some forum business that I didn't want to waste precious M&G minutes on.  I next gave her a bunch of new Fiddler Crossing signs for everyone in the cast and, of course, I had her sign one for me.  I expect to see at least one of those in a bus window!  After some more signing of pictures and the poster it was time for the big event, more Cadbury Flake bars.  I asked Lisa if she had been sharing the previous box and she jokingly said “No,” but then promised that she had.  I gave this box directly to Máiréad and somehow it still ended up in Lisa's hands!  She gave it back this time, though.  At least Rachel wasn't there fighting for it, too!  Mairead was, as always, very gracious and both her and Lisa were a hoot.  It was a great show with a great Meet & Greet.  Now it's on to Charlottesville tomorrow with a whole group of forum folks.

The original review is here.