Tours:

Concerts:

Erie, February 23, 2010

 

Ticket_20100223_ErieDespite getting to sleep in my own bed for three nights straight, I really haven't been home much.  The weekend shows in Baltimore plus going in to the office on Monday for a while didn't leave much time for anything else.  Despite that, I left early Tuesday for the 5½ hour drive to Erie for tonight's show.  To say that it was worth it would be a major understatement.

I arrived around 3:30 and after checking in to my hotel I headed downtown to do my normal reconnaissance, scouting the area around the theater for parking and restaurants.  Of the various “big city” downtowns I've been to, Erie's is one of the nicer ones.  The streets are nice and wide, the sidewalks are trash free, the buildings are graffiti free, and I didn't fear for my life or wallet as I walked around.  After planning my parking and arrival for later, I parked and took some photos of the theater.  The Warner Theater is an old movie house that is on the home stretch of a multi-year renovation and it shows.  The entry doors and traditional exterior ticket booth are all brass topped by a rather ornate marquee and sign.  The interior is in the classic 30's style with marble, mirrors, chandeliers, sconces, and red velvet everywhere.  The theater is not very big and when finished will be like a smaller version of Shea's Performing Arts Center in Buffalo.  The seats are wider than normal and the rows are spaced farther apart than most venues, so it is a very comfortable place to sit back and enjoy a show.

I was in row D, which is actually 3rd row orchestra, in the third seat from the left.  There are two pit rows right up against the rather high stage and I was actually glad I wasn't up there.  The stage is very shallow and CW had to make severe adjustments to the set and the staging.  The oval platform where the girls spend most of their time normally has a step that circles it so they can step down to the stage and there is usually about a 10 foot runway in front of that for our lovely Máiréad to strut her stuff.  Neither of those were present tonight.  The oval platform was right up against the front of the stage, so no step and no runway.  At all of the normal times where the girls step down to the stage, they instead stayed on the platform and Máiréad just pranced around without being able to do any leaps or runs.  It absolutely did not detract from the performance in any way.

Popular superstition tells us that 13 is an unlucky number but this show, the 13th show of the new tour, was very lucky indeed.  Those that attended this show were treated to a feast for the eyes and the ears.  The theater is about the same size as the Hippodrome so I wasn't sure what to expect in the sound department.  Simply put, they nailed it.  Unlike the heavy distorted sound in Baltimore, the sound engineers dialed it waaaaaay back and it was spectacular.  It was absolutely the best sound, bar none, that I've ever heard at an indoor Celtic Woman show.  To give you an idea just how little amplification was being used, there were many times where, even from my somewhat distant location in the fifth row, I could hear the girls' actual voices from the stage.  And I could hear Máiréad's violin, too.  Now that's perfection!

Kudos, too, to the lighting guys.  For one of the few times ever, the spotlight guys got it right.  Erie has proven that it is indeed possible and every other venue in the country that's hosting a CW show should come to Erie to learn how it's done.

As for the girls, with perfect sound and perfect lighting what else would you expect but perfection.  The light touch on the soundboard enhanced every song to a level unlike any previous show.  Hearing the voices live from the stage mixed with just a little bit from the speakers made every song a joy to listen to.  As soon as I realized what the sound engineers had done, I settled back for what proved to be one mesmerizing song after another.

I've noticed some things during Lynn's My Lagan Love at earlier shows but couldn't quite put my finger on it.  Tonight I figured it out.  When the chorus first enters the stage their microphones are either off or greatly reduced in volume because I can hear their natural voices very clearly.  When Lynn stops and the chorus relocates to the center of the platform their voices are coming through the speakers.  When Lynn starts singing again the chorus is back to their natural voices.  It is a beautiful effect because the two parts, Lynn and the chorus, are coming from different locations.  I love it.  By the way, Lynn did not insult Ray and Nicky during her Dulaman introduction tonight.

OK, you all know by now that I have to say it.  Alex's My Heart Was Home Again was drop-dead amazing tonight.  Not only was the sound so much better but she seemed to put a lot more emotion into it.  I looked under my seat for my Odo's Bucket but it wasn't there.  I just melted into a puddle in my seat instead.

Chloë's voice has always been the one that would carry over the sound system the best and tonight was no exception.  Galway Bay was the best ever and you should have heard that note near the end of When You Believe just hang in mid-air for a few seconds.  WOW!

With perfect sound, Lisa's silky smooth voice just blew me away.  Her soaring crescendo during The Moon's a Harsh Mistress was so crystal clear tonight.  What I wouldn't have given to hear The Voice with tonight's sound setup.

The group numbers were equally spectacular.  My favorite, Non C'è Più, was indescribably beautiful.  But that's only because I've run out of adjectives.  During that one high note that Lynn hits and holds, I could hear her voice directly from the stage as clear as a bell.  And when Chloë does the same a few moments later... Whoa!

Despite not having room to run, Máiréad was a spitfire and did the best she could with the space she had to work with.  When she couldn't run, she spun and when she couldn't leap, she hopped.  The one thing she didn't do was stand still.  She did an easy eleven spins during Coast of Galiçia and had the audience all fired up.  She even got some spontaneous clap-along during Granuaile's Dance.  Being able to actually hear her violin from the stage during Last Rose Fantasia was...  Well, you get the picture.  Only one other time have I been moved so much by that beautiful piece.

Believe it or not, the audience tonight was great, too.  With one exception there was no VSS; standing ovations were spontaneous, not forced, and unanimous.  They clapped along where they were supposed to and there was lots of whistles and yelling.  I was impressed for once.  The one exception was during Spanish Lady where, despite Chloë telling everyone to stand and clap, they all sat back down except about a dozen random people, me being one.

Just to prove that they are human after all, there was one very minor glitch in the show and it came at the very beginning.  When the girls come out one by one in the dark for the opening number holding their candles, Lynn's wasn't lit.  That's it; that was the only flaw in the entire show.

If there was any downside to the show it was my seat location.  Because I was so far back the girls couldn't see me and I didn't get much interaction.  Máiréad finally spotted me during The Mason's Apron and I got one of those wonderful whole face smiles.  At the end, they all found me during Spanish Lady since I was the only one standing for miles around.  Front row tomorrow night will solve that problem.

Ticket_20100223_Erie_MGOur guests for the Meet & Greet were Alex and Lynn. They were both lovely and took lots of time with their fans.  I told them both that their performances tonight were exceptional and I finally got the rest of my stuff signed that needed their signatures.  Since Chloë told me on Sunday that their inventory was getting low, I delivered another box of Cadbury Flake bars to Alex.  That should tide them over until Wallingford.

OK, here's the detailed report card:

Lighting

10

In an extraordinarily rare occurrence, the spotlight guys got it right.  It made the show so much more enjoyable to not have the girls singing in the dark.  A big thumbs up to Erie and the Warner Theater.

Sound

10

Whatever they did in Baltimore they did the opposite tonight and it was spectacular.  I may be a bit of a perfectionist and some may think I'm a little too critical at times, but I'm also the first to recognize when things are done right and to congratulate those who made it happen.  I asked Mitch at the M&G tonight whether he could get a message to the sound guys.  He said he could and I asked him to thank them for me for a wonderful sound experience.

Performance

10

This score is, of course, a no brainer but I've included it for the sake of completeness.  Nothing more needs to be said.

Audience

9.8

There are two reasons why the audience didn't get a perfect 10 and I knocked off a tenth of a point for each.  The main reason was them sitting back down during Spanish Lady.  The other is because some idiot's cell phone rang at the beginning of Non C'è Più.  Sorry, one bad apple ruins the score for everyone.

As usual, this review has gotten longer than I originally intended but this was truly an amazing show and they have now set a standard which they must continue to live up to.  We'll see tomorrow night in Wilkes-Barre whether they can do it.

The original review is here.

 

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