I was meeting Scott for this show and remembering how big the place is I tried to arrive extra early.  Last year's show was on a weekday and this year's was Saturday.  What a difference that makes!  Traffic was horrible and almost every parking garage was full.  I ended up in one of the surface lots and had to take a shuttle bus to the casino.  It was all worth it, though, since this was the night of the CD signing and hopefully my first meeting with Máiréad.  I probably would have crawled over broken glass and walked through fire to get there!

Scott arrived around 5pm and we got reacquainted.  We checked at the record store that was sponsoring the signing to verify the logistics.  We didn't want to leave anything to chance!  Before we went for dinner Scott realized that he had left his ticket in his car.  He had the same parking issue I did, so he had to walk all the way to the other side of the casino, take a shuttle bus back to his car, then reverse the process.  It took almost an hour!  Fortunately, for me anyway, the record store was playing The Greatest Journey DVD on their big screens, so I just relaxed and enjoyed the preview while waiting for Scott.

By this time the lines at all of the restaurants were ridiculously long so we just grabbed something at the food court, which was also packed.  We made it to the arena in plenty of time.  At the entrance, security was thoroughly checking everyone and patting them down.  Of course, they found my camera that I had brought for the signing and tried to force me to check it.  I didn't want to do that because that would have slowed me down after the show.  Fortunately, a more senior security person came over and I was able to convince him that I wasn't planning to use the camera during the show, so he left me keep it.  Whew!

Scott and I had purchased our tickets separately so not only were we not together, we were on opposite sides of the arena.  We discussed the best way to get to the line for the signing and planned our respective escape routes.  Even though I was farther from the stage and on the wrong side of the arena, I was at the end of a row and made a blistering exit.

Despite the latecomers (see rant below), I enjoyed this show more than the first one.  Even though I was actually farther from the stage than at Proctor's, I was front row along the side and had a clearer view.  And I was seeing and hearing things for the second time so there were fewer surprises.  Being an arena, the sound was cranked up and the power was back.  The Voice really kicked it!  And at the end of Oricono Flow the room-vibrating bass was back.

I listened much more closely to the new songs and I quickly grew to love them as much as the familiar ones.  Alex and Lynn now have their own personal songs and they really give them their all.  Alex's stage background really shines as her songs seem more like show tunes.  Lynn's Carolina Rua is a delightful arrangement that includes Máiréad.  In fact, Máiréad comes on stage well before she actually starts playing and just dances along with Lynn and the chorus for a while.  Pure delight!  They seem to have added a little bit of Máiréad to several of the songs.  Anything that keeps her on stage makes me happy.

With the additional power, Chloë's voice really comes through, too.  All of the reviews I had read said that her voice has "matured."  I wasn't sure what that really meant, but as soon as she start singing When You Believe it immediately became apparent.  WOW!  After that I could hardly wait to hear Nella Fantasia.  I always get a chill when she hits that high note near the end and this time I just about melted.  Words can't describe it.

Máiréad's Last Rose Fantasia always tears me up and this year is no exception.  They changed the lighting, though.  Last year she was backlit with more "mysterious" lighting; this year she is hit with the standard front spotlight.  I prefer last year's lighting but the beauty of the song is unaffected.  In fact, from a distance I tend to just close my eyes and let the music flow.  When I'm up close, of course, my eye are wide open!

The audience at Proctor's was a little quiet, but I've come to expect that from a more traditional "theater crowd."  The audience here was much more into it.  Maybe it was all of the food and drink or the extra rest they got by coming in late.  (Sorry.)  Even though there was no standing ovation at the end of the first half, there were 4 at the end, after O, America, You Raise Me Up, Máiréad's Reprise, and Spanish Lady.

At this point, I still hadn't made up my mind about the second half gowns.  They are a very complex design which, for me anyway, is difficult to decipher from a distance.  And there were still a few songs I needed to hear again to fully appreciate.  But that's one of the reasons I always go to several shows.  Front row tomorrow night and then I'll really be able to make up my mind.

Original review is here.

I mentioned this in my Mohegan Sun review from last year and I believe it was worse this year.  Don't the Connecticut schools teach people how to tell time?  The concert starts at 8pm; it's printed right on the ticket.  That means you arrive so that you are seated before then.  It's not rocket science folks!

CW made their normal announcement at 8 that the performance would be starting shortly.  Then they waited the usual 10 minutes or so to allow people to settle.  Well, even as they dimmed the lights people were still streaming in.  And not just a few stragglers either, but a solid line from the upper level entrances to the floor.  At every entrance.  When the show started, my whole row (among many) was almost empty and probably 20% of the floor seats were unoccupied.

CW policy is that once the show starts nobody will be seated until after the third number.  So after Chloë finished her When You Believe (WOW, by the way) it's Máiréad's turn for her new Coast of Galicia.  No sooner does the applause start for Chloë when there's sea of latecomers and ushers with flashlights roaring down the aisles, all talking of course.  A group stopped right in front of me while they argued with the usher about their seat location,  They must have seated at least 200 people while Máiréad was playing.  I missed almost the entire first half of the song.

I heard several ushers telling people before the show that CW now has an additional policy that no one will be seated during any song, only between songs.  So at the end of every song during the first half of the show, that's right, every song right up to intermission, there were ushers with flashlights seating people.  Not people that were returning from a potty break, but new arrivals.  It was extraordinarily annoying.

I think CW needs a new policy.  It's very simple.  If you're not seated in time for the start of the show you either wait until intermission or you go home.  No excuses, no arguing, no exceptions.  Maybe people will learn, although I doubt it.

And what's up with all the food?  It's not a hockey game.

It really, really, really bugs me.  And it has to bother the performers, too.  I'm sure Máiréad gave it her all, but seeing that many people moving around, people getting out of their seats to let others past, and flashlights everywhere, had to be distracting.

It's fortunate for that group that stopped in front of me that I'm not confrontational.

Sorry, I had to get that out of my system.  I feel better now.