Last night's show in Philadelphia was awesome (surprise, surprise!) The Mann Center is a similar venue to Wolf Trap being a covered pavilion with outdoor seating available. Unlike Wolf Trap, though, the outdoor seating appears to be for handling overflow and not actively sought out by patrons.
By the luck of the PBS draw I had the best seat in the house, front row orchestra pit absolutely dead center. The stage is relatively low so the view was amazing. My seatmate was Scott with the other Scott behind us in pit row 4. By the way, my nickname for the night was "I'm not Scott!"
The tears started flowing before Máiréad even played her first note. She looked more radiant than ever and I could tell right away that she was feeling much better. That proved true throughout the show as she was all smiles and back to her playful self. While she did temper her movements a little, she slipped in a few small leaps and plenty of spins.
Scott and I had our Fiddler Crossing signs at the ready and flashed them regularly. She spotted us right away and flashed that smile that makes your heart melt. We got plenty of attention throughout the show and I was grinning through the tears the entire time.
The performances were uniformly excellent. Lisa nailed Fields of Gold and Chloë really hit and held that high note at the end of When You Believe. She even flashed a smile my direction. Lynn seemed a little tentative during the opening but was back to her sultry self for Dulaman. Alex's True Colors is finally starting to grow on me; Cyndi Lauper's version has just about faded away.
As Máiréad's unofficial spin counter, I'm happy to report that she did her by now normal 9 spins during Coast of Galicia and at the end, when she kneels for the last note, she looked right at me and smiled. I melted yet again. I was going to hold up 9 fingers, for 9 spins, but by the time consciousness returned it was too late! She was on fire during Granuaile's Dance and got quite a response from the audience, including standing ovations from more than just the Scotts and I. As an aside, the audience this time was much better than the "bumps on a log" that were here in 2007.
Near the end of You'll be in My Heart, when Chloë is singing her final solo part, the look on Lisa's face was priceless. She was watching Chloë as if saying: "Wow, what a wonderful young woman you've become." There was so much pride in her face. No jumpers during Mo Ghile Mear, but there were a few at the beginning of the second act when they hit the drums for The Call.
Máiréad gave me a smile during Last Rose Fantasia although it was hard to see through the tears. That song is so amazing. And boy did Chloë bring down the house with Nella Fantasia. Although Lisa had spotted me early, she hadn't really noticed my Máiréad shirt, yet. She got a good look at it during Have I Told You Lately and broke out in the most beautiful ear-to-ear grin. The power of "The Look!" O, America started the obligatory group of standing ovations from there to the end, although the Scotts and I had been giving Máiréad standing ovations for each of her solo numbers all along.
The highlight of the evening came during the finale. Scott had loaned me a sign which had in big letters: "Hey, go easy on that bow." He wanted to make sure she saw it so he wanted me to flash it from the front row. At the beginning of the finale I held up the Fiddler Crossing sign, as usual, but after she saw that, and when she wasn't looking, I switched to the other sign. When she came back across the stage and saw it, she just about lost it! She laughed out loud and the look on her face was absolutely priceless. After that, she looked my way the rest of the show and when they were taking their bows at the front of the stage, and she was only a few feet away, she smiled one of those smiles that never leaves you. Thank you, Scott, for the use of your sign.
The Meet & Greet was Alex and Lynn. I was a little disappointed because I really wanted to talk to Máiréad one more time before the end of the tour. Both Alex and Lynn were all smiles and happy to meet their fans. Lynn, in particular, was much bubblier than when I last saw her in Charlotte. There was quite a large group for the M&G and we had to wait outside for a while. When I finally got to the front of the line, I gave Rachel a gift and card that I had gotten to be delivered to Máiréad. She also took one item that I needed Máiréad's signature on, so someone will get a pleasant surprise (or have I spoiled it) at Red Rocks.
It was an amazing night and I was so glad to see that Máiréad seems to be thoroughly on the mend. I watched her, as I always do, when the spotlight was not on her and she was back to being the Máiréad I know and love. One more show tonight, with even more forum members present, and then the big sendoff in Colorado. Even though I don't want it to end, I can't wait.
The original review is here.
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