Tours:

Concerts:

Radio City, March 17, 2011

 

Ticket_20110317_Radio_CityWhat a great day I had, although it almost didn't happen.  For the last week or so I had been debating whether I wanted to go into the city for the day or just wait until late afternoon and go to the show.  I finally convinced myself that the effort would be worthwhile and I am so glad I managed to not talk myself out of it at the last minute.

The morning after the Wallingford show I headed to Bridgeport where I would catch my train to Grand Central.  Working backwards from the girls' expected air time on the Today Show, I needed to leave Wallingford no later than 7:30.  After posting my review at 1:30 it was a struggle but I caught the 8:39 express which would get me to Grand Central at 10:01. Since I wasn't staying overnight in the city, I traveled light and only had my phone and small concert camera with me.  They both fit in my jacket pockets so I didn't have to carry anything.  The downside was that I didn't have my concert tote bag with me either, but since there was no M&G I figured I could live without my sign for one night.  As you'll see, I did OK without it!

My train arrived early and a brisk 15 minute walk had me standing in the Today Show plaza by about 10:10.  The timing was perfect because I wasn't there more than few minutes when I saw Ray and Máiréad walk into the studio.  They were quickly followed by Chloë, Lisa and Lisa.  What surprised me was that Andy and the entire chorus were there, too.  I took a few less than spectacular pictures through the window, among the maze of cameras, but I mainly just watched them warm up.  Máiréad demonstrated for the cameramen where and how she would be moving so they would hopefully be able to follow her!

If any of you saw Chloë's tweets about the guy with the “I <3 Chloe” poster, his name is Gary and he was still there.  He saw my Fiddler Crossing jacket and we chatted for a bit while everyone got ready inside the studio.  At one point he held the sign up again and Chloë saw it and pointed.  Then they all looked and both Gary and I got smiles and waves from all of them.  We watched the performance though the window and as they left they all waved at us again.  All to soon it was over but what a great way to start the day.  And it was only the start.

Parade time!  The first St. Patrick's Day parade was held in New York City in 1762, before the United States even existed as an independent country.  2011 marked the 250th parade and it was something special.  I've always been a little apathetic about parades and I'm used to the typical small town parade with floats, a few high school bands, some fire trucks and maybe a carnival king and queen.  That is not what this was.  First of all, it is a parade in the strictest sense of the word.  There were no floats or motor vehicles of any kind; it was all marchers.  Second of all, it is huge.  It runs south to north up Fifth Avenue, from 44th Street to 86th Street, though the heart of midtown and along the east side of Central Park.  It starts at 11am and I saw several sites that indicated that it would end around 3pm.  Those same sites recommended viewing the parade somewhere north of 66th street to avoid the crowds and they were absolutely right.  Fifth Avenue runs right next to Rockefeller Plaza, where the Today Show studio is located, and as I walked in that direction the streets were completely packed with people.  There was no way to get to the front row so I started walking north.  It wasn't until I reached 68th Street (30 Rock is at 51st Street) that I was able to get street-side.

Parade_TipperaryThe parade was a mix of military groups, NYC organizations, high schools and colleges, and Irish clans.  Most of the military groups had a pipe and drum band.  Virtually every NYC  department had an “Emerald Society” which almost always had a pipe and drum band, too.  That included the police and fire departments, sanitation and correction workers and just about everything in between.  Only a few high schools had pipers but many of the colleges had a Gaelic Society which often included them.  I've never seen so many kilts in my life!  The most interesting part was the clans.  Each County was represented and included a large banner, a pipe and drum band and a group of ordinary citizens whose ancestry, however short or long, originated there.  You can view the entire list by clicking the “Line of March” button on the website referenced above.

I'll just make a few comments and include a few pictures here; I'll post more pictures in another thread.  I mentioned in my preview that I felt very Irish on Thursday and that was largely because of the parade.  As I moved here and there I heard a lot of Irish accents, some stronger than others, perhaps representing a different number of generations since immigrating here.  Like a certain group of people we are all very familiar with, everyone was very friendly and it was easy to see the kinship among them.  I even got a few interesting comments on my Fiddler Crossing jacket, especially about the Irish flag on the back, and met some lovely people as a result.

There was one overwhelming thing that I took away from the experience, though.  It was not the celebration, the pageantry, or the musicianship.  The thing that hit me deepest was the pride that the Irish have in their heritage.  Most people in the US probably don't even know their ancestry (and I must sadly include myself in that group) but I don't think I've ever seen anyone prouder of it than the Irish.  You could see it in the eyes of the bagpipers as they marched by, you could see it in the waves and smiles of the people who represented their clan, and most notably you could see and hear it in the cheers from the crowd as they passed.  As soon as each banner came into view there were cries of “Go, Cork!”, or “Hooray for Clare!”  Even the youngest kids who marched with their parents, and who had probably never been to Ireland, were smiling and giving high-fives to anyone in the crowd who would return it.  It was clear that they knew and understood what it means to be Irish.

Parade_343I'll include one other highlight here.  The 343 Honor Company of the Fire Department of New York had a procession where firefighters each carried a flag representing the first responders lost on 9/11/01.  Watching that sea of flags over a block long as it moved up Fifth Avenue was incredibly moving.  It was just one of several times that it was difficult to fight back the tears.  Who would have thought that I'd be crying at a parade.

OK, enough about that.  The parade finally ended around 5pm, although I was seriously beginning to wonder if it would ever end.  I took so many pictures that I killed both camera batteries that I had with me and filled up the memory card.  I switched to taking picture with my cell phone and killed that battery, too!  As I headed back south towards midtown, I passed chorus members Dermot and Ciarán as they walked north.  I hadn't eaten anything yet so I was hungry and very tired from standing all day.  I thought about going to the Irish pub that a group of us ate at after the show last year but I suspected that they would be packed and opted to eat at TGI Fridays, where we ate before last year's show.  So after a nice steak dinner I was ready for the third part of my adventure.

I got in line early and chatted with others while we waited.  Radio City is another venue that does a cursory bag check but I didn't have to worry about that tonight.  I was bagless.  This was the first concert without my “bag of tricks,” as Dave calls it, in a very long time and I felt naked without it.  Several times I had a small panic attack thinking I had left it somewhere.  The first order of business once inside was to get a copy of Anthony's CD.  The cover is a lovely black and white shot of Anthony as he stands alone at the end of Amazing Grace with just the back light hitting him.  Since I didn't have my bag I managed to shoehorn it into my jacket pocket for the night.

The second thing on the agenda was to meet John, who was taking the train from New Haven after work, and to meet Stacy who had some gifts for Chloë and the other girls.  There was no sign of John but Stacy found me by spotting the bright yellow beacon on my back.  After introductions I attempted to get her gifts to Bubba with the help of venue security.  He was not very helpful and suggested we hang out at the stage door after the show.  I grudgingly accepted that as a less than desirable plan B since I hate being the kind of person who does that sort of thing.  Stacy and I made plans to meet at one of the concession stands after the show and headed for our seats; she was in the balcony and I was in the pit.  Still no sign of John.

As I walked down the aisle to my seat I spied Bubba sitting at the sound board.  I explained the situation and asked him if we could deliver the gifts to him after the show.  He said that he would be busy helping with teardown but we could give them to Tom, the sound engineer, who would see that they made it safely backstage.  To quote the line from the SFTH behind the scenes, “Mission accomplished!”

I had purchased my ticket from Ticketmaster within seconds after they went on sale and had a front row pit seat.  Unfortunately it was all the way to the right, at the end of the row, just beyond the band.  It was close and I had a good view so I wasn't unhappy.  They have new pit seats this year, nice roomy cushioned chairs with big armrests.  As showtime approached I noticed several empty front row center seats.  Needless to say, I kept my eye on them.  Two filled in just before the show started but the others beckoned.

Radio City is the only venue that I've ever been to where they actually use the curtain so the set was not visible until showtime.  As in prior years they spread things out a little to fill up the stage; lots of room for a certain fiddler to run.  This was also the first time in a long time where I've seen them use the larger fill speakers on the stage rather than their new small ones.  I asked the Tom about it later and he explained why.  After one last scan of the audience for John I settled into my seat.  Soon the lights dimmed and the wind started.  It was time.

As the girls came on stage with their candles, I noticed something different right away.  The main speakers were well forward of the stage and with no fill speakers in front of me the sound was different.  I was hearing the sound as it echoed off the walls rather than directly from the sound system.  It made for a very unique experience.  Lisa, with her laser vision, found me quickly; the others took a little longer.  They apparently had gotten some rest in the afternoon because they were all rarin' to go.  Applause during the openings to Nil S'en La and Orinoco Flow spurred them on.  Chloë gave a lovely introduction to Galway Bay where she said that Radio City was where it all started way back in 2005.  She was clearly moved and gave one of her best performances yet.  Máiréad once again did “only” 10 spins, but considering the square footage she needed to cover it was understandable.  This was LisaL's first time here and she looked a little awestruck when she first came out.  It didn't affect her though and she, too, gave one of her best My Lagan Love performances.  LisaK was, of course, right at home here and lit up the place with a stirring Fields of Gold.  When Máiréad came to my side during Granuaile's Dance I got one of those gorgeous full-face smiles that will keep you warm all winter.  As Chloë sang the first notes of Danny Boy the audience showed their appreciation immediately   I started a reluctant standing ovation for Mo Ghile Mear and all too soon it was intermission.  Where did the time go?

I had two things to take care of at intermission.  The first was make another attempt to find John, but no luck.  Since my phone was dead I couldn't even call him, so I guess he must have had something come up and couldn't make it.  Too bad; you missed a good one, John.  The second thing was the small matter of those empty seats.  In the back of my mind I seemed to recall the ushers here being rather strict so rather than ask one of them I took matters into my own hands.  I asked the person sitting next to the empty seats if he minded if I moved over and he didn't care.  I made a beeline back to my seat to grab my jacket and staked my claim.  I was now front row dead center at the one and only Radio City Music Hall.  Let me explain how special that is.  The stage (which is adjustable) was set at about shoulder height, nice and low.  Since they used a smaller number of the large fill speakers there was a large gap in the center where there were no speakers.  There were two big benefits to that.  The obvious one was the unobstructed view but the other was that the show became a mostly acoustic one.  I've only been to a very few shows like that and it radically changes the experience.  The front row seats were so close to the stage that I couldn't stretch out my legs.  And, finally, the “stop line” for the girls was right at the edge of the stage.  What does that add up to?  It made the second act one of the most intimate shows I've ever been to.

As soon as LisaK saw me at the start of The Call she gave me a little smirk as if to say, “Ha!  I figured you'd move over here.”  I got equally funny looks from both Chloë and LisaL.  Before long it got personal.  Amazing Grace with Anthony standing 3 feet away was indescribably beautiful.  I couldn't even watch, I just closed my eyes and let the sound wash over me.  What a hoot Dulaman was tonight.  When Lisa briefly sits and ponders who she will choose she included me in the choices.  Yikes!  And the other Lisa gave me such a look during At the Ceili when she sang the line, “So I’m looking for somebody new.”  Double yikes!  No worries though, Scott.  I can't even begin to describe how Last Rose Fantasia sounded from that close and almost acoustically.  Tears flowed freely during that one.  And then there's Non C'e Piu  Chills, chills, and more chills when LisaL is standing just few feet from you and hitting those amazing high notes.  Máiréad was a little emotional when she introduced You Raise Me Up.  They were all obviously moved by the combination of the special date and the glorious venue.  After a rip-roaring Finale and a riotous Spanish Lady it was over.  I wish the show was longer; I could have sat there for another couple of hours.

After grudgingly leaving what was quite possibly the best seat in the world, it was time to find Stacy and tell her that plan A was in place.  I found her buried in the crowd, explained the new plan, and we fought the traffic to get back inside since we were going the opposite direction of everyone else.  We quickly found Tom and Stacy explained who each gift was for.  Tom was headed backstage to take care of something and said he would give the gifts to Bubba right away.  Stacy was very happy.  Of course, she was also on cloud nine from the show!  I thanked Tom both for helping Stacy and for the excellent sound.  I also got a few questions answered.  Thanks again, Tom and Bubba.

Anthony was playing in the lobby and I really wanted to stick around and get him to sign my copy of his CD but I needed to head for Grand Central to catch the 11:22 train back to my hotel.  After one more brisk walk on legs that were very tired I was safely in my seat by 11:10 and enjoyed a relaxing trip.  I ended up checking into my hotel a little after 1am.  Since my phone was dead I hadn't able to check Twitter, Facebook or the forums all day so I did some catching up until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore.  When my head hit the pillow I was out like the proverbial light and had a marvelous deep, dreamless sleep, partly because I was so tired but also because I was so content.

Sorry for the length but it was such an amazing day that I could easily have made this twice as long.  It was a day like none other before and maybe unlike any other to come.  I've always known the there was something different, something special about the Irish people.  Their perseverance during hard times has given them a strength of character that is seldom found.  I have seen that character in only a small group of people until now.  Seeing that same character in thousands of people simultaneously drove home the realization that our girls are not the exception but the rule.  There have been other experiences in recent years that have changed me but I did not expect another of those changes to come from a parade.  I am so glad that I went.  It was an excellent adventure indeed!

The original review is here.

 

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