Lisa Lambe appears to be recording with David Downes again!

I suspect it's a small project, a single perhaps, but it will be great to hear those two collaborating again.

On May 16, 2019, Alex and Lynn held a little Q+A session on Facebook Live.

Some key points:
- The first official CaraNua CD is tentatively expected to release in July, 2019!
- CaraNua is potentially doing a concert in Utah in September or October 2019!
- Although CaraNua is interested in touring, their focus right now is recording. They're waiting for the right opportunity and timing to consider a tour.

Tim Janis posted a video on YouTube that begins with some footage from the Celtic Heart concerts in Maine earlier this year:

https://youtu.be/FHWp5i0QN0A

The video is 2 hours long, but only the first few minutes feature the new music, Mairead Nesbitt, and Lynn.

After about 8:37, there's looping stock video and stills, backed by music from Tim's previous albums. It's really great music and some stunning scenes, but it isn't the new music. It does loop quite a few times.

Too cute not to share.

The girls received some inspiration tonight before their show.

Here's a short clip (attached) of Homeland performed by some adorable young fans.

DVD

Ancient Land

Billoboard Music Video Sales chart

Weeks on Chart:	4
Peak Position:	2
Peak Date:	March 3, 2019
Chart Debut:	March 3, 2019

Week                 Position

Mar 03, 2019     2
Mar 23, 2019     6
Mar 30, 2019     7
Apr 06, 2019     5

--- SPOILER WARNING ---

A word of warning: this write-up is intended mainly for people that won't get to see this tour or have already seen at least one show on the Ancient Land tour. If you read this (particularly the middle section) before going to a show, it's going to spoil a LOT of amazing surprises for you.

--- SPOILER WARNING ---


Journey:

This was my first trip to Rochester. I trusted the GPS. It got me there, but it was an adventure. The GPS started acting up around Buffalo again (it's really uncooperative in that place for some reason), but it only got me off track once. It also took me along a back road instead of the main highway. I didn't have toll avoidance turned on, although the GPS's route choice had that unintended benefit.

Unfortunately, the route choice also cost me a lot of time. It got me on a "highway" (more like a hybrid of a city and county road). There were a lot of stop lights and stop signs, which wasn't great for fuel efficiency or pace. Because I got out of work an hour late, I encountered a stream of school buses in both directions and I had to stop frequently for them. I got behind a line of slow moving trucks a few times that were difficult to pass. I even got stuck behind a garbage truck for a while.

The combination of getting out of work late, the route, a hotel in Brockport (there wasn't anything I considered viable in Rochester at the time I looked), and an unexpected meal stop (I got on the road before eating anything after work) ate up all my buffer time. What should have been a 3-3.5 hour drive turned into about 5.5 after stops and hotel check-in.

I ended up getting to the venue about 15 minutes after the scheduled time to arrive for the Meet and Greet. Given that most of the M+Gs have been starting about 10 minutes before show time recently, I figured I still had plenty of time to spare. However, this M+G started unusually early, so I got into the venue less than 10 minutes before the M+G started. Way too close!

The next two shows are going to be tight for time as well, unfortunately.


Pre-Show:

For the first time, security actually confiscated my gifts at the entrance and advised they would take them to the Celtic Woman tour staff. Apparently this practice is normal at this venue.

There wasn't much time between my arrival and the start of the Meet and Greet, but I got to say 'hi' to a few familiar faces and some forum friends I haven't met in person before. I was definitely the Celtic Woman lightweight in the group, with between 300-400 attended Celtic Woman concerts among the group of us.

I handed out a few of the forum buttons. More on that later.

Before the show, we were advised by the ushers that there were no photos allowed during the show at all, even though that wasn't formally announced over the PA system before the show. Some people abused it. I chose to respect it and just enjoy my first show of the tour without worrying about tinkering with the unfamiliar camera app on a new phone.


Meet and Greet:

We were directed from the lobby into a hallway where the Meet and Greet took place. There was an Ancient Land backdrop set up along one of the walls of the hallway. I suppose there were around 20 of us. Perhaps a bit less.

Prior to the Meet and Greet we were told by event staff (not by Sett) that there was to be no hugging the girls or putting our arms around them during the photo. The reasoning provided was to prevent the girls from getting sick. While I'm all for keeping our girls healty, it didn't make a lot of sense to approve of people shaking hands with the girls but not hugging them. If anything that was possibly less sanitary.

That restriction would have really sucked if, like previous years, I was only doing one Meet and Greet. Fortunately for me, I'll have 3 more chances to hug them at other Meet and Greets this tour.

The people ahead of me rushed through it pretty quick. Quick handshakes and photo. Not much talking. I was grateful for the extra time and for the first time since my first M+G with Celtic Woman, I didn't feel overly rushed.

The order of the girls at this Meet and Greet was Eabha, Mairead, Megan, and Tara. It started out smoothly for me. My well-rehearsed statements were delivered sufficiently well and I felt they were reasonably well received too. I told Eabha how much I loved Garden of Eden and the whole album. I told Mairead and Eabha this was going to be my 10th time seeing them live. They low-fived each other in adorable fashion. When I got to Megan, I don't know what I started saying, but it wasn't what I had planned. It through me off big time. Having already forgotten what I was going to say twice with Tara, I just threw a frustrated look over at Mairead and Eabha and without a word, communicated "are you kidding me, this is happening again with the new girl?" They both told me it was ok. That helped get me back on track. I ultimately told Megan how special a performer I thought she was and she seemed flattered. Then, for the first time, I was actually able to stand in front of Tara and talk without being completely overwhelmed by her beauty and adorable presence. I normally give Tara a bonus hug, but ... no hugging rule this time.

Overall, I probably had a minute or so with the girls. A few hundred dollars well spent!



--- SPOILERS BELOW ---


The Stage:

This was definitely my favorite stage of any Celtic Woman show I've been to! The design evoked treasured memories from Johnstown Castle with the short staircase descending to a circular stage with two flanking ramps. There was even a big triskele in the center of the stage, just like the DVD recording. The stage had several levels and was decorated with panels that resembled the stone wall of a castle. At the back of the stage, there were several tall drapes. Between the drapes was a screen on which video was played to compliment the music. It was a hybrid of the design used in Destiny (a completely exposed, minimally decorated video panel) and Homecoming (which was a video screen fully covered by translucent drapes).

I thought the Homecoming set looked slightly more elegant at the back of the stage, but overall, I enjoyed the Ancient Land set the most.



Set List:

Act 1:

Ancient Land
Homeland
Moorlough Shore
Newgrange
Follow Me
Sive
Fields of Gold
Love and Honour
Amazing Grace
Enchanted Way
Danny Boy
Ballroom of Romance

Act 2:

Long Journey Home
Shenandoah
Mná na hÉireann
Orinoco Flow
Siúil A Rún
Ae Fond Kiss
Tip, Tap, Toe
Garden of Eden
Over the Rainbow
Tara's Tunes
Bean Pháidín
Going Home
Kesh Inn
The Parting Glass


The Show:

Right from the start of the show there were surprises!

The show started with a different instrumental lead-in to the Ancient Land song. Then, the male choir members on stage singing Ancient Land instead of the girls! The girls emerged onto the stage part way through the song. The change made it fresh for the tour and it worked well.

It didn't take long to notice the audio quality in the theater was even better than the audio quality at the castle. The audio at the castle was good, but the base was reportedly much better on the opposite side of the stage to where I sat both nights.

Some parts of the harmony in Homeland were slightly different than at the DVD recording.

Eabha's introduction before Moorlough Shore was really good. It was a nice story about her grandmother's long lost love that had an element of humor at the end as well. I've heard the story previously, but most of the audience would probably have been hearing it for the first time. Eabha's delivery was great! The song itself was pretty similar to the Ancient Land DVD, with Tara playing harp and Eabah both singing and playing the tin whistle.

The next solo was a brand new version of Newgrange, performed by Mairead. She apparently was closely involved in arranging the song as well. This was a jaw dropper! It kind of reminded me of the title song from Phantom of the Opera (where Christine's voice became possessed and seemed to have unlimited range). Mairead went into opera mode, but it wasn't just her range and power that impressed me. The melody was really intriguing and her voice was dancing gracefully all over the place. It almost had a middle-eastern vibe to it and there were parts of that song that were overwhelmingly amazing!

We were treated to a new arrangement of Fields of Gold, performed as a solo by Megan, accompanied by piano. She did a really good job with this and it's definitely my favorite version!

The new piper John Hunt was well received by the audience during Amazing Grace. Rather than emerge from some crazy location in a balcony or something, he spent the song on the stage. He did a great job and the crowd was quite receptive.

Ballroom of Romance was a fantastic way to end the first act! It's such and energetic song! It's my all-time favorite 'ceili' song at the moment.

Act 2 opened with another of my all-time favorite Celtic Woman songs: Long Journey Home. Like Homeland, there were some slight adjustments to the harmony for the tour version. I love everything about this song, including the lyrics, the melody, the powerful instrumental bridge, and the brilliant use of harmony.

The introduction before Mná na hÉireann was amazing! The girls, particularly Tara, talked about how the Women of Ireland were kind, strong, beautiful, and talented. Tara said she hoped they represented all those qualities they aspire to. "You do, girl," I whispered. "You do." <3

The amazing song intros just kept coming! Next up was Mairead with Ae Fond Kiss. She talked about the story behind the song. It was written by Robbie Burns about a girl he fell in love with one night but would never meet again. Her telling this story honestly brought my appreciation for this song to a different level for me. She sang with a lot of feeling.

Orinoco Flow brought us another surprise arrangement. Like the other re-arranged songs from this tour, this version of Orinoco Flow is now my favorite.

Siúil A Rún had an exceptionally well-done song introduction, this time by Tara, who talked about how special it was to be performing the music she loved together with her best friends. These introductions were very well written and the expressive way Tara delivered it almost had me in tears before the song evern started.

Tip, Tap, Toe was a really fun number by the band and dancers.

What more can I say about Garden of Eden other than I absolutely love it: the lyrics, the melody, the arrangement ... everything! I'm so glad Eabha got to perform her song on this tour!

If you haven't heard Megan and Mairead perform Over the Rainbow, prepare to have your breath taken from you. That ending... WOW!

Bean Pháidín featured another fresh arrangement and a really fun one! I've mentioned it a few times already, but every song they re-arranged on this tour is legitimately my all-time favorite version. This tour is so good!

The girls came back out on stage for The Kesh Inn with their instruments as they did in Homecoming. I love how much fun they're having on stage and that the singers get to show off some of their other talents.

The girls performed The Parting Glass as their closing number. After the girls left the stage, the show wrapped up as it began, with the choir on stage, this time singing a brief reprise of The Parting Glass.

Until we meet again, ladies!


Overall:

This show was really good! I'm not prepared yet to determine if it's my favorite Celtic Woman tour I've seen. The Homecoming tour had more songs I haven't ever heard Celtic Woman perform before (a few songs I'd never heard at all before). But Ancient Land had the coolest stage design, the best song intros, and some exceptionally re-arranged classics. I'm really glad I get to see this show up to three more times. It's a real pleasure to see those ladies perform and to be enchanted by the music from their Ancient Land.


Post-Show:

After the show, I hung around the stage door with some of the other fans. I offered some of the leftover Ancient Land and Megan buttons to some of the other fans, but they declined. That's not the first time that's happened. It must be me, because I find it hard to believe that people are this disinterested in free stuff.

It was pretty cold outside. Not as brutal as the night I saw the Home for Christmas tour, but still pretty chilly. This venue was ideal for a stage-and-greet / bus-and-greet. The stage door was clearly marked and there was only one. The bus was close to the stage door, but the girls could easily see people waiting for them without having their view obstructed by the bus when exiting the building. After 10-15 minutes or so, the girls started to come out! Catriona actually came out first. I went over to say hi as I've never actually met her before, but while she was signing things for some of the other fans, I saw Mairead come out wearing a stylish hat. I waved at her and she came over! I don't think I was able to say much. I think I just told her the show was really good. I got a photo with her and after she signed some things for other fans then got on the bus.

So the lovely Mairead Carlin was the first person I ever met at a tour bus and the first active member of Celtic Woman I've ever met at a stage door! That's quite fitting, because her voice in particular has had a profound impact on my life.

Eabha came out next in a thin dress. She waved at us and she thanked me for the gifts. I guess the gifts that were confiscated from me before the show did their way to the girls! She didn't stop to chat, opting instead for the inviting warmth of the nearby tour bus. I can't blame her. I was chilly and I was actually wearing a coat, hat and gloves!

Megan came out next. She was wearing a sweater, but she seemed really cold. I told her I loved the show, got a quick picture with her and then she got on the bus.

Last was Tara (yes, they exiting the building in the same order as they were aligned in the Meet and Greet). She was dressed more appropriately for the weather and she stayed to chat with me for a couple of minutes. She asked me if this was my first Ancient Land show. I replied that it was ... aside from the two show at the castle. Her face lit up with an adorable expression. She asked me if I was going to any more shows and I replied I was going to three more, including Red Rocks! She said she was trying not to look to far ahead because there were so many other amazing venues coming up before Red Rocks, but that was going to be difficult, because she really loved her first experience performing there. I got a photo with her before she got on the tour bus bound for Syracuse.

The stage-and-greet / bus-and-greet reinforced the fact that if I want to say anything coherent and meaningful to them, I have to practice in advance. Tara was very good at leading the conversation, so I didn't really have to think of things to say. But if I have to try to come up with something to say to them on the fly without having rehearsed it extensively, I'm more than likely not going to be able to say much. The bus-and-greet is more unstructured than a Meet and Greet, which makes it much harder for me to prepare for. Still, I'd consider the post show meeting a success!

Only a week and a half as of me writing this until my next Ancient Land show!

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--- SPOILERS ABOVE ---

Lisa Kelly announced her show today at The Fred on May 11!
https://www.facebook.com/TheFredPTC/photos/a.240333651379/10156912561771380/?type=3&theater

Tickets:
http://www.amphitheater.org/tickets/

Tickets for individual concerts go on sale Tuesday, March 19 at noon.

Susan has joined entertainment company 7 Entertainment.

If you live in the vicinity of Ireland, you can book her for exclusive ceremonies (ie. wedding) or corporate performances.

Those interested in more information may contact 7 Entertainment.

Here's their website:
http://7entertainment.ie