Here's a summary of all the fun musical stuff I experienced in 2019!
Máiréad Nesbitt: I saw her Celtic Sounds concert with the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra in March. It was really beautiful to see her playing with a full orchestra behind her, and it was nice to see Tom and Mr. Peabody. This trip to Ohio enabled me to see one of my cousins who I don't get to see often.
The Fitzgeralds: The Fitzgeralds did several shows in Laughlin, Nevada, so I caught one of them and wrote a
report.
Nellie McKay: I found a few albums by Nellie McKay a long time ago and enjoyed many of her songs, so it was great that I got to see her perform in person at Myron's Cabaret Jazz in Las Vegas. I brought a housemate to this concert. It was unusual how little Nellie McKay talked during the show. It was also unusual that one of the few times she talked, she chose to tell a really strange story, perhaps from a dream, about Julian Assange and her untidy home. Usually an artist will tell us something about how they made their songs, or what they are planning in the future, but I guess that's just not Nellie McKay's style!
Ancient Land tour: I saw the Celtic Woman Ancient Land tour three times in the U.S. in May, and two times in Germany in October. I wrote
long reports about most of those shows.
Lisa Lambe: I saw her perform in New York City at the Irish Arts Center in May. I brought my cousin and his wife to the show. I snapped a great picture of her embracing Tom. Tom wrote a
report. This was my first time meeting Lisa Lambe and seeing her perform live. Lisa Lambe also looked at me and said "we have the same hair!" (side note: I did not get any hair cuts in 2019).
Lisa Kelly: I saw her show in Peachtree City, Georgia. This was my first time seeing Lisa Kelly perform and meeting her, and it was my first time meeting Chloe. I wrote a
report in this thread. This was the foundation of a short but sweet road trip with my dad.
May 2019 was super busy with the 3 Ancient Land shows and two solo shows. It was worth it but I'll probably be trying to space out my vacations more in the future!
Herb Alpert and Lani Hall: But this one is. I just bought tickets for this show because I saw it on the event calendar and it had a female vocalist. I went with one of my housemates. The concert had an amazing feeling of nostalgia and love to it that really touched me. It turns out that Herb Alpert is a very famous trumpeter who has been active since the 1960s, and most of the people in my parents' generation grew up listening to him and still remember him.
Weird Al Yankovic: I saw Weird Al in Reynolds Hall at The Smith Center with two friends, as part of his Strings Attached tour.
Smith Center Broadway musicals: In 2019, I bought my first season ticket for broadway musicals at the Smith Center. My favorites were Book of Mormon, Anastasia, and Wicked. My ticket includes three more musicals in 2020 so I'm looking forward to those. I also volunteered for a sensory-friendly performance of The Grinch and for some reason The Smith Center decided they should write an
article about me doing that.
Linda Eder: I saw Linda Eder perform at The Smith Center (specifically, Myron's Cabaret Jazz) in Las Vegas. She really impressed me, and I got to meet one of her superfans at my table, and I got to meet her too. I
wrote about her.
Magic of Christmas tour: I saw the Celtic Woman Magic of Christmas Tour in Denver and wrote a
report about it.
Taj Express: I had front row center tickets for this amazing show in Reynolds Hall at the Smith Center, and I brought one of my housemates.
More Smith Center shows: I lost count of how many shows I've seen at The Smith Center in 2019, both in Reynolds Hall and at Myron's Cabaret Jazz. Most of them were good, but not quite good enough to make it into this list.
Las Vegas musicDavid Perrico Pop Strings orchestra: I discovered this fun group in 2019. Their shows always have a lot of musicians, including multiple vocalists and a big string section. They do a show every Friday and Saturday on the Las Vegas strip, and I also saw them perform twice at Myron's Cabaret Jazz and once at the San Gennaro Feast. The latter was my favorite time seeing them, because I could grab a front row seat, there was dancing, and the weather was perfect. I
posted pictures from that night. I'm especially a fan of their star cello player,
cellobat, who also plays for Aerosmith at their live concerts.
Piazza Lounge: I started visiting the Piazza Lounge in 2019, and went there several times to enjoy the live music with female vocalists on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights. It's a classy atmosphere where you can order food and drinks. The one who sings on Monday nights is my friend, Laura Shaffer!
Irish Pubs: In 2019, I caught live music at four different Irish pubs: McMullan's, Nine Fine Irishmen, Ri Ra, and Ritchie McNeely's. The most notable act to mention is Killian's Angels, a Celtic all-girl band who were very friendly to me one time when I saw their monthly show.
Swing City Dolls: I've been seeing this trio of female vocalists perform at the Rocks Lounge in the Red Rock Casino for many years, and I continued in 2019. I go every month with the friend who introduced me to them, and we like swing dancing to their music.
So there is lots of live music from performers based in Las Vegas! It's hard for me to get excited about going to an event that happens every week or every month, because it takes energy to get myself out of the house and I always tell myself I can go another day, but I think I'd enjoy figuring out a way to make some of these acts a regular part of my life, and perhaps getting friends or family to go with me.
ConclusionIn 2019, I had a variety of new experiences and made a LOT of good memories. I did a lot of traveling and had a lot of fun friends and relatives. The folks I met through this forum — Tom, Tracie, Gregg, and Rachel — were a big part of that! I saw lots of different kinds of shows,
but I have concluded that none of them can come close to replacing a Celtic Woman show.