'Tis the Season to be Merry (Roswell, GA - 2019)

On December 6, 2019, I saw Chloë ’Tis the Season to be Merry in Roswell, GA at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center. The show featured Chloë Agnew and the Atlanta Pops Orchestra Ensemble!

This was my first time seeing Chloë since her guest appearance in Lisa Kelly's show in early May and I hadn't met her since early December 2018. I was missing Chloë pretty badly.

I had seen Tim Janis (featuring Mairead Nesbitt and Lynn Hilary) at Carnegie Hall the previous night. I flew out of Newark, NJ mid-morning to Atlanta. Car rental at the airport in Atlanta took longer than expected (in excess of 45 minutes before I even got the keys).

I drove from the airport up to Roswell, GA. My GPS usually has a lot of problems around Atlanta, but this time, it got me where I needed to go without getting too squirly. Traffic however wasn't great. It took over an hour to get from the airport to the hotel in Roswell, GA. That was mid-afternoon, before rush hour.

I had originally planned to walk Vickery Creek Trail at Old Mill Park in Roswell, but with the delays at the airport and in traffic and with the late addition of a pre-show fan gathering near the venue, I decided to skip the trail, in spite of cool but dry weather. I had a quick shower and went straight from the hotel to the fan gathering.

The fan gathering, a meal at Lucky’s Bar & Grill, went pretty well. I think there were around 15 of us there. I was surprisingly sociable and I guess I've established enough of a presence on social media now that I didn't feel like I was sticking out like a sore thumb in the midst of so many long-time super-fans. I was especially surprised I was in the mood to talk considering the day had started with a pretty harsh bout of anxiety and depression. It took quite a bit of effort, but I managed to get myself back in a reasonable emotional state over the course of the afternoon so that I could have a chance to enjoy the show.

From the fan gathering, I went straight to the venue, the Roswell Cultural Arts Center. It wasn't too fancy, but it was adequate. We arrived pretty early, before they were letting people in. I walked around to find the stage doors. There were quite a few possibilities around the building. But as it turned out, there would be a "surprise" Meet and Greet after the show within the venue lobby anyways.

I was in the second row for this show, having mulled over whether or not to go for quite a while before finally deciding to get a ticket and risk conflicts with weather or other shows during the holiday concert season. It was a pretty good seat, though quite a way from the stage at this venue.

I wasn't sure she could see me at first. She normally at least gives me a smile a few times during her shows, but I didn't get any love or looks at all in the first half. I guess she found me at some point because in the second half, she gave me a shout-out for having traveled the furthest (that she knows of) to see her at the show! I'm genuinely surprised to have gotten a shout-out at that show as there were plenty of fans in the audience that have done FAR more to support her over the years than I have and have been to dozens or hundreds of more shows.

Chloë was accompanied by an ensemble (subset) of the Atlanta Pops orchestra. It sounded really good, but there's nothing like hearing her perform with a full orchestra behind her.

Chloë was in about half the songs, with the Pops orchestra doing their own thing in between. Most songs were Christmas songs, but she performed some songs from her regular set list as well. Her and her long-time boyfriend Dermot did a few duets together. Chloë looked and sounded great!

You Raise Me Up has never been my favourite Celtic Woman cover song. It's never really had the same wow factor for me as a lot of their other songs. But for some reason for the second night in a row, that song really affected me. Both Mairead's version at Carnegie Hall and Chloë's version in Roswell were tear-inducing.

It's my policy not to post set lists for Chloë's shows anymore, but I do have the set list if anyone is interested for some reason in having it shared privately.

Chloë was having LOTS of fun on stage during this show. Beyond her vocal talents, she's got a very engaging personality. Because I waited so long to write this report without having made adequate notes to reference, I don't remember a lot of the details from the show. There was a pretty funny moment though where Chloë came out with two jackets for the audience to choose for the conductor. The conductor wore the selected jacket for the rest of the show.

After the show was a "surprise" M+G (it was announced during the show). It's my general policy to not get any gifts for the performers unless there's a guaranteed Meet and Greet announced well in advance of the show, so I didn't have anything for her. This was my first time seeing Chloë since her Indiegogo campaign and album release. She seemed pleased to see me. Some of you know why.

In spite of there being no pre-announced Meet and Greet, I did have some things to say to her, planned and rehearsed. Like my previous Meet and Greet with her, Chloë could sense I was nervous and about to pour my heart out in front of her, so she took my hands and squeezed them for support. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Chloë's Meet and Greets are the best I have ever experienced. She doesn't give out tons of free stuff like Lindsay Stirling does, but she gives you the time you need to say what you want to say with her. She's there to offer genuine support to you. And she's so appreciative to everyone she meets. She gave me some really big amazing hugs.

After the Meet and Greet, some of us went over to a nearby IHOP for some food. I had strawberry banana pancakes this time, which were really tasty. I must say the before-and-after fan gatherings were some of the best I've experienced so far. Everyone was easy to get along with. I had some good conversations about Chloë and what she and Celtic Woman have meant in our lives.

I'm so glad that you had a good time socializing with the other fans and that Chloë gave you a shout out.  Sounds like it was a good trip!