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Messages - CWazyTom

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1246
Glenn & Ronan / Instagold (Ronan Edition)
« on: December 17, 2018, 11:12:09 PM »
A thread dedicated to the most awesome Ronan Instagram posts.

Wild Aisling
https://streamable.com/2wxpd


LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  :D

1247
Amy Rivard / Silent Night Clip (2018)
« on: December 17, 2018, 11:03:10 PM »
A short clip of Amy Rivard singing Silent Night.

What a voice!!!!

https://streamable.com/yw2ph

1248
Other Musicians / Re: Lindsey Stirling
« on: December 17, 2018, 09:34:39 PM »
Lindsey Stirling: Winter Wanderland Tour (2018)



--- SPOILERS BELOW ---

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.
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This past weekend in Buffalo, I saw Lindsey Stirling's Winter Wanderland tour!


Set List

- All I Want for Christmas
- Christmas C'mon
- Let it Snow
- Warmer in the Winter
- Home Alone Theme
- I Saw Three Ships
- Halleluiah
- Angels We Have Heard on High
- Silent Night
- What Chile is This
- Crystalize
- Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
- Santa Baby
- We Three Gentlemen (We Three Kings / God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen medley)
- Carol of the Bells
- Mr. Grinch
- I Wonder As I Wander (Encore)




The Journey

It was another "interesting" journey and I actually wrote quite bit about it. I've decided though give you an abbreviated version because the tone of what I wrote didn't fit with the rest of this write-up. The weather was fine. The traffic was good for the most part (one lengthy volume slowdown that cost me 30 minutes). Another stressful border crossing. GPS was on the fritz again in Buffalo. It really doesn't behave itself in that area. There were issues with parking. I guess the important thing is I got there and got back eventually.




The Merch Table

This was quite an experience. I remember it being a bit of a zoo at this venue for Rocktopia last year, but I don't remember it being this crazy.

The merch table was in a rather narrow area beyond the lobby that lead to the theater itself. That was also the same area that had both stairwells to the balconies and where the drink stand was located. They had a number of merch tables set up next to each other, but most of the merch that wasn't featured on the back display was all clustered together on one table. There were a lot of people at the merch table (and the drink station) before the show because there was no intermission. There weren't nearly enough people behind the merch table. People were trying to get to the balcony sections and their floor-level seats and had to work their way through a line that was barely moving. I started only about 10 feet from the merch table and it took me 20 minutes to get there and buy program.

Woops. No bags.

They had the usual collection of merch: t-shirts, sweaters, hats, CDs, posters (not signed), programs, etc.



The Official Program

I may have waited a long time in line to get this program, but it was worth it!

The Celtic Woman programs are visually stunning, but in my opinion, they're sometimes light on content. Don't get me wrong, I love collecting the Celtic Woman tour programs. They do look spectacular. But it just feels like they could be doing more with them. Maybe there was some different content in earlier programs (I didn't collect any of them prior to Destiny, so I don't know).

To help make my point, let me explain a bit of what's in Lindsey's program.

Lindesy is closely involved in just about every aspect of the production and the program helps one appreciate how much work is involved in putting these shows together.

The set list is provided, but Lindsey also explains her inspiration for choosing some of the songs. There are notes about what her favourite parts of the song are. Some of her design choices of the arrangements are also explained. Lindsey is a fan of Celtic music (you can hear the influence in some of her songs and you can certainly see a bit of Mairead Nesbitt's flare and movement in her performances).

The program also covers stage design, how she develops themes for the songs and designs the costumes, video packages, choreography, and music to tell a story in each song. She wants something special in every piece to make each song unique and memorable. It has sketches of the stage concept, some of her hand-drawn storyboards, sketches of props and dress designs, "fun facts" on almost every page...it's really cool!

The program also elaborates on some of the same stories that she told during the show (and those which were some of the most special moments of the production). Now, thanks to this amazing program, I can be reminded of my favourite parts of those stories for years to come.

I think I'll always love the Celtic Woman programs more, because they have beautiful photos of the girls in the group that changed my life. How can anything else, no matter how amazing, compete with that. <3

But reading Lindsey's program really made me wish for a behind the scenes type of program for the Ancient Land tour.



The Show

Last time I was at this theater, there were no photos allowed at all and people were coming up and down the isles during the performance to threaten to confiscate peoples' phones. This time, when I asked an usher if photos were allowed, I was very surprised when I was told that they were. I guess it's based on the performer, but when the performers say no photos, they take it VERY seriously.

Last time I saw Lindsey, I was 30+ rows back at floor level and she looked pretty tiny from back there. This being the last show of the year for me, I decided to treat myself to a front row balcony seat, which in this theatre, was only about 10 rows back of the stage. It was great view. There was a M+G but I didn't get one of those tickets. Just a regular ticket in that seat was most expensive than the single-ticket cost of any show I attended this year (more than half the cost of Celtic Woman M+G pair).

The stage itself was pretty basic. There were shorts sets of stairs leading up to a slightly raised platform and behind it were 5 video screen panels arranged in an arc. Between the were where the keyboard and the percussion were located. There was a narrower set of steps between them leading to the platform.

The show was in support of Ronald McDonald House and there were some administrative announcements to that effect prior to the show. Some of the cast also engaged in some entertainment in the crowd for a while before Lindsey took the stage. Lindsey took the stage around half an hour after the scheduled start time.

Like Celtic Woman, Lindsey's shows have a bit of everything. Her show had a lot of energy, but also a lot of heart.

In case you haven't heard her perform, Lindsey is a really good violinist. She moves around the stage a lot while she plays. She was on Dancing With the Stars recently, but her choreography and and dance moves were outstanding long before then.

The props were simple, but whimsical and memorable, I'm sure just as she had intended.

The lighting was pretty good, especially during a moment in the show where they flooded the stage (and the first few rows) with a thick blanket of dry ice. I'm not sure what it was like in the first few rows. It was a pretty significant amount of dry ice they pumped across the stage and I couldn't really see anyone in those first 5 rows for a while there was so much of it. The light projecting on that fog though was really well done.

The music was a mix of classical, pop, and a variety of styles in between. I like her albums but I sometimes find that her studio recordings have a bit too much synth / dubstep. I enjoy her live shows even more because it's more of a pure sound. She's such a great violinist and I'd rather hear that than a bunch of grungy sounds blaring over her playing. The keyboard and drums (and some recorded orchestration) provided enough awesome base and energy.

She actually sang a few times during the show and it went pretty well.

It looked like most of the people were pretty dedicated Lindsey Stirling fans as opposed to more casual fans like me. The crowd wasn't wild with excitement during the show, but they were pretty good overall.

While most of the songs had lots of energy, there were some very moving slow songs as well. Her rendition of Hallelujah made one of the people next to me got pretty emotional.

Angels We Have Heard on High is my favourite song from her Warmer in the Winter album and if you haven't heard it, that song is a must-listen! It is really gorgeous.

Lindsey had a moment with her band during the show when they returned us to our childhoods. They all sat down at the front of the stage with miniature instruments: a kids toy xylophone, a kids drum set, and a tiny violin. It was adorable.

As good as the music and entertaining as the choreography was, some of my favourite moments during the show came from the stories she told. She's pretty funny and she's a great storyteller. She had to fight back emotions a few times when she was talking about some emotional subjects for her. That reminded me of Mairead Carlin and how real and beautiful she is on stage.

One story that Lindsey told that really struck me centered around the premise that life is like a mirror. What you give is what you get. I love how simple yet powerful that analogy is. Yes, the effort, energy, and kindness we show others tends to be what we deserve and receive in return. But beyond that and even beyond her story, that analogy can applied to what each of us think of ourselves.

As passionate Celtic Woman fans, I think most of us have faced depression or other really difficult experiences in our lives. It's those hard times that have led many of us to appreciate Celtic Woman as much as we do. For those of us that have been through it or that are still struggling with low self esteem or depression on an ongoing basis, I think the analogy of the mirror can serve as a great source of inspiration. No matter what others think of us (or what we think others think of us), what matters most to our own happiness is who we see in the mirror each day. The praises of others and all other joys are fleeting unless we can be appreciate something within ourselves. Perception is reality and what comes back at us from that mirror can be within our power to control. The secret to happiness is always right before us. We just have to have to be looking to find it and willing to see it.



Wrap-up

I've only seen Lindsey perform live once before this, but I was impressed by both of her shows. Perhaps I wouldn't fly half way across the world to see her like I would Celtic Woman.

Like the members of Celtic Woman, Lindsey Stirling is an incredibly talented performer but like Celtic Woman, it's her heart that makes her truly special. Maybe there will never be performers that make me feel like Celtic Woman does. But I think one of the many gifts that Celtic Woman gives me is awareness and appreciation for other talented performers and wonderful people I would otherwise never know.

Lindsey's show was most likely the last for me in this epic year of shows. It was a fun way to close out the concert season. As I look back on this year and get ready next what could possibly be the most ambitious and expensive concert schedule I've ever attempted, I'm reminded of how many amazing experiences I owe directly or indirectly to Celtic Woman and the joy they've helped me find within their music and within myself.

I hope you all merry Christmas, a happy holiday season, and a wonderful new year.

2019, here we come!

1249
Ancient Land / Re: DVD/CD release day
« on: December 14, 2018, 09:10:03 AM »
DVD and Blu-ray release day is January 25!

1250
New Members / Re: Finally Joined!
« on: December 13, 2018, 10:52:42 PM »
I'm not really sure if the old forum is even being monitored (the last member there was accepted over 2 years ago and everyone that tried to register since then has been waiting in the approval queue). The concern is that without the admin on the old forum, we can't effectively back up all the important content over there. There are archival sites that crawl through the forum and back up some of it from time to time, but if the old forum suddenly stops working and the admin there isn't watching it anymore, there's going to be a lot of great content lost.  :'(

I got a decent amount of the discographies for each of the performers done (I'll update those again over the holidays, most likely).

I also got most of the chart histories documented, because navigating Billboard.com to try to find that information isn't always a fun experience.

One of the projects I've been meaning to work on is to start documenting all the key information from past tours:
- Set lists
- Dresses
- etc.

Once cw-ct.com is back up we should have tour dates and member lists for all the tours, so that'll be a great reference once it's back online.

We should be able to get at least some of the important information over here to preserve it in a place that's less cluttered than the old forum.

1251
New Members / Re: Finally Joined!
« on: December 13, 2018, 10:41:38 PM »
Welcome to the new forum Chandler!

We've had some pretty good growth over the course of the year and we have a bunch of enthusiastic members actively posting. This is a fun place and it'll get more active as we continue to grow.

I had a lot more plans to build up the content on here this year, but it turned out to a bit of a busier year than expected, so it's been a slow process.

If you have any suggestions please let us know.

I hope you have a great time here!

1252
Alex Sharpe / Beatlemania lives again!
« on: December 13, 2018, 10:19:34 PM »
Beatlemania is available again on the West End International site!

Starring:

Alex Sharpe
Jacinta Whyte
Dougal Irvine
James Graeme

Track List:

Magical Mystery Tour
Back in the USSR
The Long & Winding Road
Ticket to Ride
Fool on the Hill
Help
Revolution 1
I Want to Hold Your Hand
A Hard Day's Night
With A Little Help From My Friends
Penny Lane
Can't Buy Me Love
Yellow Sunshine
Yesterday
I Am the Walrus
Here Comes the Sun
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
When I'm Sixty Four


Availability

It took months of communications going back to the beginning of June, as well as bit of searching on their end, but they managed to find a few leftover copies of the Beatlemania CD and made them available on the site.

I have no idea how much of Alex is in the CD or how much her voice will stand out, but I've been looking for this one for years and it's finally great to know that a copy is on its way!

My contact over at West End International says there are no plans to do another pressing of the CD (or release it on digital platforms) so once this batch is gone, that's it.

So this is basically a rare collectors item now.  ;)


Ordering

Here's the site where it can be ordered:
http://www.westendinternational.com/recordings

The site only allows you to order with an address in the UK or Germany. So if you want one:
- You'll have to order with a German or UK address (I'm getting my copy through a friend in Germany), or
- Contact West End International through their site. Basically you'll need to mail them a cheque, then once they get it, they'll contact you and you give them your address, then they'll mail it to you.

I probably won't get my copy until January. I'll listen and post about it then!

1253
Megan Photos & Graphics / Favorite Megan Photos
« on: December 13, 2018, 09:44:31 PM »
Aimée Murphy has done some pretty amazing work for Celtic Woman over the years but this is truly epic.

She's brought out every last bit of beauty in Megan with this hair and makeup.

1254
Lisa News / Re: Lisa K show 2018
« on: December 13, 2018, 01:21:20 PM »
Remember, Lisa is Chloe's Special Guest at her show Saturday night.  Maybe something will be said.

I wish I was going to that one.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure I'll enjoy seeing Lindsey Stirling, but I should have guessed Lisa would be at Chloë's show this Saturday and gotten ticket / flight etc. a long time ago.

1255
Caranua / Re: CaraNua: Voices of Evermore
« on: December 12, 2018, 07:26:10 PM »
Still keeping an eye out.

Considering the short notice of the January 2018 show (I think it was only about a month or so), I'd say a January show isn't yet out of the question. But considering there have been several posts about the girls wishing they could to to Evermore Park to experience the Aurora season, it seems like there's probably no plans in the works for a show in Utah before at least spring.

That's my guess anyways.

I did check Jason Tonioli's site and Facebook events just in case they were doing another show with him and just haven't announced it yet, but I don't see anything promising so far.

The jeweler that made their tiaras mentioned there was an upcoming US tour. But that was back in July:
https://twitter.com/AidiMac/status/1020224363906379776


Quote
@AidiMac

Work in Progress. 3 tiaras, each Handcrafted in Yellow gold, Rose gold and silver. For the singing group @CaraNua_music about to launch their US tour #celticwoman @CaraNuaFans


I'm honestly not sure if there were plans that just didn't come to fruition or if perhaps there was a misunderstanding there.
I think perhaps they were just going to the US to record songs for Evermore soundtracks and possibly do some music videos. There were rumors of a fall tour in 2018, but that unfortunately didn't happen. But at the point that this was posted, I'm not sure that there was ever an immanent tour.

Perhaps Edel's departure was unexpected for the group and they were forced to re-think their plans or maybe something else interfered with the realization of a tour. While I'm still holding out hope for a one-off show, I don't think we can expect any sort of tour until at least summer or fall.

1256
Ancient Land / Re: Ancient Land DVD (PBS): Codecs
« on: December 12, 2018, 07:06:31 PM »
Good question.

In VLC, not natively, at least not in the version I have. There might be an extension and I'm sure there are utilities out there that can read the region code from a DVD.

In this case though, it's written in the back and it says ALL regions.

It's on Eabha's dress. It is a bit challenging to read it, given the letters consist of a narrow black outline and a white fill to match her dress color.

So to answer your question: it looks like a region free DVD.

1257
Lisa News / Re: Lisa K show 2018
« on: December 12, 2018, 06:30:31 PM »
I haven't heard a peep about a Lisa Kelly show next spring.

For comparison with the Voice of Ireland show I went to in 2017:
- Ordered my tickets: Nov 27, 2016 (this was not the first day they were available)
- Show date: Apr 22, 2017

Not to say 5 months lead time is needed to announce a show, but obviously it's harder to draw a crowd from out of town with a shorter lead time. People have to book time off, make travel plans (before making conflicting plans), etc.

I'd say if we don't hear anything by the end of January, there likely won't be a show until at least summer.

If there is one, hopefully it's not in May, because I'm already flying to 2 separate Celtic Woman shows that month.

1258
Mairead Nesbitt / Re: Tracks and Paths (DVD)
« on: December 12, 2018, 06:13:59 PM »
The only DVD I have that's been unable to play in a dedicated Blu-ray player or dedicated DVD player is Mairead Nesbitt's Track's and Paths DVD. That one I can only play with my computer's DVD drive. That's most likely because the external player's I've used don't support PAL or it's not a region-free / region 1 DVD (my theory, anyways, I haven't bothered looking up their specs).

The codec info for the Tracks and Paths DVD is as follows:

Type: Video
Codec: MPEG-1/2 Video (mpgv)
Resolution: 720x576 (PAL)
Display resolution: 720x576 (PAL)
Framte rate: 25
Decoded format: Planar 4:2:0 YUV

Type: Audio
Codec: A52 Audio (AC3)
Channels: Stereo
Sample rate: 48000 Hz
Bitrate: 128 kb/s


1259
Ancient Land / Ancient Land DVD (PBS): Codecs and Region Code
« on: December 12, 2018, 06:03:37 PM »
Here is the codec information I derived from the Ancient Land DVD (PBS version) using VLC:

Type: Subtitle
Codec: DVD Subtitles (spu)


Type: Video
Code: MPEG-1/2 Video (mpgv)
Resolution: 720x480 (480p)
Display resolution: 720x480 (480p)
Frame rate: 29.970030
Decoded format: Planar 4:2:0 YUV


Type: Audio
Codec: A52 Audio (AC3)
Channels: Stereo
Sample rate: 48000 Hz
Bitrate: 192 kb/s


For comparison, these codec specs are the same as the Homecoming DVD.

Seems pretty standard.

1260
Ancient Land / Re: Celtic Woman: Ancient Land album in the charts
« on: December 12, 2018, 07:38:54 AM »
Ancient Land has been holding on to the top 10 pretty well.

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