The sizzle reel for the Celtic Woman: Believe PBS special:

https://youtu.be/S1tDVSAqOpw?t=4

Irish names can be really hard to pronounce and spell sometimes. I thought we could all learn some common Irish names together in bite-sized pieces. I think a lot of us probably remember poor Saoirse (ser-sha) Ronan trying to teach us how to pronounce her name a while back.

Here's one that may be familiar to those of us at Johnstown Castle:

Caoimhe (the floor manager at the Ancient Land DVD recording)

It's pronounced KEY-va (or sometimes QWEE-vuh) and means gentle.

Bringing back one of my favourites from the old forum.

The idea is for someone to post a few words from a Celtic Woman (or solo) song, behind the scenes clip, a well-known YouTube clip. Then someone else on the forum has to guess who sang/said those words. This doesn't just have to be the ladies. It could be something David Downes said, one of the band members, etc.

We do have to be careful not to use things that more than one lady has sang, for instance Maev sang Danny Boy as a solo, but later it was sang by the group of 4 so any of those words would be for more than one lady. Sometimes more than one girl sings the same lyrics in the same song. In those cases, any one of the correct answers is acceptable unless the poster explicitly states how many people need to be included in the answer (ie. who sang/said xxxxx [2 answers]).

It's not restricted to English words, but keep in mind that using non-English words could make it a lot more challenging.

I got scolded on the old forum a few times for picking things that were too obscure, like random YouTube clips I had just seen.

The convention is for the person who guesses the right answer (as confirmed by the poster) to post the next set of words to guess, but we'll keep that a convention rather than a rule since we don't have as many people on this forum yet and want to keep the game moving along.

Here's an example:

Poster 1: "While to that rock I'm clinging"

Poster 2: Eabha

Poster 1: Yes!

Poster 2: "Celtic Woman on ice"

RULE REVISIONS:

1. Tough Questions:

Let's try to not to skip over someone's question. If we can't answer within 24 hours or so, the person that asked the question should add a hint to keep things moving along. If it's been at least a few days without another hint, someone else can tag in with a new question.

2. Confirming answers:

Once a person has answered a question, let's wait at least a few days to give the person that asked the question time to confirm if that person's answer is correct. If it's been a few days without acknowledgement, a person that guessed can ask a new question whether they were correct or not.

3. New questions:

A person has answered a question correctly (as confirmed by the person that posted the question) is entitled to post the next question. If it's been a few days after an answer has been confirmed correct but no new question/clues have been posted, anyone else can pose the next question to keep the game moving alone.

---

So to start the game officially, here's my clue:

"When the night is overcome you may rise to find the sun"

"Tim Janis: Celtic Heart" PBS Special Writeup

Tonight, I finally got to watch Celtic Heart on Detroit PBS!

I don't get that station in my area, so I had to have someone record it and traveled over the weekend to watch the recording.

The show ran for 90 minutes with the pledge breaks.

The show opened with a brief narration. It might have been Lynn doing it. I enjoyed it. Those were the only spoken words during the show. There weren't any song introductions or context for the songs. I thought they could have shown the song titles somewhere on the screen, but perhaps that's not Tim's style. I haven't seen his other DVDs yet.


Set List

1. Fairy Glen (Lynn + Mairead)
2. Isle of Sky (Lynn)
3. White Forest (Lynn + Mairead)
4. Winter's Gate (Lynn)
5. Fall of the Great Forest (Lynn + Mairead)

-- Pledge Break #1 --

6. The Ancient Woods (Lynn)
7. Through the Mountains (Lynn)
8. Hidden Forest (Lynn + Mairead)
9. Mountain at the River (Lynn)

-- Pledge Break #2 --

10. Shadow Glass (Lynn)
11. Kid ar an Sliabh (Mairead)
12. The Light of Highland Meadow (Lynn + Mairead)
13. Western Realms (Lynn + Mairead)

-- Pledge Break #3 --

14. Beyond the Evening Star (Lynn + Mairead)
15. Spirit Lake (Lynn + Mairead)
16. Celtic Heart (Lynn + Mairead)

-- Pledge Break #4 --


According to the interviews during the PBS special, the DVD will have 3 additional songs that were not in the PBS special.

The extra songs weren't mentioned in the PBS special, but comparing the album to the PBS special set list, the 3 extra songs are probably:

- Spirit of the Trees
- Light on the Sea
- The Ring of Brodgar



The Look:

The lighting was ok. They achieved some interesting contrast in shots using bright lighting behind the performers. There were a few instances were I thought the performers were being over-saturated with light (the type of thing that happens to a picture taken from a phone when it overcompensates for dark surroundings and overexposes parts of a scene). Overall though, she scenes from the concert, particularly the closeups, turned out great!


Crowd Shots:

As some of you know, I was in the audience at the York Community Auditorium in York for the two shows where this PBS special was actually recorded. I was sitting far to stage right for the first concert and closer to center in the second row for the second show. I wasn't really expecting to be on the special, but I was really surprised the first time they showed the audience. For one thing, the theater where the audience was located wasn't the same venue where the show was actually recorded.

EDIT: I had watched this a bunch of times and didn't notice anyone I recognized. However, today I had a closer look after someone told me I was on the DVD. Uh...what? So I paused a few of the closeup crowd shots and found myself. So they used long shots of a different venue and closeups from the venue in Maine.


Scenery:

Tim is known for his combination of music with natural footage in his DVDs and YouTube videos. Throughout the concert, they faded back and forth between the live performance on stage and pre-recorded segments with the performers on a rock near the ocean. There were also lots of stunning scenes of Irish landscapes (there may have been some scenes in there from other locations, but I think least most were from Ireland). The Cliffs of Moher made several appearances. I had seen some of the same scenes in his YouTube videos promoting Celtic Heart. While they were certainly lovely scenes, I found it a bit amusing that the scenery sometimes didn't match the song. "The Hidden Forest," for example, featured seaside cliffs. I guess technically it was a really well-hidden forest, because it didn't actually appear during the track. In my opinion, it was a minor but odd inconsistency.


The Sound:

The sound quality was excellent, in my opinion. The ethereal humming of the singers was both intriguing and soothing. Lynn sounded incredibly beautiful. Although she had the vocal spotlight for most of the show, she wasn't the only singer on stage. The backup singers were good. Australian singer Ella Roberts was particularly impressive. When I heard "The White Forest" on the album, I thought that was Lynn singing because it was so spectacular. But in that song, it was actually Ella! She has quite a voice!

Mairead sounded great as well. She moved around a bit, though not quite as much as in the Celtic Woman DVDs. While she had a few fun, energetic songs, it was her breathtaking performance in "The Hidden Forest" that stole the show for me. That is one of the most gorgeous things I've ever heard.


Pledge Breaks:

During each pledge break, there were 2 interview segments: the first with Tim Janis and the second with Tim accompanied by Mairead Nesbitt. The interviews were done live in the PBS studio. It was mentioned during the broadcast that the DVD has additional interviews with the performers. At least some of those interviews were recorded at the venue in York, Maine.

Tim talked about how he had seen Mairead on PBS (with Celtic Woman) and just had to have her incredible talent in Celtic Heart. He also mentioned that he liked listening to Mairead speak. That was pretty cute. She does have an adorable accent and tone.

Tim mentioned that he had seen Lynn in multiple PBS specials. Hmm, she was only a featured singer in one Celtic Woman special. Was a cameo from The Greatest Journey's documentary "The Journey So Far" shown on PBS (not just on the DVD)? Was she with Anuna on PBS? Was "Roots of Ireland" shown on PBS? Did she do pledge breaks for a Celtic Woman special in which she didn't actually appear? Am I missing something or has she been on PBS only once prior to this?

Mairead was really adorable in the interview segments. Mairead also talked about how talented Eimear McGeown (flutes and whistles) is. Mairead also talked about how the audience gives her the energy to perform the way she does. The PBS rep said Mairead had played a big role in making Celtic music popular across the US. Celtic Woman was never mentioned during the pledge breaks though.

The following pledge gifts were offered:

$60: Celtic Heart CD
$72: Celtic Heart DVD
$96: Celtic Heart CD + DVD bundle (with Tim's CD "Waters Edge," which is excellent but I already have, as a bonus gift)
$150: Pair of tickets to Tim Janis's show in Detroit in December
$250: Pair of tickets with Meet and Greet to Tim Janis's show in Detroit in December

To my surprise, the date for the show in Detroit (technically Royal Oak, Michigan, which is a suburb of Detroit) was not the same as the date promoted when I got the Meet and Greet tickets from PBS the day before they aired the show. My pledge confirmation email indicated (as originally shown) that the show was on Sunday, December 8th (a date that was in conflict with the Celtic Woman: Best of Christmas show in Denver). On the PBS special, they advertised the show was on Tuesday, December 10th. The show isn't yet posted on the venue site but PBS has since updated the date on the tickets offered through their website to December 10th, so I suspect that's the correct date. I suppose I'll find out when I get my ticket. 


Overall

This was a nice concert special. The music was immensely soothing and along with the spliced in footage, it was visually stunning as well. It had a few quirks (the lighting was too strong in some cases, the scenes sometimes didn't match the songs, the lack of song titles, and the uh ... shots of the audience from some different venue). But in spite of those unusual choices, I thought it turned out very well and I definitely recommend watching it! I hope some of you get to see it later this year or next year on PBS. The DVD will hopefully be available soon as well for those that can't see it on PBS, or for those like me who want to treasure Mairead and Lynn's performances forever in our hearts.

Lynn says the first official CaraNua album is completed and should be available in about 2 weeks!

Favorite Hymns was technically a Jason Tonioli album and the Evermore soundtracks just featured CaraNua.

Mairead Carlin always seems to be wearing something stylish. She talks fashion in this article for Image.

Red Rocks Writeup (Part 1)

On the morning of the big show, I headed over to Red Rocks! I had seen pictures of the venue of course, but to actually be standing there at the top of the amphitheater, looking down at the stage where my favourite group was about to perform, was truly special.

They were still in the early stages of putting together the stage when I arrived. The lighting racks had not yet been raised and they were just beginning to lay down the triskele.

Inside the visitor center at the top (back) of the amphitheater was a hallway with all the past Red Rocks concerts listed. There upon that wall I found the dates of Celtic Woman's previous shows at Red Rocks. After years of seeing videos of those amazing shows, reading the rave reviews, and wishing I had been there to see it, my wish had finally come true.

I got a considerable amount of souvenirs from the gift shop, but I spent less time than money in the the visitor center. I was eager to get back out there and take in the spectacular amphitheater with my own eyes. Bad knees weren't going to stop me from walking down the steps and back up to take in the view from different vantage points.

The weather was great at that point and I had some time to spare before the start of the fan gathering, so I walked along the Trading Post Trail at Red Rocks park. The trail runs loops around some spectacular rock formations, surrounded by foliage, to the south of the amphitheater. It took less than an hour and wasn't overly strenuous. The views all along the trail were incredible! As I took in all that scenery and fresh air, I couldn't help but reflect on the places I've been and the things I've seen over the past few years since I started going to see Celtic Woman shows. That group and its lovely leading ladies have inspired me to visit so many amazing places. They have connected me with great new friends. They have enriched my life in ways I couldn't have imagined.

I finished the trail just in time to head over to the fan gathering at the Outback Steakhouse, where about 23 of us assembled to catch up with each other and to celebrate our favourite group. As I had been at the fan gathering before Lisa Kelly's (barely two weeks prior to Red Rocks), I was feeling a bit antisocial. I didn't mingle and chat with too many people. I mostly stuck to chatting with the people around me with whom I was most comfortable. Perhaps that was a wasted opportunity, but there have been a few fan encounters at shows recently (including at one of Lisa Lambe's two shows) that were genuinely uncomfortable and I didn't want to inject any social stress so close to such a highly anticipated show.


Tickets, Please

Following the fan gathering, I headed over to the box office just after it opened at 4 PM to pick up my Meet and Greet passes as well as my tickets and Ancient Land DVD from PBS.

These Meet and Greet passes had a bit of a history going back to December 2018 when I ordered them. Due to a system issue of some sort, my original pledge didn't include the Meet and Greet passes. I had to contact PBS back in December to get that sorted out. After the pledge confirmations were sent out, my confirmation still didn't include a Meet and Greet (another system issue). I had to contact PBS again to confirm I had a Meet and Greet. In April, PBS sent out a notice that they had mailed the DVD and tickets that came with the pledge. They were supposed to arrive by the end of April but didn't. It's not uncommon for things to take longer to get here. But after I returned from the first of my first series of concerts in May, the package still hadn't arrived. So I contacted PBS again only to find that they had attempted to deliver the package but for some unknown reason, it had been returned to them. So I was to pick up the tickets and the Meet and Greet passes at the box office before the show.

Well there I was at the box office, just hours before the show. The package with the DVD and tickets was there waiting for me (although it apparently took some effort to find it). But the Meet and Greet passes were not. Someone had to contact PBS to let them know there was a group of us waiting for Meet and Greet passes.

As we waited, we could see ominous clouds rolling in. It started to drizzle. As we waited, Ronan's parents stopped by to pick up their tickets, as did Tara's husband.

Finally, a representative from PBS came by and dropped off the passes ... only they didn't bring all the passes. So as it continued to rain on and off, the rest of us continued to wait. After an hour or so, PBS arrived with the rest of the Meet and Greet passes and we were off to the venue!

At the venue, there was more waiting. Like the a ride at an amusement park, the things we want to see the most sometimes demand the most patience. By the time we got to the merch table near the bottom of the amphitheater to gather for the Meet and Greet, there wasn't much time left but to wait for the Meet and Greet.


Meet and Greet

The Meet and Greet was held in a rock-walled hallway / room near the stage and the dressing room. Traditionally, I've been near the end of the line at the Meet and Greets. But I wanted a few extra minutes to walk back up to the top (rear) of the amphitheater before the show, so I got near the front of the line. As we were waiting in the hallway, some of the fans in the line sang me a happy birthday!

For many years, I despised hearing that song, especially in my honour. A lot of those years before I started seeing Celtic Woman shows were miserable. What was the purpose of celebrating another year when the road ahead seemed as bleak as the road traveled? Celtic Woman shows have given me pleasant memories to reflect upon and something to look forward to. I don't think I've ever enjoyed the song more than I did on that day, so thank you all who sang along for that special moment.

After a short wait in the hallway, the girls, a bounce in their steps and smiles on their faces, emerged from the dressing room area! Megan was first this time. In a throwback to my first concert of the Ancient Land tour in Rochester, NY, she opened with a handshake. She wished me a happy birthday. I told her how much fun it had been preparing their gifts this tour and asked her which was her favourite. I was a bit surprised at her answer as I was expecting it to be their least favourite. No matter. They all seemed pleased when told them that for the last gift of the tour, I had donated to all their charities. That was met with an adorable and satisfying "awwwwww" that could apparently be heard from down the hallway.

After giving Megan a hug, Eabha was up next in line. I told her that of all the tours I've seen, Ancient Land had been my favourite. It had been filled with energy, feeling, and beautiful music. I told her how grateful I was to everyone on and off the stage who had poured their hearts into this tour to make it so amazing for all of us.

Third in line was Mairead. She wished me a happy birthday. For the first time, I tried a little rhyme at the Meet and Greet:

For years I've blown out candles
Hoping wishes would come true
But I never dreamed a birthday gift
As wonderful as you

It was simple and I feared it would come across a little cheesy, but I delivered it as well as I could. It was met with another resounding "awwwwww" so it seemed the girls liked it. I told them it was very special to be with them at this bucket list venue on my birthday and that I was looking forward to another year with their music in my life.

Last was Tara. I told her that it wasn't just the music that made Celtic Woman so special. I love Celtic Woman as much as I do because of kind, talented, and adorable people like those that that were standing before me. I thanked her and the other girls for all the work it must take to be as amazing as they are then gave Tara a big hug. We ended up saying a few more words I don't quite remember, but they must have been meaningful, because Tara ended up hugging me again. Either Mairead or Eabha said "bonus hug" and the girls giggled adorably. I secretly wished that the girls would have sang me Happy Birthday too, although I was never going to ask them to do it, especially not when there were almost 20 people waiting behind me in the Meet and Greet line.

I was so content with myself for getting through two consecutive Meet and Greets without forgetting what I wanted to say, I almost forgot to stay for the photo! Ironically, the photo itself ended up being perhaps the worst Meet and Greet photo I've ever had. My phone overexposed the picture quite significantly. But although those Meet and Greets are technically glorified photo ops, it's the opportunity to tell those girls how special they are that means the most to me.

I don't think Sett was pleased at the amount of time I took with the girls (nor were some of the other people in line, I'm sure). It was at least a minute and a half and probably more. But for all the hassle and worry involved in securing those Meet and Greet passes this time, I was going to be sure I got my money's worth. 


For the first time, my writeup ended up being so extensive that it exceeded the maximum character length of a post, so I had to split it up into two part. Part 2 is coming up next!