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Author Topic: Lisa Kelly Spring 2019 Show  (Read 7589 times)
CWazyTom
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« on: March 04, 2019, 11:54:37 AM »

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.

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CWazyTom
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« Reply #1 on: May 03, 2019, 05:29:10 PM »

For those that are still in Peachtree City the day after the show, Lisa Kelly and Chloë are doing a surprise meet and greet in the morning!






... but since I'm heading to the airport at 5:00 AM for a connecting flight to see Celtic Woman on Sunday night, needless to say I will be missing out on meeting Lisa ... again.
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dbbii
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« Reply #2 on: May 05, 2019, 07:00:41 AM »

Got my M&G ticket!!!  Of course it tooka freaking hour to figure out how to use Venmo  (yes, I'm an old guy who hates cell phone apps)

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dbbii
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« Reply #3 on: May 21, 2019, 10:54:44 AM »

Hopefully this works!

I dug up an old photo I had of Lisa & Chloe at a Meet & Greet.  I showed it to them at the show.  They had a discussion about when it taken.  They were trying to remember it based on the dresses.   I think it was February 4, 2011 in Orlando.   SFTH tour.
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CWazyTom
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« Reply #4 on: June 04, 2019, 06:49:17 PM »

I apologize for the lengthy delay in posting a writeup for Lisa Kelly's 2019 spring show. It's been a very busy few months.

Without further adieu, here's my writeup!


Exploring Peachtree City:

After my flight arrived into Atlanta from New Jersey (I had seen Lisa Lambe in New York the previous two evenings), I picked up a rental car, checked into my hotel near the airport and drove down to Peachtree City.

Even before the fan gathering I had a lot of unfinished business to attend to (on account of my GPS sending me in circles for hours on my first trip to Georgia in 2017). My first stop was the Lisa Kelly Voice Academy, where I finally got my obligatory photo in front of the building. It's almost like a rite of passage for a Lisa Kelly fan. I was still a bit bitter that I wouldn't be able to stay for the Couch and Greet the next day to meet Chloë and to finally meet Lisa Kelly. I had to fly out early the next morning to see Celtic Woman, a Meet and Greet that had been booked long before Lisa announced her show, much less her Meet and Greet. But I suppose if unfortunate timing was going to keep me once again from meeting Lisa, I couldn't have asked for a better conflict than seeing Celtic Woman.

After that, I spent some time near The Fred. I finally located the boardwalk trail near the venue that I hadn't had time to find back in 2017. It was pretty warm and humid, but that trail was worth every moment. The trail wound through the woods near the amphitheater and included a boardwalk section though a beautiful blend of water and lush trees. The trail in its own right was one of the best I've ever had the privilege of walking. What made it even better was that while I was on the trail, I got to overhear part of sound check / rehearsal at The Fred!

I heard at least 4 songs (some of which ended up getting performed in the show and some did not):

Caledonia [Lisa]
Fields of Athenry [Lisa]
Devil Went Down To Georgia [Lisa] ... was not in the show
Bring Him Home (Les Miserables) [one of the two male guest singers] ... was not in the show

I seem to recall hearing Chloë rehearsing something too: Bridge Over Troubled Water, perhaps.

After that awesome walk, I headed over to the Mellow Mushroom for the fan gathering (and to change). There was probably around 40 people at the fan gathering this year. Like last time, we had the whole outdoor patio reserved. There was enough room, but it was a bit crowded and noisy. I wasn't as social there as I had been back in 2017. I suppose there were a number of reasons for that. I'm not the most sociable person to begin with. I was really worn out mentally from all the planning and re-planning over the preceding months. I was perhaps a bit groggy from the very late night in New York / New Jersey the night before. Also, I was fed up from reading the constant bickering on Facebook about politics and such and wasn't in the mood to risk any of those types of conversations. I only caught up with a few people and I'm sorry for anyone I didn't get to talk to there while I was shelled up.

After the fan gathering / meal, I stopped by Lake Peachtree to take some photos before heading back to The Fred for the show!


The Stage:

There was no merch table this time, so I didn't spend too much time before heading down to my table seat.

The band was set up on either side of the stage at the back and there was a white piano at the front on stage right. There was quite a bit of empty space on the stage, ample room for the academies to perform.

The approach to stage decoration was definitely simpler this time than it had been in 2017. Unlike in 2017, there were no steps leading down from the center of the stage into the table seating area. Also, this time, there were no fancy curtains. The stone wall at the back of the stage was lit up with some floodlights, but that was all. Ironically, it ended up being a similar look to Red Rocks (after they took the drapes down in the second act).

The lighting during the show was adequate though not spectacular. The sound, however, was really good!

Last time, I sat stage right in the first row of seating behind the table section. This time, I had a second row table seat. It was a much better view (although still not close enough to take quality pictures with a phone). Perhaps by Lisa's next show, I'll have a real camera and some practice using it.


Pre-Show:

The pre-show act this year was the Kavanagh Porter Warren Academy (formerly Kelly Porter Dance Academy). They had bright green t-shirts on and danced to traditional Irish instrumental music. While I enjoyed the guest acts in the pre-show in 2017, I thought it was a great idea to showcase the students in the pre-show this time. It gave them extra opportunity to gain experience in front of a crowd and the family members in attendance probably appreciated it as well.

The audience was encouraged to clap along with nearly every number and while it was fun, over the course of 20-30 minutes, it did get a bit tiring. They could have perhaps had one or two slow numbers or perhaps some instrumental or vocal numbers in between the dancing to add variety, but I enjoyed what they presented.


The Show:

Scott Porter came on stage to welcome the audience and introduce the show. At last it was time for the main event! The Lisa Kelly Voice Academy opened the show with a rousing edition of The Greatest Show (from The Greatest Showman). It was a really strong opening number and though my hands were a bit weary from clapping during the pre-show, this opening song of the main card got me really pumped up.

The LKVA students wore black t-shirts with "I am the voice" written on the front in big bold letters. The outfits were simple but I thought they did a surprisingly good job of representing the confidence those kids projected during the show. Right from the start and all through the concert, these kids really brought the energy and they all had a presence on that stage.

A violinist from the band started off the second song, Shenendoah, before Lisa Kelly took the stage wearing a dress with sparkly silver top and a black bottom. She opened with a vocal medley of Shenendoah and The Water Is Wide, followed by Fields of Gold. I thought it was kind of ironic that she performed two of Megan Walsh's songs from the Celtic Woman: Ancient Land tour almost back to back. I really enjoyed Lisa Kelly's versions, but I also gained an even greater appreciation for just how amazing Megan is.

Lisa performed A Million Dreams with her students. As many of you probably know, Lisa had some pretty serious surgery over a year ago and it was a long and frightening road back for her. There were times she was worried she wouldn't ever be able to sing again and she only within the past few months finally regained her voice and her confidence. During this show, she sounded great!

After A Million Dreams, Chloë came on stage wearing a simple yet stunning red dress! Chloë performed a solo of No Frontiers.

Then, to nobody's surprise, Lisa and Chloë brought back their duet of For Good (from Wicked). The two of them performing that song together is always special and there were plenty of tears in the audience.

Trevor Martin (one of Lisa's guest singers) sang a good version of Danny Boy. Steven Humes, Lisa's other guest singer, performed a pretty spectacular version of Nessun Dorma!

Amazing Grace closed out the first act. In a nod to the tradition in Celtic Woman, the piper stood on the grass (to stage right) to open the song.

In the second act, Lisa performed a really enjoyable version of Fields of Athenry. It's a nice song to begin with, but wow did that ever sound good with Lisa singing it. I'd certainly put Lisa's rendition up there with Mairead Carlin's in the "absolutely gorgeous" category.

The weather leading up to the show had been quite ominous, with not only rain predicted for the whole evening but high probability of thunderstorms during the show. Mercifully, the thunderstorms stayed at bay. I was forced to put on my rain poncho for a brief period of rain near the end of the show, but that was all. The rain started towards the end of the Riverdance dance routine in the second act. Lisa apologized for the rain and mentioned that they would try to wrap up the show quickly to keep us from getting too wet. After her next song, they went straight into the false-finale, You Raise Me Up. I suspect the remaining songs I heard during sound check were scheduled for the second act but got dropped on account of the weather.

As the rain started letting up, most of the singers and the LKVA performed a good rendition of This Is Me (from The Greatest Showman). Chloë was absent from the stage for that song, but returned for the real finale, a thunderous (metaphorically) performance of Don't Stop Me Now. The Lisa Kelly Voice Academy left everything they had on that stage by the end of that song. The energy level was borderline epic! What a finish to a really entertaining show!


The Crowd:

The crowd in attendance was fairly good. They were enthusiastic and engaged in the show. It seemed like a smaller crowd than last time I was at The Fred though. From memory, I think perhaps two thirds of the seats were filled. I suppose people may have had other commitments or just didn't have enough notice to make the trip. Having Lisa Lambe and Celtic Woman at Red Rocks within a few weeks of Lisa Kelly's show probably didn't help her turnout. Neither did the weather reports, which had been pretty gloomy leading up to the show. I'm sure there were other reasons as well (limited local support / promotion perhaps).


Set List:

Act 1

The Greatest Show (from The Greatest Showman) [LKVA]
Shenandoah/Water Is Wide [Lisa]
Fields of Gold [Lisa]
Million Dreams (from The Greatest Showman) [Lisa with LKVA]
No Frontiers [Chloe]
For Good (from Wicked) [Lisa + Chloe]
Danny Boy [Trevor Martin]
Distant Thunder [dance academy]
Nessun Dorma [Steven Humes]
Amazing Grace [all]

Act 2

Caledonia [Lisa]
Fields of Athenry [Lisa]
Green Grow the Rushes [Lisa and Chloe + audience]
Bridge Over Troubled Water [Chloe]
Heal Their Hearts (from Riverdance) [Steven Humes]
Moondance [Lisa duet ... might have been with Trevor Martin]
Riverdance International (aka the finale from Riverdance) [dance academy]
Hallelujah [all?]
You Raise Me Up [all]
This Is Me (from The Greatest Showman) [all but Chloe]
Don't Stop Me Now (Queen) [all]


Post-Show:

Although there was a fan gathering after the show (at the IHOP, I believe), I chose not to partake this time on account of my early connecting flights to Calgary the next morning to see Celtic Woman. The drive back into Atlanta this year was much better than it had been in 2017, when it was raining so heavily I could barely see the road. It was still enough rain that, with the moderately effective wipers on the rental car, it was difficult to see the road signs at the airport (where I was returning the car). I ended up driving around the airport loop for a while until I managed to find the correct sequence of lanes to get to the rental car returns. The GPS, which had been cooperative most of the trip in Georgia this time, was extremely counterproductive in the car-return endeavor, so I ended up shutting it off so it would stop misleading and distracting me.


Overall

I really enjoyed Lisa Kelly's 2019 spring show. My impression was that there was a bit less variety than the show in 2017, but that this show had more energy and polish. Both the dance academy and voice academy were fantastic! Both the Riverdance tap dance numbers were loaded with energy and conviction. Similarly, the Lisa Kelly Voice Academy sung with confidence. The whole group was really good. I didn't notice anyone that seemed lost or timid on stage this year (in 2017 there were a lot of students who hadn't performed in front of an audience before). Back in 2017, the academies were good, but this year they brought it to an entirely different level. This show somehow managed to exceed my expectations. I'm definitely looking forward to the next one!
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VegasDavid
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« Reply #5 on: June 06, 2019, 12:45:00 AM »

That was a great report, Tom!  You figured out those song names much better than I was going to, especially Nessun Dorma, an Italian opera song.  And you put me in the mood to finally write my report tonight.

May 11 pre-show:

I was traveling with my dad.  We had restaurants to try and people to meet in Auburn, Alabama.  We drove together from there to Peachtree City on the day of Lisa Kelly's concert.  Upon getting to town, we immediately checked into a hotel and I started getting dressed in my green suit for the concert.

May 11 show:

I was at the Table R with Tom, Scott Taylor, and my dad.  A friendly guy at the table to the left of us shared cookies with us and pointed out whenever Lisa Kelly's kids were on stage.

My favorite song of the Lisa Kelly concert was Moondance.  It was a duet with Lisa Kelly and Trevor Martin.  I kept laughing because Trevor Martin and Lisa Kelly were doing this hilarious flirtatious choreography during the song.  That song fades away at the end, and I found it funny that Lisa implemented that by walking off the stage and slowly lowering her voice!  Another reason I liked that song is because I wasn't expecting to hear it, and it's a song that I strongly associate with my swing dancing days in college at the University of Illinois.

Trevor Martin is a slim guy with a suit that fits well.  There is some kind of chemistry between him and Lisa Kelly: during the concert, she told us about the day he came to ask for a job at the voice academy, and she said something to the effect that she definitely wanted to hire this gorgeous man, and "you'll know why when you see him".

Hallelujah was a Lisa Kelly solo.  That's another song that I liked, but I could not appreciate it fully because the rain started during that song and I spent a good chunk of time donning my poncho.  I wouldn't say I was struggling, but it was harder than I thought it would be.  For anyone not familiar with the song, here is the performance by Alexandra Burke.  I have sung this at karaoke before.

I also loved hearing Lisa sing Fields of Gold and Caledonia because of the connection to Celtic Woman.

The two Riverdance dance routines were pretty great too.  At the live sofa chat the next day, Scott Porter told us that in any previous years, the dancers at the academy would not have been talented enough to pull those off.

May 12: meet and greet

I got to meet Lisa Kelly and Chloë Agnew for the first time the next day at the meet and greet event they held at the Lisa Kelly Voice Academy!

After hugging each, I told them they were both legends to me, told Lisa that I love how loud and clear her voice is, said that I loved hearing Moondance and the classic Celtic Woman songs, and relayed some short messages from Tom and Lisa Lambe.  As I was leaving, Chloë complimented my suit.

It was fun to hang out in the lobby of her academy and see all sorts of awards Lisa Kelly has won from her Celtic Woman days.  (I took pictures of several.)  They served us some nice snacks, including some beautiful sugar cookies that said "Lisa & Chloe" in the icing.  My dad almost talked me into taking a cookie home and framing it on my wall, lol!

May 12: live sofa chat

After the meet and greet, we were invited to go deeper into the building for the live chat: behind the voice academy area is a raised stage where they probably teach Irish dancing.  There was also a setup for aerial yoga on the stage.

We sat on some old church pews that were painted white and facing the stage.  Lisa and Chloë sat on a couch on stage and chatted about various things, and took a lot of questions from the audience.  I did not ask any questions myself.  I kept thinking someone should get them side tables, because they were drinking coffee and putting their cups on the floor!

This event was not streamed on Facebook, which meant that Lisa Kelly could speak candidly about things she doesn't like.  She complained about quite a few things which I won't repeat.  I'd like to think I got a sniff of some genuine Irish craic.

May 12: exploring Peachtree City

After that event ended, my Dad and I explored Peachtree City.  I wanted to do this in order to figure out why Lisa Kelly chose to settle there.

We had a tasty lunch at Zoës Kitchen, which Lisa Kelly mentioned as being one of her favorite restaurants in a recent Facebook live chat.

We noticed that Peachtree City has a pretty low population density: the homes are generally built on big lots, and there are big lakes in the city too.  There are lots of big trees everywhere.  Another charming thing about the city is the network of wide sidewalks that are built so that the residents can get everywhere via golf cart!  We saw quite a few people riding their golf carts on these trails.  One couple told us that they barely use their actual car anymore.

We found a war memorial by city hall (seeing war memorials on trips is my thing).  We visited Picnic Park and got a nice view of Lake Peachtree.  We had a second lunch at Marco's Pizza and visited a small regional airport.  At the end of the day, my dad drove me to the Atlanta airport so I could catch my flight home.

Next time, I'd like to go on that trail that Tom mentioned and also check out the Line Creek Nature Area. 
« Last Edit: June 06, 2019, 01:00:35 AM by VegasDavid » Logged
Tracie
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« Reply #6 on: June 08, 2019, 10:14:20 AM »

Thanks for the great write-ups, Tom and David! Sounds like a fun show!
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CWazyTom
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« Reply #7 on: June 08, 2019, 06:19:30 PM »

Ah yes, Peachtree City is indeed a city of golf carts. They were everywhere!

I wasn't able to choose a favourite song from this particular show.

I loved the Lisa and Chloë duet "For Good" (which I've heard them perform before), Lisa's "Fields of Athenry" and the big Lisa Kelly Voice Academy numbers that opened and closed the show ("The Greatest Show" and "Don't Stop Me Now").

The dance academy Riverdance numbers were also awesome.
« Last Edit: June 08, 2019, 06:46:27 PM by CWazyTom » Logged
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