In This Issue

My First Experience with Lisa's Gift

The next morning I got up. In a distracted fashion I began watching the concert. Watch a song, do some dishes. Watch another song, sort some paperwork. Then this beautiful woman came on stage. I was standing in front of the couch. She hadn't sung a note yet, yet I was mesmerized. She came down the walkway. The music started, the beautiful choir began, blue light bathed everyone in a soft glow. Then Lisa looked down and to her left. I had the most amazing sense of Peace flow through me. My knees literally buckled and I sat on the couch in stunned silence as Lisa began Caledonia. I was so homesick that week, and that song touched me to my core. I didn't know the extent of it, but I knew I had just had a profound experience. I often wonder if the performers know when they are creating something that it's going to have this powerful of an effect on someone.

After this concert I went online to search for more information. At the time I didn't even know Lisa's last name. I found her old website that was down, and was worried that was where my journey would end. Then I found Rich's webpage for her, which had a link to the old Lisa Kelly Forum. I couldn't believe there was a community of people who all had similar experiences to mine! I was in absolute Heaven as I read and read and read.

And so it began. I found more forums, more like-minded people, and learned more about the people that created that experience I had in my living room. I expected and hoped to learn more about Celtic Woman. What I didn't expect was the amazing camaraderie I would find on the forums. The friendships I have are lifelong. Through the most difficult time in my life, you all are with me. And Lisa is too. Thank you Lisa.

CW Signing at Baton Rouge

Dusseldorf Review

I thought I'd write a review for you about my experiences at the Düsseldorf concert.

I'm not gonna write much about how me and my girlfriend got to Düsseldorf...that worked out quite well but only because the navigator worked in the afternoon. After we had arrived in Düsseldorf at the trainstation with her car, we picked up Linde who had just recently arrived with her train at platform 15 (while on our way there my girlfriend had the funny idea of trying to find platforum 9 3/4 Cheesy, but Harry Potter was nowhere to find Sad ) After we had picked up Linde at her platform we had found this Starbucks in the trainstation and of course I couldn't just go to a Celtic Woman concert without having a Lisa Special... so I invited my girlfriend and Linde to a coffee and we were able to sit down and talk a little.

And hey, it worked out, and even though my girlfriend's English isn't that well they still got some conversation going while I was getting us our order at starbucks.

After that we decided to go back to the car, after all we had to check Linde into her hotel in which she was supposed to stay for the night (my girlfriend and I had to leave directly after the concert because my girlfriend had to begin work at 5 am the next morning. Don't ask how we got to that hotel... I'm not sure how we did it... Our navigator didn't work and Düsseldorf is a big city with a lot of one ways... you barely have the chance to turn left... (especially if you really really need to turn left) and I think it took us around 45 minutes to get to the hotel which was only around a mile away from the trainstation... (you never... should trust a machine...) Well eventually we had found that hotel, got Linde checked in and left immediately after that again for it already was 6 pm and we still had to find the concert hall (and since our navigator wasn't working... we used maps we got from the guy at the reception of the hotel.

Finding the concert hall wasn't that bad... I think we found it in around 15 minutes (we really left a lot of gas there in Düsseldorf...) The people working there gave us a place to park our car and then we went in...

First thing we did after going in was... looking for our seats... after all we had FIRST ROW SEATS and we really really wanted to see how cool that is Grin Grin

So we passed everyone else on our way to the front and claimed our seats in the first row...

If you've never had the chance of sitting first row... it's an amazing feeling... You are so close... We were able to watch people preparing the last things... people climing around (the guys who had to do the spotlights) and we were really really excited. I think it was 7:20 pm then...

Too bad they haven't made enough programs for everyone so we didn't get one Sad

There were 40 minutes to go and we watched the hall filling with people... There were so many Celtic Woman fans... it was amazing...

Then a few minutes past 8:00pm... IT STARTED

They began with "The Sky, the Dawn And The Sun"... they all looked amazing... especially Lisa... she wore the most beautiful white dress...

They were so close, we were able to see every expression on their faces and Chloe, Orlagh and Lisa smiled at us for quite a few times... After that everyone of them got a solo... Lisa sang Caledonia, Mairead did Butterfly, Chloe sang the Prayer, Lynn did Scarborough Fair and Orlagh (Siuil A Ruin) (I don't know if I got it in the right order)... After that they let the Orinoco Flow.. a few more songs followed, like "The Blessing", "Mo Ghile Mear"... (too bad I didn't get a program, otherwise I would remember better) until we got a 20 minutes break...

You wouldn't believe how often Chloe, Orlagh and Lisa smiled at us... It was just incredible... They are so connecting with the audience, it just was an amazing experience.

After the break... they did "The Ceili", "Newgrange", "Dulaman" "The Last Rose Of Summer", "Vivaldi's Rain", "Soft Goodbye", "Nella Fantasia"... and I think a few more I forgot... A highlight of the show was Mairead's "Ashoken Farewell"... she got Ray and the other Bodrhan player (sorry I don't know his name) and played them against each other... It was funny to watch, her face said things like... "Oh, he doesn't sound back, but hey listen... he's even better... oh, no... now he.... " and so on... She really played with the guys and I was really glad I was sitting in front row because you couldn't have experienced it like that in the back rows... We were able to read everything on her face... it was so cool...

Another highlight for myself was Lisa's "The Voice"... it's one of my favorite songs.

Oh I totally forgot... she wore the red dress ... and she looked like a queen. I really like the way she carries her hair right now... she was deadly beautiful...

In the end they all got us clapping with them at the song "Sing Out" and the whole atmosphere was filled with so much energy before they closed the show with

"You Raise Me Up" which got me some tears in the eyes... So beautifully sung... *sigh*

But hey... we wouldn't be a great audience if we hadn't wanted more so we cheered until they came out for one more final song... "Spanish Lady", nobody had been in the mood anymore to sit still now... Everyone was moving and clapping to them singing... we all also sang along for as good as possible...

The evening ended way too soon for my taste.

When the lights went back on and everyone was sure that there wouldn't be anything else... we fought our way out of the concert hall (that's the one disadvantage of having front row seats... It's pretty difficult to get out fast Cheesy

My girlfriend, she just recently had been introduced to Celtic Woman by me, said that it was a great experience. She liked Mairead best because she was amazed by the fact that someone can have so much fun in her job. She didn't regret coming even though she had been up for more than 23 hours at the time the concert ended and she had to get up again around 5 hours after that...

After getting out of the parking space we brought Linde back to her hotel... (I really hate big cities) and we ourselves started our way home, which would take around 3 hours.

I really really enjoyed the evening... never have I experienced anything like that.

I was glad that I was able to meet Linde, we had so much fun, we were talking and laughing a lot and it really was worth going such a long distance.

I can't even believe that it's over already... would you think... FIRST ROW SEATS... WOW

For all those who are still yet are to be going to a concert... HAVE FUN!!!