North American Tour 2007

[Richard]

Thanks for telling us, Stephany.

Red Rocks Amphitheatre is an open-air venue, so there is always the risk of cancellation due to bad weather.

Richard

[postscript]

roger said:

I agree, David, it is worse when travelling from west to east. I know that several of us have encouraged Hayley to take time out, in my case, at her manager's request. She always says she will... only she doesn't say when!

Roger

Interesting Roger. In my case it was on one of the trips when Jill was in attendance, perhaps at the Philharmonic Hall when Jill had just flown in from NZ, swapping over from Gerald. She was suffering jet-lag and we were talking about how bad it was, how long it would take her to adjust and how Hayley didn't seem to suffer it perhaps because of her youth, but that she shouldn't rely on that as a constant.

Having recently suffered shingles (and in the eye!) due to stress--and I too being one of those people since his teen years who has always juggled half-a-dozen balls in the air as a matter of course--Jill's response was, 'Oh I do wish you'd tell her that, she might listen to you!'

Oddly, only a few posts back, I refrained from posting an instinctive comment. That comment was that I wondered if we might be driving Hayley mad at us forever looking after her health for her. But if her manager says to you and her mother to me (and I don't think I was the only one to whom Jill made such a comment) perhaps we are doing Hayley a favour, even at the price of making her mad at us.

I cannot help recall my own childhood when I got mad at my mother for nagging when nagging to me was simple repetition. 'Mum, if I didn;t take any notice the first time, let alone the second its pretty obvious I'm not going to take any notice at all, so why go on?'!

May be we do Hayley some good when it so many of us whom she has met and is beginning to 'know' that she does pay some heed even if it is not apparent. Certainly in my case I had the war damage (from which I am still suffering some three years on) to drive the point home. You don't know you have overloaded until you have overloaded by which time the damage is done and it is too late!

In my case it was due to an unforeseen matter I could not control in a situation that was already in planned 'over' load. That, of course is the point. Good management plans-in leeway for something going wrong. It is not sensible to run at 100% the whole time. When a crisis demands 110% the human body is only 100% and something has Io give, usually your health. Having been there (and I avoided a complete nervous breakdown) it is a very long hard crawl back.

There is a point, which does not counter the message we are all sending her, but is worth a note, that some people are 'perpetual motion' and that is how they are made. No one size of existence fits everyone.

It is also possible--and we have all commented on the spirituallity of the girl--that she may find all the rest she needs from that inner peace and inner being. On top of which she may be very good at cat-napping. This is what sustained Churchill during the war years, his ability to sleep for two -hour stretches at any time of the day or night in any place.

roger said:

Hi Roger
...I entirely agree which is why I put the word break in parenthesis. I was perhaps too subtle!...
Martin

Oh well done, PARENTHESIS not brackets. I should have picked that up earllier. It is one of my irritants when people fail to recognise that it is the square things '[]' that are brackets and the curved things '()' that ar 'marks of parenthesis'!

Thank you.

Peter S.

Edit: I combined three posts into one.
Richard

[milewalker]

It is not my intention to go to deeply into Hayley analysis - and for the most part I wont However, this issue keeps coming up, so a couple of observations may (or may not) be in order.

The first question which occurs of course is why. Why in the face of her parents request, her fans request, and even the request of her manager does she continue to maintain this pace? I see two possible things, which are not mutually counterindicated.

First, she may have been promised (or thought she would achieve) a brass ring which isnt happening. One way to fight that is to simply work harder and harder - in fact it is now my fear that she may feel she must maintain this pace to simply hold her current position. I think that something along these lines may be an occupational hazard for crossover performers in general, until they reach a certain self-sustaining level like Brightman has done. They dont get air play, so they must rely on personal appearances - all over the world.

The second possibility is that she also has the natural drive of a very ambitious person - a person who wants to be higher in the pecking order than she is - and is willing to risk her health, and her personal life in order to attain it.

I am not trying to say that either of these things are the actual truth, merely that my own observation of her actions tends to support the possibility.

The bottom line here is that I want her to slow down too - but having said that I see a possible danger if that were to happen for too long or for the wrong reasons. What happens to such a person when the goal is removed? In most cases of course, they find another goal. But sometimes they do not. If Hayley's health were to break down from the pace, or if she were to suddenly realize that her career wasnt going to be what she thought it would be, (and both could happen at the same time) I can see this causing problems for her which we may not foresee now.

This is too speculative to apply as anything more than cautionary to Hayley at present of course - but there is a substantial body of evidence about what happens to professional athletes who suddenly get injured and end their careers, or who simply get old (40 is old in that field) and suddenly find that they can no longer do what they prepared to do for their entire lives.

Jon

[Stephany]

Hi everyone,
Short videos of the CW concert in Salt Lake City have been uploaded on Myspace.
Here are the links.

- Dulaman (Hayley)
- Scarborough Fair (Hayley and Orla on the harp)
- The Sky, the Dawn and the Sun (1/2) (Hayley, Orla, Lisa, Chloe and Mairead on the fiddle)
- The Sky, the Dawn and the Sun (2/2) (Hayley, Orla, Lisa, Chloe and Mairead on the fiddle)

I love « Dulaman » to bits. Looks like the concert version of « The Sky, the Dawn and the Sun » is slightly different from Slane Castle’s.

Best wishes,
Stephany

[mariannek]

stephany said:

Hi everyone,
Short videos of the CW concert in Salt Lake City have been uploaded on Myspace.
Here are the links.

- Dulaman (Hayley)
- Scarborough Fair (Hayley and Orla on the harp)
- The Sky, the Dawn and the Sun (1/2) (Hayley, Orla, Lisa, Chloe and Mairead on the fiddle)
- The Sky, the Dawn and the Sun (2/2) (Hayley, Orla, Lisa, Chloe and Mairead on the fiddle)

I love « Dulaman » to bits. Looks like the concert version of « The Sky, the Dawn and the Sun » is slightly different from Slane Castle’s.

Best wishes,
Stephany

Hi Stephany,
You are a wonder! I just watched the video clips...the next best thing to being there in the audience.
Thank you so much!
Love, Marianne

[Martin]

Thanks Stephany for these links. They are very short as you say but Hayley is clearly enjoying herself particularly on Dulaman.

Martin

[Richard]

Congratulations to our latest Maestro, Martin! i.postimg.cc/9fYxy370/smilie-big-grin.gif

And thanks for posting the links to the videos, Stephany!

Best Wishes,

Richard

[grant]

Whoopeee Martin!! You made it. Congrats on 500 posts and an honorary maestroship!!

Best wishes
Grant

(Of topic like Richard!)

[meldy]

When I saw Hayley perform Dulaman at the Greek (May 5) I loved it! And it does seem that Hayley has fun with the song. Now about Hayley and sleep....well...I do hope she gets what sleep she needs because I've been there; no sleep, or only a couple hours, and I would feel pretty tired so Hayley probably feels that too knowing she does it almost all the time! My parents tell me the same thing, that I'm young now but later on it will hit me. But I truly admire Hayley because she's got a very very busy schedule, I don't think I've ever seen a talented young artist as busy as her!!

[Stephany]

New entry on the CW tour diary about the Californian leg of the tour (see also their official site[/url]).

WEST COAST COOLER
Date: 14/06/2007

It was back to the West Coast for us after our brief sojourn in Idaho. We went to the very picturesque Portland. A vibrant city, which, although large in size has the laidback feel of a smaller town. We played at the Rose Garden Arena just outside the main drag of the city, but there was a more than adequate public transport system to ferry us around this city with a very European feel.

We went then to Seattle, home of our favourite beverage! It seemed everywhere we went we were teased with the aroma of a freshly roasted cup of Joe. Our venue was the Washington Mutual Center. A large building to get around, but rather than tire out our legs, we were lucky enough to be driven around in our very own golf cart. We were sorry to leave here, as we were just starting to get used to it. But we weren’t the only attraction in town, as there was both a soccer and baseball game in the arena, so there was something for everyone.

It seemed to us when we arrived in Spokane, that this is a town that strives to keep people young. We performed there on a Sunday, and that afternoon, there were many families walking in the park next door to the Opera House where we played. In the park there was a fabulous Carousel, a steam train to run people around the park if they were out of breath, and also a pond with ducks, which looked like they were very well fed, as there was a mountain of bread heading their way. We were glad to see our audience had come in from enjoying the outdoors to watch our show, and gave us a very enthusiastic welcome, and were kind enough to wave us off.

We headed to the Californian State Capital of Scaramento then, and despite our best efforts, did not meet the Governor. We looked out for him during the show, but we could not spot him. Ah well, we’ll be back. We had a marvelous Meet and Greet after our performance here and met some lovely people there.

Our next shows were still in California, in San Jose and San Rafael. These cities were different to what we are used to, as they are more sprawled and less concentrated than Irish cities. It was clear that one would definitely need a car to get around. We at least have our luxurious buses to get us around! A little bit bigger than the SUV’s that is the norm around here.

Even nearer to San Francisco, we played Oakland, beside the Bay Bridge. We’re not quite sure, but we reckon we saw some of the legendary Hell’s Angel’s at our performance here. It’s great that even tough bikers like rousing numbers like ‘You raise me up’ and ‘Nella Fantasia’. Our music is made for everyone and we hope everyone enjoys it as much as we do.

[meldy]

Wow they've really got a "diverse" audience.

Meldy

[Stephany]

From PhillyBurbs.com.

Concert scene for 6/22/07 : Celtic Woman


By MARTY FRANZEN
phillyBurbs.com

With the addition of young star singer Hayley Westenra, Celtic Woman not only got more notice, the group got its own PBS special

[/color]. Now the Irish lasses have two hit albums, 2005's self-titled starter set with songs like “Danny Boy,” “Ave Maria” and “You Raise Me Up” and this year's “New Journey.”

The latter CD covers both Irish traditional tunes and some songs you might not expect to get the group vocal treatment, like “Beyond the Sea,” “Over the Rainbow” and “Scarborough Fair.” When Celtic Woman takes the Mann Center for the Performing Arts stage, 5201 Parkside Ave., Philadelphia, tomorrow night, fans can expect to hear most of both albums.

Show time is 8. Tickets are $29 to $69; [phone].
[/size][/quote]

[Stephany]

Hi all,

Here are a few comments about Hayley from her very first show in Boston. It was made by a CW fan who reviewed the Springfield show from yesterday evening and made a few comparisons with Méav.
Click to read the full report : Springfield, MA review [/url]

Danny Boy

I think Meav is still holding that last note (somewhere in the background eeeeeee is heard). At every concert I've heard someone say wow at the end of this song. Well, except for Hayley's first concert which was the 2nd Boston night in March. I could feel Hayley's nervousness and she cut the note short. At the end of the show I heard someone remark "Meav always hit that note." I thought "give the girl a break, this is her first show, the song and this concert was not ruined, don't be so negative."

About the Méav/Hayley switch

The Hayley/Meav switch caused some consternation for people. In Manchester I met a father who's daughter was devastated that Hayley wasn't there. They were also stuck in lousy floor seating and she couldn't see the stage. I fully support the organization for allowing Meav to take a break - mothers are often given such grief for committing to family and its about time that concessions are made for mothers. Having said that, if this father had known when Hayley was with the tour, he would have gotten tickets to the appropriate venue in the area. I told him that Hayley would be in Boston, but he only had funds for the one concert.

Dulaman

I had the opportunity to hear Hayley tackle Dulaman. The first night she sang it she had some trouble that I think was mostly due to nervousness. This is such a difficult song that you really have to admire Hayley for taking it on. She had to step into Meav's long shadow on this song which was really quite unfair. The 2nd night Hayley sang the song, she was really good which confirms that the 1st night was an anomaly. Hayley projects more of an innocent, smitten teenager rather than the more mature, sexy image Meav projects. I'm glad I got to see both perform the song.

Stephany

[Stephany]

New entry on the CW tour diary with a small mention of Hayley.
Looks like they had a lot of fun in California!!

CALIFORNIA HERE WE COME
Date: 06/05/2007


So we started our californication in Palm Desert. A town that was so honoured with luminaries that it named a street after Frank Sinatra. Backstage in the McCallum was autographed with many American Icons of stage and Screen, and we got to look up signatures of Frank and Jerry Lewis.

This was our first taste of West Coast cool and we marveled at all the Palm trees. Hayley joined us here again as she re-visited the venue that she had played many years before when she was very young

[/color].

We went from here to the Hollywood Hills where we played the wonderful Greek Theatre. Thankfully the weather stayed warm for all of the audience who came to see us perform in this venue as all the seats were out in the open. We were treated backstage with pictures of all the previous acts who had played there and there were legends like David Bowie, Led Zeppelin and Aretha Franklin, so what an honour it was to perform there and we got to meet some old friends and catch up which was an added bonus.

We had some relaxation time in San Diego and of course we celebrated Lisa’s birthday in style with all the well wishes from the cast and crew and of course from the fans. There was also time for beach and of course San Diego zoo.

We had a wonderful show and lovely Meet and Greet and also we all shared some Birthday cake. A happy ending to a already great day.

Long Beach was our next stop and we performed in the Terrace Theatre, right beside the legendary ship the Queen Mary, now a popular tourist attraction. Despite the oppressive heat the audience were lively and fun.

One of the discoveries we made in California was In ‘n’ Out burger, a fabulous burger joint where all the ingredients are fresh and made on the spot. Burgers are not an Irish Staple, but we still recognize a good burger when we taste it.

We will be returning to California in a few days but we’re now headed inland to Boise Idaho, home of the spud, a definite Irish staple.
[/size][/quote]

[stevemacdonald]

stephany said:

CALIFORNIA HERE WE COME
Date: 06/05/2007

So we started our .....

Erm, there's an unfortunate (some would say "vulgar") portmanteau word in that opening sentence. It was first popularised by the band Red Hot Chilli Peppers who used it on their CD. I'm sure it's become hip slang and nobody really cares, but it's still a little jarring to see it blithely used in CW's own press releases.