Hayley hasn’t set foot on this side of the Atlantic for some time, the last opportunity those of us in the New York area had to see her was in the fall of 2005, when two of us brave souls stood out in the pouring rain of Eastern Pennsylvania to be rewarded with a brief encounter. Initially I was somewhat iffy about her joining Celtic Woman, who I thought were OK but a little too New-Age-like for my tastes. However, my mind changed at seeing the dramatic Slane concert, with its vigorous motion and passionate songs, and when I heard they were coming to Radio City Music Hall as part of their great 2007 tour of North America, I decided to jump at the chance, even if it meant paying $250.00 just for the concert. A bonus appeared when I learned that Caite Cocker of these forums, who had become a good friend through the internet, would be going as well. There was some flapping back and forth as to whether we might get to see Hayley herself, and then the question of whether she would even be there, as it was revealed, somewhat late in the game, that Hayley would be switching off with Meav, another member of the group with a young child.
Not to fear, though, ultimately it was revealed that Hayley would in fact be in New York, and in fact many other members of both HWI and the Celtic Woman forum would be present. The remaining pieces seemed to fall into place when Belinda of the forums was kind enough to clue me in to the fact that the ladies would be doing a signing at Barnes and Noble at Lincoln Center at noon on St. Patrick’s Day before the concert. I knew that Caite’s sister Meredith very much wanted to meet Hayley and knew that, whatever happened, she’d at least get to shake hands with her.
As we all know, the weather decided not to cooperate, as on Friday a particularly nasty ice storm hit the East Coast, giving us a good six inches of snow with a rocklike coating of ice. I thought Caite wouldn’t make it, but later found out she’d been on the last flight to make it in, lucky her. Thankfully the next morning dawned reasonably warm, and after mostly digging out, I tried to pull out of the driveway. No such luck, the thing was slippery as an eel’s backside, and three attempts to pull back only resulted in spinning wheels and a protesting engine. Finally one of my neighbors asked if I was in need of help, and, after about ten minutes of hard, sweaty pushing, we freed the car and got it out into the street. Thanking my neighbor profusely, I changed into clean khakis and Irish sweater, picked up some jelly beans in the colors of Ireland I was going to give Hayley, and finally got going.
The drive into the city was the easiest thing so far, as the bad weather kept the place from being mobbed with parade-goers, and in short order I parked behind Lincoln Center and tramped over to Barnes and Noble through the slush and other yuk that remained on the ground. I had the CW deluxe CD and most of the ladies’ solo CDs stowed in my briefcase, together with the jelly beans and my digital camera, since I’d been told that, in a switch for CW, who had not been allowing any photographs during the tour, they would be allowed here, just not holding up the line to pose with them. On the way up I picked up copies of Celtic Treasure and Raining Up, so I had solo CDs from all the ladies, after all, it wouldn’t have been nice to leave one out.
Alena, who had been at my side when I first saw Hayley in 2004, was already there, chatting with the few fans already assembled in the event room on the 4th floor. It was quickly obvious the ladies were already there, as one of the staff members was bringing several LARGE cups of coffee through a door stage right, though I don’t think any was for Hayley, if I remember her bio correctly she doesn’t drink the stuff. We chatted for a little while about this and that, and shortly thereafter Caite appeared, together with her family group, consisting of her dad, her younger sister Meredith or Meme (pronounced “Mimi”), and their Thai foster student Chi. I had seen many very nice pictures, but Caite, like the ladies of Celtic Woman, is still prettier in person, even dressed in winter clothes. I was glad to finally shake her hand and make her acquaintance. She introduced me to her family and we sat and waited. Tony, of CW forum fame, arrived soon after and he and I also talked. Although he was intense, he is certainly supportive of the ladies to a fault, as were some other members of the crowd, which eventually swelled to between 50 and 60, some of them carrying programs from earlier in the tour which they hoped to have signed. Barnes and Noble usually doesn’t allow that, but since the crowd never got very big, most likely due to the weather, they decided to allow it.
Eventually the magic hour struck, and the five ladies entered to loud applause and cheers to seat themselves at the table, flanked on their right by Rachel, one of the tour managers, whose reputation kinda preceded her, though she did behave for this event. Section by section the people approached. Because there were relatively few of us, there was no rushing and there was time to chat, albeit briefly with each of the ladies, who graciously signed the CW products and all else, though they were helped along by Rachel, who ran up and down the line with whatever solo CDs were presented, to keep things moving.
First was Lisa Kelly, a stunning, wasp-waisted brunette who is probably the most “polished” of the group. I have to admit I couldn’t think of anything too profound to say to her beyond hello and good to see you, because the next signer was Hayley, every bit as sweet and nice as she had been the last time I saw her. I quickly passed her the box of jelly beans, explaining I knew she liked chocolate better, but couldn’t eat it during a tour. She stuck out her hand and said she was glad to see her old friends here again, and graciously accepted the gift. Chloe was next, and I have to say, the TV cameras have not been kind to her, she actually appears to have lost a lot of weight. Her smile and cheeriness were her dominant features anyway, as she and I chatted briefly about not just them, but other musical groups in Ireland. None of the ladies, alas, seemed to know the fate of Pzazz, although Chloe confirmed, with a regretful pout, that Triniti had in fact split up.
Mairead was fourth in line, and definitely the most animated. I would almost describe her personality as larger than life, helped along by that infectious smile and blue eyes that twinkle like she is thinking of a hundred ways to get into mischief. She also shook hands, and when I asked her where she got all her energy, she jokingly responded “Gatorade,” but then added that frequently it’s the audience that gets her ramped up, so she hoped we’d do that for her tonight. I must have looked a little nervous at the bunch of items passing in front of her, for she reached out with her hand and told me not to worry, that they never lost things at these events. I said I’d see her that evening, but I’d be very close, so please to try not to kick us. Orlagh was last, and by far the chattiest, asking my name, commenting on how she liked my “bonen” or Irish sweater, and asking me if I remembered the name of the shop where I got it. I had to tell her unfortunately I didn’t because it was three years ago. After some other banter she realized the CDs and DVDs were starting to pile up in front of her, so she quickly started signing again. I took some more pictures while everyone else was taken care of. Finally everyone was, and the ladies stood up for a few more pics before retiring. At that point we grabbed Steve Abbott and asked him about saying hi to Hayley that evening. He told us to meet him at the staircase where you come in after the show, and he’d see what he could do.
Thanking him, we departed for lunch at a Spanish tapas place that Alena knew. It was very good, many different things to pass around, from potatoes and eggs to chorizio (Spanish sausage) to calamari. Dessert was interesting. I could not resist trying the house special, which was bread soaked in spiced wine with ice cream. It was a very distinctive purple and tasted essentially like fancy French toast. Throughout the meal we chatted and I regaled them with some of my latest stock of jokes (clean, of course). At one point Caite’s dad and I got into some Civil War talk, since there was a famous Minnesota regiment that he knew the history of, but of course the ladies’ eyes glazed over at that.
Hayley as we like her best, laughing.
Caite grins after collecting autographs
All five ladies, Lisa, Hayley, Chloe, Mairead, and Orlagh (l-r)
Afterward, we all went our separate ways for a while. I took some pictures of the parade and heard Mass at St. Paul’s Church near Lincoln Center, but all too soon I needed to make a mad dash for Radio City Music Hall and the concert. The line went back nearly two blocks, and that was just for ticket holders. The show was supposedly sold out, although I saw a few empty seats, most likely due to the foul weather the day before keeping people out of town. I reconnected with Caite and Alena and looked about for what I thought was the place Steve Abbott said he’d meet us (more on that later). We then took our seats. For a while I chatted with other fans, but finally the big moment arrived, or so we thought.
Bill Baker, who is the face of PBS in this area of the country, came out on stage, dressed all in green, to thank those who’d pledged through PBS and make his usual pitch for continued support. He then turned the microphone over to Dave Kavanagh, executive producer of Celtic Woman, who thanked a few folks who worked behind the scenes and described how CW had recently been to the White House to sing for the President. This last comment was greeted with a mixture of cheers and boos, I think the place was pretty evenly split between red and blue staters. To Dave’s credit, he said he would not comment on the booing factor, but that the President had been a perfect gentleman to the ladies and they had also met several brave young soldiers who’d fought in Iraq. These comments drew cheers. Finally he turned the mike over to David Downes, who said very little, for he knew we were all waiting for what was next: the show itself.
David took his place at the piano and the lights went down for a moment as the other musicians got into position, then slowly came back up as the first chords of “The Sky, The Dawn, the Sun” were played and Mairead appeared at the back of the stage, her back to the audience, fiddle in hand. She began to play, and the lights came up on the four singers, resplendent in gowns of white with varying degrees of gray trim and sequins, with silver shoes. One by one their ethereal voices joined the mystic introduction, but it wasn’t long before the piece built to high energy, and the audience was completely on board.
Afterward most of the ensemble exited and Lisa Kelly came downstage to sing the ballad “Caledonia,” accompanied mostly by David on the piano. It was as though this great hall became for a moment her quiet Irish home, with her telling us her own story of her travels, meetings, and partings. She was in fine velvety voice, and was greeted by equally warm applause as she and David bowed and kissed audibly, which told the audience that these singers were not lip-synching. “The Butterfly” was next, Mairead’s first chance to shine. And shine she did, skipping and dancing about the stage like the eponymous butterfly, but never missing a note. Her blue eyes flashed and she made good use of them, throwing flirty looks all around the first three rows.
Next came Hayley’s first solo piece, which in some ways couldn’t miss because it was “Danny Boy,” but it was sung in a rather difficult arrangement accompanied only by the voices of the back-up choir. Such a piece as that I would not trust to anyone but Hayley, with her gift of perfect pitch. It was a wonderful lyrical arrangement, with a slight alteration in the words to say that whatever happened, the singer, if she did die, would rest peacefully till she and Danny did meet once more in the afterlife, whether or not he bent over her grave and told her that he loved her. Hayley just touched the two highest notes of the piece, a reminder, I think, of her recent battle with bronchitis. But that is perfectly all right, I would rather that than she strain and potentially hurt her voice by pushing it farther than it was ready to go.
Chloe stepped out next to sing “The Prayer” with the choir. I can honestly say this was the start of what was to turn out to be a very special evening for her. This is a piece that too easily degenerates into “white wine” music without substance, but you got the feeling from the power and the warmth of her voice that she actually believed what she was singing, and really was praying for the safety of everyone in that audience.
Orlagh took the next solo turn, with “Siuil a Run,” a lament for a love who is presumably away fighting, since the singer talks of buying her love a sword, in fact this piece later evolved in the U.S. into at least one version of “Johnny Has Gone For a Soldier.” After that all four singers retook the stage for Enya’s famous “Orinoco Flow,” complete with subtle swaying movements as well as exquisite harmonies.
“Granuaile’s Dance” was after that. Here Mairead displayed her greatest playing, dancing, and energy of the evening, leaping like a ballerina and twirling like a dervish, all the while playing up a storm and flashing her magnificent smile and larger-than-life happy facial expressions at the audience, including, I think, playing to each of us who she recognized a bit.
Things slowed down a bit for the ballad quartet “Beyond the Sea,” and Lisa’s gentle “Blessing.” After that came Hayley’s second moment to shine with “Scarborough Fair,” and she shone out once more as strongly as she did when I first saw her in 2004, with nary a missed note nor a catch in her voice, in fact she brought a drama to the song that the “pop” arrangements can never capture.
Chloe took the stage once more for a piece called “Vivaldi’s Rain,” sung to “Winter” from “The Four Seasons.” It is here that I became somewhat torn, for although Chloe was in tremendous voice and the arrangement, complete with pizzicato “raindrops” was very nice, I think a lot of the folks here couldn’t help but think of Hayley’s “River of Dreams” sung to the same tune. Ah well, maybe some other time.
The slow, almost precious strains of “Over the Rainbow” were quickly overwhelmed by the combined forces of all the performers in David Downes’ thunderous, rousing arrangement of “Mo Ghile Mear,” with all the lights at full strength and all the ladies smiling and swaying as they sang a mystic farewell that was anything but sad, ending the first half of the program to thunderous (and well-deserved) applause.
After a 20-minute intermission, complete with $4 bottles of soda (grr), Hayley, now in her gold gown that she’d worn at Slane, began the second half of the program with “Dulaman,” a percussion-only accompanied (at least at first) song about a flirting seaweed-gatherer. Let it never be said that Hayley is only Meav’s substitute on that song, she put her own unique stamp on it with her younger-sounding, clearer voice and had equally as much if not more energy than Meav. That they would trust her with a lightly accompanied solo like this to open the second half of the program was a mark of high (and well-deserved) trust.
Moving from mundane seaweed-gathering to the truly magical, Orlagh, now dressed in rich amethyst purple, sang the lush-harmonied “Newgrange,” telling the tale of an ancient circle of stones where the druids once wove their spells and more-than-mortal kings took their rest, then the ladies joined forces for the somewhat sentimental, but nonetheless heart-swelling “Soft Goodbye.” Hayley and Chloe (now in a very flattering deep blue dress with full sleeves) then sang “The Last Rose of Summer,” and I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house when they finished. But there wasn’t time to sob, as Mairead, now in blue dress and rainbow skirt, launched into her own instrumental version.
Chloe sang “Nella Fantasia,” and really seemed to come into her own with that song. It’s a fact that she’s the youngest, but she really sounded like a mature soprano coming into her own with that piece. Then it was time for Orlagh, Lisa, and Hayley, all in silver tops and pink skirts, to do the trio “At the Ceili,” complete with waltzing, flirting, and joining hands and dancing in a circle. Again, Hayley fit right in as though she had been doing this piece all along.
Mairead played another piece based on “Shenendoah,” Orlagh sang “Carrickfergus” accompanying herself on her harp, and Lisa (now in forest green) sang the mystic “The Voice.” After that, all the ladies joined forces to sing the anthem-like “Sing Out” with its message of universal… something. But no one cared, as the ladies encouraged the audience to clap along and everyone happily obliged. After a quick thank-you from Chloe (again proof that no lip-synching was used) they then launched into the long famous, but only recently revived “You Raise Me Up.” Multiple bows and a reprise of “Mo Ghile Mear: brought the official program to a close, but of course that’s never where it ends. A rousing encore of “Spanish Lady” and a well-deserved standing ovation brought down the curtain on this glorious show.
Ah, but that’s not where the story ends. After finding Caite and her group and Alena and husband Josh, we waited for a while by what we thought were the right stairs. Eventually we figured out we were not standing in the right place and crossed the lobby to the other stairwell. No one came to collect us, though, and when one of the security men’s radios hissed that “any time you want to secure that door you may do so” I really thought this might be the end. However, we persisted, and asked at least three official-looking people if they might get a hold of Steve Abbott. Eventually one of the security people showed up with guest passes for all of us, and we were allowed downstairs into a pretty spectacular party, complete with cocktails and high-end finger food. I looked about for the ladies, and eventually found Lisa. She was completely charming and chatted for a while with us about how great it was for us to come out and that she had seen we liked the show, before kissing everyone and moving on to other guests. We caught up to Hayley and eventually chatted with her. She told me that this was the toughest tour she had been on yet, but it was worth it and she was holding up. Caite presented her with a CW banner that Tony had created, with messages of support written on it. Hayley thought it was great, and so too did Chloe and Mairead, who were standing nearby.
Eventually I talked to all the ladies. Orlagh remembered my by my sweater, and I asked her if there would be another tour eventually. She said there probably would be, but nothing was decided yet. I told Chloe how impressed I was with her vocal progress that evening and that she could certainly become the lead vocalist of the act one day. She grinned and almost squealed at the compliment. Mairead was by far the most colorful, as she had been earlier that day, asking me if I thought at one point that she was going to leap off the stage at me. I said no, but that if she had, I would have made sure she landed unhurt. She laughed and said thank you. I can honestly say that all the ladies are wonderful, sweet, down-to-earth people who would just as soon hug you as say hi, and Hayley fits in very well personality-wise with them.
Alas, eventually the clock struck midnight and I decided to take off, since the parking garage closed at 1 AM. I did not forget to thank Steve Abbott for his great gesture of kindness to us, especially to Meredith, who got to see her wish of meeting Hayley come true. Staggering home at 1:30 AM, I collapsed onto my bed and knew no more till I woke at first light, wondering if this had all happened. But I needed only open my bag and look at the signed CDs with their messages like "Love, Hayley, xxx" and "Love Always, Mairead," and check my camera to know the answer.
Meredith, Caite, Hayley, and Alena (no, there is NO liquor in those)
the banner
the appreciative recipients
A very big thank you to Alena, Caite, and theirs for making it a very special day. A bigger still thank you to Lisa, Mairead, Orlagh, Chloe, and Hayley for a tremendous signing and show. And the biggest thank you of the day to Steve Abbott for giving decidedly undeserving fans the royal treatment and allowing access to these wonderful performers. This will be a day talked of for AGES.
Now I am sorry I couldn't go, lol. 
Thanks for that excellent report though, that almost made my not going myself, haha. 
