I left home about 3:30 for the nearly 120 mile drive to Bossier City. It was a clear cool afternoon which is very nice for mid May in this part of the world. I was returning to the venue where I first saw Celtic Woman live in 2008. So a lot of thoughts and emotions were stirring around in my mind. I was returning to a familiar place. There was very little traffic until I entered the outskirts of the city. I stopped at a fast food restaurant and got a couple of sandwiches to take to my motel room. I stopped at the same motel as three years ago. After I unloaded and got settled I noticed that it was nearly 6:00 P.M. Since I wanted to leave for the arena just before 7:00, I only had an hour left. So I ate my sandwiches and changed for the concert. I departed about 6:50 for the CenturyTel Center which was five and one half miles away. I drove down to the parkway and turned left along the Red River. I thought of the severe flooding which plagues Louisiana at the present time but not at this location. The Red River was well within its banks. It actually looked inviting with parks along the banks and freshly cut grass. When I arrived at the arena there were already a lot of cars parked out front. Although this facility lacks the intimacy of some venues I love the many acres of free parking and the easy access in and out of the parking area. I went inside and brought along the program that I had purchased at the concert on Wednesday night. There were a lot of people inside but most were at concession stands or at tables buying Celtic Woman merchandise. I went on to the front row and sat right in front of the piano where Brian Connor is stationed and Ray Fean's percussion platform is just behind that. There were already a few people sitting on the first three rows. Soon I was chatting with with several. “Where are you from? How many concerts have you been to?” The usual dialogue. I met way too many people. I cannot remember names when thrust into a situation like that. I should have had a note pad with me. A man sat to my immediate left that had not seen the girls live before but had seen the concert from Powerscourt on PBS in recent months. He was very excited. Him and some others saw my program and asked where they could purchase one. I told them that I had brought it with me but to go back to the lobby and they could find a table selling them. Several times I was tapped on the shoulder and nice people on row two introduced themselves to me and we chatted. Then a very tall man wearing a Celtic Woman T-shirt arrived and sat to my immediate right. He was carrying a tote bag which I later discovered was full of goodies. He recognized several people and vice versa. So he was tied up in conversation for a long time until he finally got a break and then I spoke with him. He is Roy Kindred from Houston who travels all over America to see the girls in concert and even attended one in Canada last summer. We had a nice chat and I soon discovered that his bag was full of Celtic Woman buttons. When he started handing them out he became even more popular, somewhat of a Celtic Woman Santa Claus. I received four of them. What a nice man. I met a lady named Sandy that is involved with the operation of the Méav Ni Mhaolchatha Forum. Then the public address announcer said “your concert will begin in five minutes.” After that I was turned around talking to someone on the second row. When I turned back to the front there was Ray at his station. Instinctively I pointed at him and yelled “Ray Fean!” He laughed and waved back. Then the first three rows on my side of the center aisle became very loud. I could almost read Ray's mind: “There's a rowdy bunch.” The show was fantastic as usual from “Nil Sen La” to “Spanish Lady.” Everyone in our section was yelling and clapping. During the first song Lisa Kelly was on our side of the stage and smiled at Roy and he waved at her. If I went into all the details about individual songs this review would be ten pages long. But a few details are warranted. I told people who had not seen Lisa Lambe before to be prepared for a real treat, especially her rendition of “Dulaman.” Of course, she blew it out of the park. Chloe's talent and passion always impress me. Her rendition of “Galway Bay” makes me misty eyed. But she was also funny. She talked of them visiting the casinos in the area and the luck of the Irish not applying at all. She said they were so happy to be in Louisiana using her best Scarlett O'Hara accent. I love to hear Lisa Kelly sing “Fields of Gold” and “The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress.” The ensemble pieces I mentioned in the last review were great of course. I never cease to be amazed at Máiréad’s talent and energy. Words cannot describe it. If “Coast of Galicia” doesn't get you going, then nothing will. After I returned to my seat during the intermission, I was chatting with someone and then looked up. There was Ray at his station again. I pointed at him and yelled “Ray Fean!” He pumped his fist and then motioned to the audience to start making noise. I think “The Call” is the perfect start to the second act. It gets everyone pumped up and in the mood to cheer again. After another great concert it was time for the Meet & Greet. Dustin led a long line of people to a conference room off of the lobby. There were at least 50 people at this M & G. This is by far the largest group I have ever seen. I was in the middle of the line. Then Chloe and Máiréad came into the room. So I got to see Máiréad twice in succession. As I approached the table she looked at me quizzically and I said “I met you Wednesday night.” Then she said “yes, I met you before.” This time I asked her where all of her energy came from. She replied “I don't know.” After hesitating she then said “from the audience.” Since there is another “Máiréad” in the show I asked her how common that name is in Ireland. She said it was quite common. Then Chloë interjected “Máiréad is Irish for Margaret.” So then I realized that it was a common name. I chatted briefly with both girls. I told Chloë that she was the coolest cat in the house. Dustin was standing by the table and said “thanks.” I said “no, not you, Chloë.” Then Chloë said “Dustin is pretty cool also.” It was great fun but the line was so long that I could not linger. I left the table and spoke briefly with Roy who was near the back of the line taking pictures. He said they would be posted on the Celtic Woman Forum. I thanked him again for the buttons and said that I would probably see him again down the road.
Hubert Boddie
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