I arrive at the theatre a few minutes before John, Barbeaver and her sister Sandy. We stand out front for a bit before moving inside since the weather was turning a little wet. We find out seats down front. Sitting in the front row I knew I would have a great view of Orla and the show. The stage was eye level and about two feet in front of me. I chat with John, Barb and Sandy while waiting for the show to start.
The moment has come and the opening band, Tin Cup Gyps, performs a few tracks and then the moment I have been waiting for. Right in front of me walks out Orla from the left side of the stage. Seriously, I think my heart missed a few beats. I have seen her on the videos many times but this is my first time to see her live. She walks out and immediately starts to talk to us. John, who has attended several shows, gets a wonderful look as she says “Hi” to him as she mentions those familiar faces. Then she looks at me and notices my CW shirt and of course I made sure to wear one with Orla in it (which I was the only one with a CW shirt). I also receive such a wonderful smile and she says “Hi” to me. My heart missed a few more beats. Here I am at Orla’s show and she has never seen me before and I get a “Hi” from her right away.
I am not going to go through all her songs but many I have heard and some are new to me. She sang a Cat Stevens tune that I must say was perfect (as are all the others). I wanted to hear her sing it again. I just sat and was so amazed at how beautiful her voice is live. Before each song she would say a lovely story behind the song and I think it really helped us relate to the song as she would sing.
During the intermission I give a quick call to Mike to comment how Orla has blown me away. Mike mentions the song list on the stage floor and said something about getting it and to tell Orla that he put me up to it. I was not sure about this so I had to ask Mike if he was serious. So after the show was over I did get the song list as it probably would have ended in the trash anyway. More on this later.
The band was exceptional as I have really grown to love Irish instrumental music. I love the harp (which Orla has named Harry Harp after Harry’s Game), fiddle and the pipes. There were no pipes but of course we know there was a harp and three fiddle players. The main fiddle player is Amberly. I watched her play and noticed that she also plays her music though her facial expressions. Near the end of the show she came up front and while playing started to do some Irish dancing that included a spin. She moved back to her spot before once again moving up with some more Irish dancing and did two spins. Yes, while playing and I did not hear her miss a beat. Thumbs up to Amberly.
After the show we wait while the theatre clears out and shortly after Orla appears for the M&G. I quickly notice how informal and relaxed the M&G is. Orla stands down by the stage and I take my time so I can be near the end. While waiting I get John since he has the camera and we walk toward the lobby so I can get a photo with Amberly, the fiddle player. She was so kind and sweet as I talked to her. She told me that she never heard of CW before she started to tour with Orla. I have to comment on how talented she is and that I enjoyed listening to her play. At the end I am not sure how many pics I had taken with her because John, Barb and Sandy were snapping the pics. I was not sure which camera to look at. I say my goodbyes and tell her that I will be at future shows.
We head back to the stage as the line is almost gone. I get at the end and I finally have my turn. I shake Orla’s hand as we talk. Just like I did with the other ladies, my words came out differently than my thoughts. Orla asked me if I am from Columbus and I think I rambled on some long line of where I am from. I also notice that I have been shaking her hand for about 30 seconds. She was so kind as she just went with the flow. After I realized the long handshake I release her hand. It is very comfortable to talk with these ladies but sometimes I still get nervous and that I will do something stupid – and I usually do.
John snaps a few photos and then Orla and I move over to the stage edge so she can sign my pictures of her. Then I pull out the song list and make the comment about Mike and she has a big laugh. You will see it with the pics below. Well, the time comes that I hate as it is time to go. Orla gives me a hug and I say my final goodbyes as she heads backstage.
Now my final thoughts. I have always wanted to see Orla perform since she has left Celtic Woman but never made it happen. She has been gone a few years and I now see that I wasted two years. Thank you John for inviting me to this show as it is one that I will always treasure and remember. Thank you Orla for giving me such a wonderful and meaningful show. I loved listening to her sing on the videos with Celtic Woman but as the saying goes, it is not until we see them live that we see the true artist. I left that show wanting more and I am now hooked as a dedicated Orla fan.
Again, thank you Orla
Amberly and myself
Photos signed by Orla
