PART 1

It had to happen. After two years of hearing so many other people tell me of the wonders of seeing Celtic Woman at Red Rocks, I finally made it to see them at this venue. The two shows here bring the Spring 2009 Tour to a culmination.

I have said, many times, that I have been blessed and lucky when I have gone to see CW on this tour. The same was true of this occasion. In the three years that I have been following them, I journeyed to see the girls in just about every climate and weather... a blinding snowstorm at one show, searing winter winds at another, bitter subzero cold at another, beautiful spring weather at others, inside venues, outside venues, and the sweltering humidity of tropical South Florida. Now I would see them in pretty much the only remaining climate - the arid steppelands of Morisson, Colorado.

I arrived at the airport for my flight, and moments before boarding I hear "Hi Scott!" from behind me. I saw Joe and Kathy... gee, I wonder where they are going! Not surprisingly, we had the same flight out, non-stop to Denver, and so we flew out of the rain and fog of Boston after a delay of about 45 minutes. Otherwise the flight was very uneventful (I guess I'm getting more used to flying). This was my first time in the Mountain Time Zone. I got my rental car: I had reserved a compact, but they gave me a Ford Mustang. Hmmm, ok. My first time driving one (in fact, my first time driving a sports car in about 20 years). I drove out of Denver International and the first thing I see in front of me, in the distance, are mountains with snow-capped peaks. We have mountains in the east, but not like this. For me, it was like I was in a different world. Anyway, I quickly got to my hotel, checked in, and headed over to see the venue.

The Red Rocks site is nestled in a park, almost at the side of a mountain that rises far behind the last row of the venue. It is a reputedly naturally-occuring amphitheater, with two massive rocks rising on either side of the audience. And when I say massive, I mean it: these rocks rise up a full hundred feet and more above the last row of the venue. Also, there is a sort of rock wall situated behind the stage. The effect of these natural walls is to produce a natural acoustic surroundsound that must be heard to be believed. The seating is on wooden benches... not the most comfortable, but workable.

This venue is not for the faint of heart, literally. It's a long walk up 192 steps from the first row to the last row, at the top of the venue. Beyond the last row is a large concourse area with food, bar, merchandise table etc. Even just standing around along the railing above the last seating row is an amazing location to watch the show... you have a high position to view the show itself, plus if you look out past and above the stage you can see a good 15 or more miles away, including the illumination of the all the lights in the city of Denver. And, you have a bowl of stars above you on a clear night. Altogether, the Red Rocks location is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

Upon arriving I met up with Mr.Peabody. This would be our eighth show together. He had already spent a day scouting out the venue and the park, and he showed me some of the finer points of it. We went inside to have dinner... thanks to Moscapoet and Melanie for the fine multi-forum get-together. We had Dalton, CWfan2, Celtic Fiddle Chick, Shankdee, CelticKit and her husband Brad, RottenRebel, The Twins (Chris and Gaby), Dwight, Joe and Kathy, Charlie and Norma, Dave... the list goes on.

So we made our way out to our seats. For us, it was downhill all the way, but at the end we'd have to climb back up these stairs to get back to our vehicles. Settling into my seat in 14th row, piano-side (with plenty of Forum people in my vicinity), I spotted a familiar face waving up to me way, way down near the stage. I went down to give Sandy a hug! There was Sara who I'd also met at WPB, and I met Jilliebeans and Kelli for the first time, and also CelloSteel who I had very much wanted to meet. But now it was time to rush back to my seat for the show.

PART 2


Conditions were near-perfect. Partly cloudy skies, the moon was out, a light breeze was blowing, NO BUGS!! Those of you from certain other parts of the country might be able to relate when I say that having an evening outdoor show without any misquitos is the way to enjoy a show!

From the first moments, I could tell that this would be nothing short of spectacular. Showtime was 8pm local time, but it still wasn't dark out at all. It is very strange watching a CW show begin in broad daylight, which it was at showtime here. But it didn't matter to me, as the strains of "The Sky And the Dawn And the Sun" flooded over me once again. The acoustics in this place are truly unbelievable. There is no sound distortion whatsoever, and it's especially noticeable on the percussion and the high singing notes.

"COAST OF GALICIA!!!" Mairead, you are incredible!!

I was treated to the most amazing rendition of "When You Believe." Chloe's last high note echoed across the canyon walls, twice. My jaw dropped. The whole audience was astonished, as well they should have been. I can't imagine a better demonstration of the acoustics of Red Rocks. And how in the world can Chloe keep getting better and better??

"Orinoco Flow" was as great as always, but it was helped by a strange thing. The huge screen behind was tethered with the usual ropes and such, but there was some slack so the thing tended to blow in the wind a bit. Which was interesting in Orinoco Flow because as the crashing waves were projected onto the screen, the thing was also bouncing a bit in the wind, lending some extra movement to what the girls and the choir were doing. Almost like it was planned that way.

For "Dulaman" the crowd started clapping right off, when Ray and Nicky started playing. It's great to have responsive audiences!

Second half... Alex, you were amazing in "You'll Be In My Heart" as always. Lynn, I love "Carolina Rua" so, so much! Lisa's "The Voice" was smashing, again with the canyon walls playing some acoustical games with us.

It was mid-way through the second act that we began to get a light rain. Not a big deal to me, I'm not going to melt, I'd stay even if it was a downpour... but the people in front of me, contrary to the venue rules, opened up their umbrella, obstructing my view! Ugh!! I almost can't blame them, since the venue people didn't make them return their umbrellas to their vehicles, and maybe I'm expecting too much from more casual fans than I, but still... don't go blocking Forum people's views!

We also got the first flashes of lightning. Apparently that's the trouble with the mountains, the weather can just roll in. BUT... that was actually to our advantage, for we got a perfect, unique experience... during "Oh America!" We got the lightning flashes and the booms of thunder, much like Fourth of July fireworks. During the perfect song, too! Again, almost as if it were planned that way...

The only other real downer was that because of the lightning, it became necessary to bring the show to an early close. After "You Raise Me Up", they broke into the short "At the Ceili" ending and waved goodbye. So no "Encore Medley" (sniff) or "Spanish Lady" for us tonight. Maybe tomorrow...

I strongly urge anyone who has never been to Red Rocks to do what you have to do, and get here next time. The experience is not one to be missed. I wish now that I had somehow gotten here for their 2007 show. But, better late than never. This was a mixture of the greatest performers in the world, the greatest venue in the world, some great Forum people, and a great audience. I'm glad I was here to live it.

One sad note: only one show remaining, in the Spring '09 Celtic Woman Tour... their greatest tour ever, maybe the greatest tour of all time.

Marvellous description, Scott. I'm not the least bit surprised that Chloe was the highlight of the evening.


Now, that really is a fascinating observation, Scott -- the comparison of the thunder to 4th-of-July fireworks. It IS the perfect natural accompaniment to the song!

Your write-up was very evocative, and gives one the sense of being right there, in the moment. Thank you.

Thank you, Scott, for helping me remember that special night all over again.