This past Saturday, I sat in front of the TV with a secondary turkey coma caused by Thanksgiving leftovers. My father suddenly yelled down the stairs that a Celtic Thunder Christmas was on Channel 23 (one of my many PBS stations). I was very excited; the last I had heard on the Celtic Thunder website was that the Christmas special may not be shown. The CD went on sale in mid-October. I resisted buying it right away just because I feel Christmas is coming earlier and earlier each year. So I waited till after Halloween. And now I was able to see the performance (taped September 17th).
The show’s set utilizes the “It’s Entertainment!” set—a raised dais for the band, a street lamp, bench and fountain. For this production, everything was covered with “snow.” The show opens with Neil singing “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.” Neil sings a bit more in this special, which is well-deserved. He also sings “When You Wish Upon a Star” and is part of “Hallelujah” (which was from “It’s Entertainment!”).
Damian gets to sing both the classic “Winter Wonderland” and the original work “Our First Christmas Together.” When I ran upstairs during the first pledge break to use the bathroom and get something to drink, I found my father watching it as well. As clips of Damian singing popped up, he commented that he did not expect that voice to come from him. I told him that it was even stranger since I had been following Celtic Thunder since before Damian’s voice changed, but I like him as a baritone.
Keith this time around got two of the most covered Christmas songs—“All I Want For Christmas Is You” and “Last Christmas.” I wish I could say more as Keith has a great voice. But after so many covers of these songs…it’s easy to tune them out. (Keith does join Neil for “Hallelujah”). George gets some more fun songs in this show, “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday” and the original song “Going Home for Christmas.” I love the second song he sings, which is funny given some of the lyrics: “Say good-bye to the lights of Broadway, farewell to old Times Square” I live in New York City! But the feeling behind the song—going home to family and friends—is universal.
Amongst Ryan’s songs, we get “Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow” as well as “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” While these two are not necessarily high on my list of favorite Christmas songs, I love Ryan’s voice and can tolerate these songs. (Ryan is the third performer on “Hallelujah” with Neil and Keith). And lastly, we have Paul singing the classic “Ave Maria” and the original piece “Christmas Morning, Donegal.” The second song is not available on the CD, unless it was purchased off QVC. It’s a beautiful song that I hope will someday be available to everyone.
There’s a reason I decided to mention Paul last. The day before the show aired (Black Friday), Celtic Thunder’s producer, Sharon Browne, posted a new blog to the website. In it, she described how the show was changing over from “Heritage” and “It’s Entertainment” to “It’s Entertainment” and “Christmas.” About halfway through, she dropped a bombshell: Paul was leaving the group after the tour was over. He wanted to focus on his solo career and was jumping into the waters, hoping the fan base he’s accrued during his time with Celtic Thunder will support him. Like most fans, I was sadden by this announcement. Paul is my favorite member (as I said in my review of the show I saw in October) and I love his voice. I have left “Recuerdame (Remember Me)” on repeat quite a few times. But we all wish him well—I know I do and I will gladly buy tickets to any concert he has in the New York City area!
Amongst the group numbers, there is “Christmas 1915,” which appeared on an earlier CD but not on a DVD. It’s a haunting song about soldiers singing Christmas songs on Christmas night, the battle lines forgotten. Because it was recorded so early on, the men try to recreate how it sounded back then. For the older four, this is no problem. However, the song was recorded before Damian’s voice deepened as such he sings the song in a higher register. There is also the a capella version of “Amazing Grace,” which Neil joins them for. While a bit unexpected for a Christmas special, it fits the tone nicely. My favorite ensemble number is their rendition of “Silent Night.” Damian and Ryan sing the first verse in Irish while the others harmonize on the other two versions. It is one of my favorite songs on the album and has been since previews went up on iTunes!
The show ends with the group singing “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” as snow falls in the Poughkeepsie Civic Center.
The musical arrangements are beautiful as always. The performers all seem to have fun performing and filming the special. It’s a great DVD for the holidays and now even more valuable as Paul is leaving. I highly recommend it for any Celtic Thunder fan! And for those who may have not yet seen the group, I suggest stalking your local PBS station for their airing!
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