Please do! I’m so bummed out that I’m not going to be there 
I’m actually in Ohio (right on the border with that 7 mile stretch of WV), so I think we’re almost further away (if my geography is correct 
) for isn’t Butler more north of Pittsburgh? Now I have to get my map out…
Izzy , your geography teacher would be proud !! You’re right Butler is almost dead north of Pittsburgh. I think I’m in the exact geographical center of the Black Hole of Whistledom , whistlin’ me little heart out !!
Have a Great Day and Fun Whistling !!
That makes sense, then…
I’m looking forward to the music as much as I am the hospitality everyone keeps speaking of about the ladies - How they’ll do ao meet & greet after the show, that’s just awesome! It should make for a good nigt indeed - I’ll be sure to post about it come Monday 3/14 -
I just came in from the Pittsburgh Concert and wanted to give you ( esp. Izzy ) the scoop. First , President Bush was in town , today , so the Ladie’s plane was forced into a holding pattern until they cleared Air Force One . They opened and shared the stage with Mary Black. Cherish was in fine form , Joanie was doing her customary job of firing up the audience , and they closed to a standing ovation. The place was jumpin’. Even Mary Black commented that she wasn’t sure how she was supposed to follow a performance like that !
No offense to Mary Black and her band , but , had I not wanted to speak to Joanie , I would have probably left after Cherish closed. (All of you Mary fans hold the flames ! I think they are wonderfully talented , it’s just that here , in the “Black Hole of Whistledom”, you can get burnt out on keyboards , guitars , drums , and girl singers … Irish or otherwise ! ) Boy , am I glad that I hung around ! Cherish came back on stage to join Mary, for several numbers , and they just about brought the house down. The town of Pittsburgh probably never had that many world-class Irish musicians on the same stage … ever !
If you get the feeling that I loved the concert … you’re right ! CTL is one of my favorite groups ( Irish or othewise ) The only problem I face, following a CTL concert , is an unnatural desire to go home and melt down my whistle collection and use them for a door stop !! Yeah , Joanie’s that good !!
At the meet-an-greet , I got a chance to chat with Joanie. The first time that I met her and the ladies , the thing that most impressed me was that such a talented and accomplished group of women would take the time to be warm , friendly and gracious to their fans. Nothing’s changed. As an example , one of the first comments that Joanie made was to make sure to say " Hi !" to all of the C&Fers , for her ! A major talent and a real sweetheart !
( Dale , the “crack” about spitting beer on the audience went over like a lead fipple !! 
Jessie , she showed me the ring and told me the story behind it . Nice work , darlin’ !! 
Izzy , I made sure I told her " Hi !" for you !! )
In short , if you get a chance to attend a Cherish the Ladies concert , do yourself a favor and go !! You’ll be tapping your feet and clapping your hands … guaranteed !! Unless , of course , your dead !!
Have a Great Day and Fun Whistling !!
Went to the Newburyport concert last night and all I can say is WOW!!!
Awesome night out, great music, and absolutely incredible show!
Heidi has such a hauntingly beautiful voice and Joanie’s personality truly made the show what it was…
We bought one of Heidi’s CD’s and Joanie’s “Irish Whistle” CD -
They were sold out at the venue we were at, so the ladies were kind enough to agree to put on another show TONIGHT!!! - Anyone in the New England area who missed them last night - you still have a chance to see them tonight at the Firehouse!
Awesome awesome awesome night!
Hey BoscoBear–thanks for the enthusiastic review. I tried to get tickets for yesterday’s show, but as you say, it was sold out. I ran up to the box office last night and picked up the tickets for tonight’s show. I only have Joanie’s whistle album and nothing from CTL, so I’m looking forward to hearing them with fresh ears not influenced by recordings.
I also saw Lunasa in Somerville on Saturday night. It was a great show. Since the lobby was mobbed after the show, I didn’t get a chance to talk to the band, although I did see Sean Smyth and Kevin Crawford from afar. At the concert, I also bought their tune book for the first 3 albums, so I spent a chunk of yesterday working on the first album. I don’t think I’ll be in joining the lads in the recording booth, but it’s fun to dream.
Brewster - Trust me, all the rave reviews the Ladies have garnered on this site are WELL worth it (in reference to their live appearances) - Are there online resources to keep track of similar bands coming to the area? You mentioned a show in Somerville - and I’d love to find out more about shows in the area
Heck, if it wasn’t an hour ride to Newburyport my wife and I would seriously go back to tonight’s show - I’ve honestly never seen her have so much fun as she did last night…she loved it!
Bosco, there are a few sources I check regularly. First, for the groups that I really like (i.e., Lunasa, Danu, Altan, etc.), I bookmark their web-pages and check their tour dates occasionally.
Second, a lot of the big names are booked into the Boston area (usually at the Somerville Theater or Sanders Theater at Harvard) via an agency called “World Music”. If you give them a call, I assume you can get on their mailing list, and they’ll send their schedule. They have a few more Celtic groups coming this spring, including Altan. Their web-site is http://www.worldmusic.org/
Third, if you don’t already listen to A Celtic Sojourn on WGBH radio (89.7 FM) on Saturdays 12-3, you should do so. They often give information on upcoming concerts, and they will also plug the shows by playing a lot of the artists’ works the Saturday before. In their web-site (www.wgbh.org), you can also hear archived shows if you don’t catch it live. They also have a calendar of events at
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wgbh/events.eventsmain?action=showCategoryListing&newSearch=true&categorySearch=4751
Fourth, just dumb luck. I just happened to stumble on the CTL gig when I was looking at the Firehouse Center web-page.
Any other thoughts from our fellow Boston chiffers?
Good bye and good luck! (that’s Brian O’Donovan’s sign off from A Celtic Sojourn)
BoscoBear–I saw CTL last night. It was a good show, and Joanie was really fired up. I don’t know how she plays all those notes on the whistle, as it looks like she’s just slapping her fingers up and down. But, it all works. Joanie really knows how to make her whistle and flute sing.
My only criticism would be that I wish I could have heard more solo stuff from the other musicians. There seems to be much talent in the band, but they don’t let it shine. At times, it felt like I was watching a “Joanie and Friends” band instead of a band of equals.
Big highlight of the evening for me was finding out that the diminutive piano player was none other than Triona Ni Dhomhnaill from the Bothy Band and Relativity. Triona sang the song “Do You Love An Apple”. I wish she had sung more. She’s got a great voice that’s a nice change from all those breathy, mystical sounding Irish singers.
We also had a warm-up band from Cape Breton Island called The Cottars. They are a teenage quartet made up of 2 brother/sister duos. They play with spirit and a sense of fun. Should be interesting to see how their career progresses as their music matures. They’ll be playing at Johnny D’s in Somerville this week.
I’m not a Boston chiffer, but what about the Burren, in Somerville? Doens’t that feature some great acts, also?
All the Best, Tom
Actually, I got the same feel - But Heidi and Joanie had quite a comical exchange on stage…But none of the other band members really had a chance to speak or really showcase their soloist talents - Which, inmy case was actually ok with me - haha - as I was more interested in hearing the whistle rip it up… 
Thanks for the links!!! I’m listening to a JAN 05 Duhk’s Concert from WBGH’s archives right now! Great stuff!!!
I got a real kick out of the male step dancer who came out to do a solo dance wearing a RED SOX jersey! That was too funny, especially with Joanie being from NYC…
Thanks for the links -