Loreena McKennitt, Live at DAR Constitution Hall 2007.04.24 & 'Nights at the Alhambra' DVD picspam
As promised, the review:
It was a magical evening at DAR Constitution Hall last night when Loreena McKennitt took the stage. I went with three friends, all of whom have never seen her before, and one who had never even heard her music before. I love it when people take musical risks. Needless to say, by the end of the show, she was a fan. :)
The performance was beautiful, after a slightly rocky start in the lighting department - performers weren't spot-lit, the backdrop wasn't lit and one overhead spotlight changed color inappropriately during the first couple songs. After those snags, the rest of the concert was quite lovely. Loreena's show is both erudite and emotional, and her performance along with the band alternates between energetic/exciting/dramatic/upbeat and meditative/harmonious/serene/thoughtful.
She played almost all of the "long songs," which are most of my faves. I was thrilled to hear "The Old Ways" which was incredible with a huge, dramatic, percussive intro and outro. Many of the songs were faster in tempo than their studio versions, perhaps to make them a bit more upbeat, and probably also to compress them for time. This did not detract from them at all.
Musically, the performance was fantastic. She has assembled such an incredible collection of musicians, several of whom have been with her for many years, both recording with her on studio albums, and touring with her. Names that I remember from the past, and who are truly amazing: Brian Hughes (electric & acoustic guitars, and other string instruments), Caroline Lavelle on cello, Hugh Marsh on electric fiddle and Donald Quan on viola, keyboard & tabla.
She talked and told fewer stories than the last time I saw her, but nonetheless, I really enjoyed her melodic ramblings about the inspirations for some of the songs. I was especially struck by her account of staying with nomadic people in Mongolia, and how their community was "home" no matter where they were, despite lacking walls and foundations - I liked how she discussed the different concepts of "home" that exist - and this was all in the context of introducing "Caravanserai."
Set List
NOTE: It took me a little while to fill in all the gaps; I believe this is correct now. I know all of Loreena's music, but I sometimes have trouble remembering the titles, so I scribbled notes during the show and afterwards, used my iPod to refresh my memory. :)
Main Set
She Moved Through The Fair
The Gates of Istanbul
The Mummer's Dance
--a story to introduce the next song--
Bonny Portmore
Marco Polo (faster, and really rocking!)
The Highwayman (gave me chills, especially by the end)
Dante's Prayer
The Bonny Swans (my favorite song - ROCKING guitar/fiddle "conversation" at the end between Brian and Hugh. Worth the price of admission for this alone)
--intro of band and intro to next song--
Caravanserai
--intermission--
Raglan Road
The Mystic's Dream
Santiago (fabulous Hugh Marsh solo at the end!)
Lady of Shalott
Beneath a Phrygian Sky
The Old Ways (incredible intro and outro with percussion; song gave me chills)
Never Ending Road
Encore 1
Huron 'Beltane' Fire Dance
Encore 2
Penelope's Song
--
She received standing ovations at the end of the main set, and after both encores.
I've been lucky, I suppose. Just about every single person I've ever introduced to Loreena McKennitt, has liked her. That's a pretty good success rate, don't you think?
Before the show, I made sure to stop at the merchandise table to pick up her new live DVD, Nights at the Alhambra. Of course, I had to make screencaps!
It was a magical evening at DAR Constitution Hall last night when Loreena McKennitt took the stage. I went with three friends, all of whom have never seen her before, and one who had never even heard her music before. I love it when people take musical risks. Needless to say, by the end of the show, she was a fan. :)
The performance was beautiful, after a slightly rocky start in the lighting department - performers weren't spot-lit, the backdrop wasn't lit and one overhead spotlight changed color inappropriately during the first couple songs. After those snags, the rest of the concert was quite lovely. Loreena's show is both erudite and emotional, and her performance along with the band alternates between energetic/exciting/dramatic/upbeat and meditative/harmonious/serene/thoughtful.
She played almost all of the "long songs," which are most of my faves. I was thrilled to hear "The Old Ways" which was incredible with a huge, dramatic, percussive intro and outro. Many of the songs were faster in tempo than their studio versions, perhaps to make them a bit more upbeat, and probably also to compress them for time. This did not detract from them at all.
Musically, the performance was fantastic. She has assembled such an incredible collection of musicians, several of whom have been with her for many years, both recording with her on studio albums, and touring with her. Names that I remember from the past, and who are truly amazing: Brian Hughes (electric & acoustic guitars, and other string instruments), Caroline Lavelle on cello, Hugh Marsh on electric fiddle and Donald Quan on viola, keyboard & tabla.
She talked and told fewer stories than the last time I saw her, but nonetheless, I really enjoyed her melodic ramblings about the inspirations for some of the songs. I was especially struck by her account of staying with nomadic people in Mongolia, and how their community was "home" no matter where they were, despite lacking walls and foundations - I liked how she discussed the different concepts of "home" that exist - and this was all in the context of introducing "Caravanserai."
Set List
NOTE: It took me a little while to fill in all the gaps; I believe this is correct now. I know all of Loreena's music, but I sometimes have trouble remembering the titles, so I scribbled notes during the show and afterwards, used my iPod to refresh my memory. :)
Main Set
She Moved Through The Fair
The Gates of Istanbul
The Mummer's Dance
--a story to introduce the next song--
Bonny Portmore
Marco Polo (faster, and really rocking!)
The Highwayman (gave me chills, especially by the end)
Dante's Prayer
The Bonny Swans (my favorite song - ROCKING guitar/fiddle "conversation" at the end between Brian and Hugh. Worth the price of admission for this alone)
--intro of band and intro to next song--
Caravanserai
--intermission--
Raglan Road
The Mystic's Dream
Santiago (fabulous Hugh Marsh solo at the end!)
Lady of Shalott
Beneath a Phrygian Sky
The Old Ways (incredible intro and outro with percussion; song gave me chills)
Never Ending Road
Encore 1
Huron 'Beltane' Fire Dance
Encore 2
Penelope's Song
--
She received standing ovations at the end of the main set, and after both encores.
I've been lucky, I suppose. Just about every single person I've ever introduced to Loreena McKennitt, has liked her. That's a pretty good success rate, don't you think?
Before the show, I made sure to stop at the merchandise table to pick up her new live DVD, Nights at the Alhambra. Of course, I had to make screencaps!