Providence review, night 1

The weather here in New England has been lovely the last few days, temperatures near 60 and crystal clear blue skies. I did a little sightseeing and got a little suntan on my two days off. I also finally got my hands on the perfect gift for Lynn. I've been looking for it ever since Roanoke; now all I need is to have her be at my last Meet & Greet in Cleveland. While I was relaxing, the girls were, too. They did a little promotion in Boston and then went to some museums, parks, and a hockey game. How do I know that? Chloë told us. A good time was had by all.

After last year's performance at the unimpressive Dunkin' Donuts Arena, they returned this year to the magnificent Providence Performing Arts Center. I mentioned in my review two years ago how impressive this restored Lowe's theater is and seeing it again only reinforced my opinion. I have seen many lovely theaters over the last 3 years and PPAC is still in my top 3, along with El Paso and Buffalo. Unlike two years ago, this time I was able to get some pictures of the interior after the show while Anthony was playing. I took them using my BlackBerry and I'll post them once I get the software downloaded to allow me to extract them from the phone. (I have it on my home computer but not on my netbook.)

Before the show I met up with Kevin (KevinRI) and Richard and his wife for dinner. We ate at a downtown restaurant, oddly enough called Downcity, that was within walking distance of the theater. Richard showed some of his pictures from Powerscourt that he had printed for the Meet & Greet. After a nice dinner and pleasant conversation we headed for the theater. Richard and his wife were in the pit since they had M&G passes. Kevin was in the orchestra fourth row and I was in the second row directly in front of him. Prior to going inside, Nancy showed up and reintroduced herself. I had met her two years ago and tried to shame her into joining the forum. She still hasn't joined although she does visit as one of those anonymous guests. Once again she promised to join, but I'm not holding my breath!

Coincidentally, her seat was right next to Kevin's.

The pit is three rows deep, so my second row seat was actually 5th row, like Erie. PPAC, unlike some theaters, offsets the seats so instead of each seat being behind the one in front, it is between it. That meant that I had a clear view of the stage with no potential for any brunette Q-Tip issues. In addition, unlike Radio City the pit seats are lower than the orchestra seats which means the view is even clearer. The seats are a little snug, though.

Once again, after two days off the show seemed a little fresher. Máiréad was her usual dynamo and easily did 11 spins during Coast of Galicia. Orinoco Flow was a big hit and Lynn's My Lagan Love was mesmerizing. Alex, as always, blew me away with My Heart Was Home Again and Danny Boy really got the audience going. I chatted with my neighbors at intermission for a while and soon it was time for the second act. The girls next to me fumbled for tissues during Amazing Grace. We got the extended version since Anthony started at the far back of the theater. Lynn insulted Ray and Nicky tonight, for the first time in a while, saying that they were her two pieces of seaweed but “not because they're all washed up.” Lisa once again gave me goosebumps with The Moon's a Harsh Mistress and the acoustics in the theater really became apparent during Chloë's When You Believe. Songs from the Heart continues to impress me and Non C'è Più brought the house down. Poor Máiréad had to wait quite a while for the applause to die down before she could introduce You Raise Me Up.

Being a little buried in the audience, I didn't get too much interaction tonight. Chloë spotted me first and sent several smiles in my direction. I think Alex saw me and gave me several looks, including one during my favorite Alex song, but I'm not 100% sure. Lisa finally saw me near the end but I don't think Lynn ever recognized me. I wasn't able to catch Máiréad's eye at all, but then she hardly stood still long enough to see individual faces that far back.

The lighting was perfect except that one spotlight seemed a little dimmer than the others. The sound was a little overdone and some distortion was occasionally apparent. If they had dialed it back some, like in Erie, it would have been spectacular. As for the audience, I had high hopes since they applauded enthusiastically (even for Tommy's solo), cheered and whistled, and even clapped along with Máiréad. However, at the end of the first act VSS kicked and I was a one-man standing ovation. Fortunately, it didn't last very long and soon you could hear that little tearing sound that Velcro makes when you peel it apart as everyone slowly stood. I did get a little insight into VSS's origins when the gentleman to my left asked me if the show was over. Apparently in VSS areas, a standing ovation is only given at the end of the show, not the end of an act. At least everyone was finally up. The audience's score went from a 7 to an 8.5 in the second act. They stood after You Raise Me Up, reluctantly stood during the girls' bows in the second half of the Finale, and stayed standing during Spanish Lady. The biggest complaint about the audience was the idiot several seats down from me in the next row who was taking pictures the whole time, with a real camera not his cell phone. He was present when they made the “no photography” announcement but he did it anyway. If I was more confrontational I would have said something. It annoyed me greatly and is why the audience didn't get a better score; the “one bad apple” thing.

I didn't have a Meet & Greet tonight since RIPBS used the lottery method to choose who got the passes. I didn't want to pay PBS prices without a guarantee of a M&G. The same applies to tomorrow's show, although I will be in the front orchestra row rather than second. That means a clearer view of and from the stage and hopefully more interaction.