Lisa Lambe in New York City 2017

[MrPeabody]

Part 1

When Lisa announced that she would be performing in New York City at the end of September I immediately made arrangements to attend. She would be giving two concerts at the Irish Arts Center on September 29 and 30, a Friday and Saturday, so I wouldn't even need to take time off from work. I have driven in Manhattan before and I have vowed to never do it again so taking the train was the obvious choice. I left Harrisburg at 10:05am Friday morning and arrived at Penn Station around 1:30pm. I debated whether to take the subway to my hotel but opted to walk since it was a beautiful warm afternoon. Usually I take 7th Avenue when I walk uptown from the station but decided to give 8th Avenue a chance since my hotel was at 8th and 51st. I wasn't impressed and I think I'll switch back to 7th Avenue next time. My room wasn't ready yet so I checked my backpack with the concierge and went walkabout. I continued uptown on 8th to Central Park for a while and then circled back down 7th, checking for potential places for dinner along the way. Once back at my hotel I relaxed a bit and changed into my Nashville Lisa shirt for the evening. I met Charlie and Cheryl in the hotel lobby and we walked to Rosie O'Grady's where shared a wonderful meal and conversations about our mutual interests in trains and Ireland.

After dinner we walked the few blocks to the Irish Arts Center where we met Bill and Beth from Hershey. Finally the doors opened and they rolled out the red carpet. Literally! After retrieving our tickets from the miniature box office we waited impatiently for the theater to open. The venue is quite small and barely seats 100 people so it promised to be an intimate show. Bill, Beth, and I were in the front row, less than 5 feet from Lisa's microphone, while Charlie and Cheryl were right behind us in the second row. The stage was simple with a piano on the far left; a bass guitar, a mandolin, and an acoustic guitar just left of center; and electric and acoustic guitars to the right. After what seemed like an eternity Lisa finally emerged from the lobby (there is no stage door) along with instrumentalists Peter O'Toole and Fiachna Ó Braonáin (pronounced Feek-na O Brain-non), both from Lisa's former group, the Hothouse Flowers. Peter was playing the instruments to the left with Lisa in the center and Fiachna on the right. Liam Ó Maonlaí was also planned to be there but had a family emergency just before the show.

After introductions, she started right out with a new song, “Lost.” This was followed by a non-album track the she has sung at previous concerts, “I Can See You Shine,” one of the few upbeat songs of the night. Lisa then chatted a little about her residency at Kilruddery House in County Wicklow where most of the inspiration and writing for her new album took place. She said that most of what we would hear tonight would be material from the new album. Next was a wonderful ballad called, “Shelter.” The style of the new songs is very different than the songs on “Hiding Away.” They are almost exclusively slow ballads and have wonderful imagery and lyrics. I suspect the album versions to be somewhat different but the live versions were very interactive with extended choruses and with the audience being encouraged (even cajoled in my case!) to sing along. Next was “Glide” followed by “It's Gotta Be Love,” one of only a few songs from her first album. Then Peter sang a solo called “Watching for the Daybreak,” followed by Fiachna singing a solo called “Your Love.” Lisa then ended the first act with another new song called “Heartbeat.”

The second act opened with a gorgeous song dedicated to “absent friends” called “Hope.” I was completely unprepared for the impact that song would have on me. It's a lament about lost friends and loved ones and about the hopes that we have for them. There are several lines in the song that struck a nerve but one in particular, “I hope you're happy now,” got me teary-eyed as I thought about Brad, Henny, Glenn, Ralph and other friends that I miss dearly. It is something that I certainly hope is true for them and during the rest of the second act that line continued to play in my head. I can't remember ever being affected by a single line of song like that. It was a little unnerving.

Lisa then explained how the next song, “Venus,” was inspired by a small farmer's gate called Venus Gate. Then she announced that Gabe Dixon was in the house. Some of you may remember that Lisa performed with him during her brief album launch tour in 2015. He had a gig of his own the following night but stopped in to see Lisa tonight. She had him come up and sit at the piano. He then performed three of his songs, “Even the Rain,” “If I Love You,” and “The Further the Sky,” while Lisa, Peter, and Fiachna sang harmony and played along. After that it was back to Lisa but Gabe stayed at the piano and improvised chords and harmony for the rest of the set. The next two songs were new ballads called “Dust” and “Turn the Lights Out.” Lisa then thanked everyone and the second act finished with another new song, “Hazlewood.” We gave them a standing ovation but, of course, that wasn't really the end. They returned to the stage for the encore of “All We Are” from “Hiding Away.” And with that it really was over.

We adjourned to the lobby and waited while Lisa chatted with the many close friends who, like us, were there to support her. She made time for all of us and we exchanged hugs, talked about the show, and posed for pictures. It was after midnight when we finally started walking back to our hotels. It had been a fabulous night and well worth the trip.

[MrPeabody]

Part 2

I had several things I was thinking about doing during the day on Saturday and I ultimately narrowed it down to two. After breakfast I took the subway to lower Manhattan to visit the 9/11 Memorial. I wasn't sure whether I'd be able to handle it but I really wanted to try. As I walked from the subway station, that single line from Lisa's song was still playing in my head. I just couldn't shake it or the thoughts that accompanied it. Before reaching the memorial I admired the new One World Trade Center, aka the Freedom Tower. It is a very impressive building and from the ground its mirrored windows reflect the sky beautifully. The memorial itself is quite simple, two large reflecting pools on the footprints of the two towers. Around the perimeter of each pool are plaques listing the names of all who perished, not just those who were in the towers but also those at the Pentagon, those on Flight 93, and all of the first responders. There were, of course, many tourists whose primary purpose for being there was to get a selfie but I blocked them out and slowly walked around each pool reading all of the names; I thought they deserved that. There were several particularly heartbreaking ones that included the words “and her unborn child.” With the help of Lisa's song I hoped that they were all happy now as I fought back the tears. It is a very somber place and the feelings were at times a little overwhelming. After a couple of hours I was finally all cried out and bid my farewell.

[MrPeabody]

Part 3

My next stop was at the Empire State Building. I have been to New York quite a few times, even staying at the Pennsylvania Hotel just a block away, but I had never visited the iconic building. It was time to finally rectify that. After going through security (and taking advantage of the senior discount) it was up to the 80th floor and the first viewing level. This level is enclosed and includes quite a few exhibits on the building's design and construction. Normally you next take the elevator to the 86th floor and the exterior observation deck but the line was quite long so they gave us the option of walking up the 6 flights of stairs if we wished. The stairs were steep and we were already almost 1000 feet up but I made it. A brief shower was passing by so I waited a few minutes before venturing outside. Surprisingly, it was not windy at all and the view was spectacular despite the clouds. I had been to the Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center) on a previous visit and it was obvious how much higher this was. The size of Central Park doesn't really hit you until you see it from this perspective. The juxtaposition of One World Trade Center, the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island is also interesting. Since this would likely be my only visit I opted for the bonus ticket which got me an elevator ride to the small observation deck on the 120th floor. At around 1200 feet the view is even more breathtaking as you are literally higher than anything else. I could even see trains several miles away crossing the Meadowlands as they curved around to enter the Hudson River tunnels. Finally, though, I had to head back down to ground level (actually below ground to the subway) to return to my hotel. It had been a very interesting day but there were other things awaiting me this evening.

[MrPeabody]

Part 4

After resting a bit and changing into my other Lisa shirt, I met Bill, Beth, Dee and Tom for “dinner in the diner.” And, like any good diner, we did not leave hungry! By the time we reached the Irish Arts Center the red carpet was already waiting for us. Tonight I was in the second row but that was OK, I was more interested in listening than watching tonight anyway. The set list for the first half of the show was identical to Friday night except that Peter's solo was “Falling Leaves.” I was able to listen more intently tonight and I must say that some of the lyrics are quite vivid in their imagery and are very different than what we are used to hearing from Lisa.

Unlike last night, tonight I was prepared for “Hope” at the beginning of the second act, or at least I thought I was. I had talked to Lisa after Friday's show about how that song affected me and even tweeted to her Saturday morning but I was still a little surprised when just before the song she whispered, “This is for Mike.” As I listened to those beautiful lyrics more closely, I realized just how amazing this song is and I can't wait to get the album so I can listen to it over and over. Yes, once again I was just a puddle.

Since Gabe was doing his own thing tonight, Lisa filled in his three songs with the gorgeous “Wild Mountainside,” a traditional Irish instrumental during which Fiachna absolutely shredded on the tin whistle, and Peter O'Toole's solo, “Watching for the Daybreak.” The rest of the second act was the same as Friday night except for addition of a second encore, “Peace Tonight,” written by the Hothouse Flowers. After the concert Lisa chatted with friends in the lobby for a while but had to leave early so I didn't get a chance to say goodbye.

Sunday morning I walked back to Penn Station where I met Bill and Beth to catch the 9:09am train back to Harrisburg. Then it was a quick trip home to mow my grass, go for groceries, and otherwise return to normal life. It was a wonderful weekend, though, and it was so great to see and talk to Lisa again after 2 long years. Even though all of the songs for her new album are recorded, there are still details being worked out for release so it may still be a while before it's available but I “hope” it's soon!

[moscapoet]

Thank you so much, Mike! And thanks for being there to represent us all!

[CWazyTom]

I have to say, that was a lovely experience.

Some of you know my story from the other forums.  The Coles Notes version is that it was a really, really long time before I actually made it to a Celtic Woman show.  I never got to see Lisa when she was with Celtic Woman and that's one of my many regrets.  I missed so many shows that there are times I don't even consider myself a proper fan.  That group and its leading ladies have meant a lot to me for a long time.  I am so happy I finally got to see Lisa Lambe live!
 Actually meeting Amy Rivard and Lisa Lambe for the very first time on back to back nights in NY was not something I could have dreamed of a few years ago.

Lisa and her crew were fantastic and I'm really looking forward to the new album when everything gets sorted out.

I guess Lisa was surprised and a bit flattered I came all the way from Canada to see her.  She was definitely worth it!  She signed some things for me (a photo, Hiding Away, and my insert for The Bloody Irish).  She was very sweet and her hugs were amazing!  I told her how happy I was to meet her after all this time, what an incredible performer she was and that I felt so lucky to be one of her fans.  She almost started tearing up for a moment.  I think that was my favourite part of the whole experience: knowing that she felt appreciated.

It was nice to hang out with fellow fans as well.  Thanks for the pre-show gathering invite, Mike!  I wish the group photo had turned out a bit better.  All my post-show pictures were a bit grainy.  Yeah, yeah, I know ... if I want better pictures I need an actual camera (and actual photography skills).

Sorry I had to rush out of there afterwards.  I was travelling with non-superfan guests that had already indulged me by staying a full 4 hours for Amy Rivard's entire show the night before.

Seeing Lisa live was the second last show in an 18 month adventure that was beyond my wildest dreams only a few years ago.  Since March of 2016, I saw:
* Celtic Woman x3
* Chloë x3 (I'm seeing her again in December)
* Mairead Nesbitt x3 (once with Celtic Woman)
* Lisa Kelly in PTC
* Amy Rivard
* and of course, Lisa Lambe

For someone that hadn't been to any concert for the better part of the previous 18 years or so, the past 18 months have been really incredible.

I'm not sure when I'll get to see Lisa Lambe again, but I hope it's soon!