On December 13th, the East Coast of the U.S. was about to be hit by something more than just a snowstorm. Méav was coming to town!

Winter storms were brewing the first day of Méav's Holiday Tour, and much of the Midwest and Northeast was experiencing the most unsavory of weather conditions - snow, ice, and wind. But fans knew their "Celtic Songbird's" voice was ready to warm hearts and souls on even the coldest of nights.

Fans had travelled from all over the U.S. to converge on New York and New Hampshire for these four days in order to experience this wonderful milestone in Méav's musical career. No snow, ice or wind was going to discourage them!

Accompanied by her talented band, comprised of Una O'Kane, Connor O'Reilly, and Shea Fitzgerald, Méav gave her fans four breathtaking and completely unforgettable performances. She entertained audiences with her lovely renditions of Irish classics, a couple of original compositions by David Downes ("The Voice" and "The Blessing"!), and some holiday favorites which put everyone in the Christmas spirit.

The intimate venues allowed Méav and her band to be playful with the audience and perform in a relaxed atmosphere. Méav commented that it was "like performing in my own sitting room."

The fan reviews for the shows were glowing. Here are a few of the wonderful comments made by those who attended the shows:

Sara (07NWGRAD):
Concert was incredible. You won't be disappointed, everyone going to a show is in for a treat. I wish everyone could be at one of her shows. Méav and the musicians are magnifacent. They are all very talented in several capacities.

Bill (Penguin):
I am almost dumbfounded as to how to describe or put into words how great this Concert was. I have been to many wonderful Concerts in the past performed by such wonderful singers. However, I think Méav is in a class by herself.
I have been a fan for about six years and have seen her a couple of times with Celtic Woman but this Concert by herself brought out to me all of her talents.
She was very grateful for the people who showed up for the Concert in this "Winter Wonderland" because the weather was not good for traveling, and she promised to come back on tour in the spring. After the Concert (in Manchester) there was a "Meet and Greet" for those who had purchased those tickets. Méav gladly spent time with each person and posed for pictures. She was every bit as nice as I thought she would be.

Mel (Melwood23):
One of the best things about Méav's solo shows is that she is able to chat between the songs. Mostly to tell us about the songs, either the history, or what the story of the song is about, especially the ones in Gaelic.
Méav also got us in the mood for Christmas, since we already had the snow, by singing Silent Night, O Holy Night (dedicated to her daughter Anna), and then a song she told us to not only sing along to, but clap along if we wanted. That is the first time I have clapped along to Ding Dong Merrily on High, but I liked it!

Scott (ScottWinterslight):
After the show in Lebanon, an unscheduled Meet & Greet was held. Méav might have decided to do this one since there were was only about 100 or so people.
What I loved about this M&G (unlike any I had been to before or since) was that this time, Méav was standing up in front of us the whole time, so it felt more natural than the other M&Gs where you have a table between you and the performer. She also gave us the opportunity to take a few pictures.

Kendra (utahliving):
Seeing that much talent on stage between Meav, Una, Shea and Conor was amazing!

She sang a lullaby that she and Conor wrote. Stunning song. I loved it when she sang "The Voice." She took that song each night and made it hers. I really hope she records it someday. Like I've commented before, I really liked Lisa's version, but Méav blew me away with her version. Same with "The Blessing."

Méav's performance was perfect as you would imagine. She added a song she didn't do in Verona. She added "Martha's Harbor" (at the Lebanon show) to the list.
The meet and greet afterward was great. She seems like such a sweet spirited lady.
Unlike a lot of artists I've met, she took time for each fan and was willing to sign stuff for everyone. In a word she just seemed genuine. I wouldn't hesitate to travel to see her again.

Tracey :
Méav was trying to get us to sing along to a couple of songs (she put her hand up to her ear once), but we were a shy audience and she had to settle for us clapping along instead. She did try to teach us the chorus to "Glasgow is Burning" but we weren't bold enough to sing along. Méav said that she was originally supposed to sing "The Voice" for CW: A New Journey, so it was a real pleasure to finally be able to sing that song on tour.

(At Manchester) When it came to "Danny Boy," Méav dedicated the song to those of us who have followed her from venue to venue and also to Marie-France.
Méav noted that she had wanted to dedicate a song to Marie-France for quite some time, but since Celtic Woman (show) was so formal, she hadn't had the chance. Well tonight she said it's her show and now she can do what she wants.

Kelli:
This woman is the full package with entertainment, I tell you!


Congratulations to Méav and to her band members Una, Conor, and Shea!
And this is just the beginning: Méav promises to return again by 2008 to other prestigious venues all over the U.S., so watch out for future show announcements. She may come to a city near YOU!
As always, we will keep you posted.

L-R: Una, Méav, Shea and Conor. The last night of Méav US Holiday Concert Tour.

Song list and comments by Kelli:

Dulaman. She presented us with a fantastic new arrangement of it, and I loved it!
I will always identify this song with Méav and I loved it. It was a great way to start off the show, with tons of energy and excitement.

She Moved Thru the Fair. I absolutely loved Méav's chatting with us about the songs. Her speaking voice is as beautiful as her singing voice and it was great to learn details about each song that I didn't know before. Right before "She Moved Thru the Fair," Méav thanked the audience for coming out on this very cold night. An audience member yelled back, "You'll warm us up!" Her eyes flashed mischievously and she responded with a grin, "You BEHAVE!"

Waves of Tory was next. (A note: On other venues this song was alternated with "Martha's Harbor.")

Last Rose of Summer. Oh, so beautiful! There is no such thing as a Méav song I don't like, but so far the song choices were just perfect!

The Wicked Sister. I was anxious to hear this next song, as I was curious how they would adjust it without the harmonics of a harp. I laughed at her introduction of the song and enjoyed her discussion of it.

Scarborough Fair. Méav sings a slightly different arrangement than I've heard in the past and takes her voice VERY high, quite suddenly at the beginning. I jumped a bit and was reminded of her laughing at the audience back at Red Rocks (CW concert) with "Mo Ghile Mear." I wondered if that's what she was going for with those sudden high notes. (I was saddened when she didn't sing this song the next night at Verona, but I hope to hear this arrangement again in the future. It certainly shows off the power in Méav's upper register).

At one point, she was taking a drink of water from a plastic bottle on a stool next to her. She grinned and says something about her mother not being pleased to have her drinking out of a plastic bottle; that a glass was more ladylike.

I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls. Conor took over emcee duties and treated us to his sense of humor in introducing this next song. He explained to us that this song is thought to bring bad luck: the sort of luck that leads to disappearing music, disappearing sopranos, etc! But only if you whistle it.
If we are to believe Conor, we are NEVER to whistle this song in a theatre.

Suantrai(a lullaby). This song was completely new to us. I think this is the song that Méav said was written by Conor and herself.

Si do Mhaimeo i, was next which got us moving in our seats. She gave us more of her great wriggles and we had such a good time.
I don't remember when in the show it happened, but at one point in the second half she was introducing the next song. She placed both hands on her hips as she was talking. I was struck immediately by the feeling of this being HER show. She was in her element, and she was a Force!

Next, she gave us a great lesson on Irish songs and talked about the concept of Suantrai (lullaby/comfort), Goltrai (sorrow), and Geantrai (joy). The three songs she sung next would follow with that concept.

One of the songs was another surprise, The Blessing, dedicated to her daughter. Wow! Méav's treatment of this song was simply fantastic. I was again thinking of Lisa, remembering a personal connection I have with this song, and thinking of how Méav blesses us and we bless her too.
(And I realized a little too late that I hadn't remembered to get my tissues closer for the second half! Sorry Méav if I distracted you in reaching for my tissues, but they were quite the necessity at that point!)

Following that was Danny Boy, which she dedicated at Tarrytown to all of the people who had traveled great distances in this weather to see her. She said she really appreciated us, and I believed her completely. I had so much emotion at this time that the actual memories of this song are a bit fuzzy.

Glasgow's Burning. Another new song! WOW!!!
Méav invited us to sing along with her. She tried to teach us the chorus. I got the "Ohhhh" part, but missed the rest. Definitely a new language for me.

A third new song greeted our ears next, Winter Fire and Snow. This is a soft song written by Brendan Graham. Méav explained that it was about a little boy lost in a snowstorm. It was a prayer for this little boy's safe return home. As she sang at one point about the cold and chill, she brought her hands up to her arms as if she was chilly. I found myself with a case of the chills as well! I felt like I was transported at that moment out of the theatre and into a cold snowstorm, but thankfully we had Méav's warm voice to lead us home!

Next was Don O’che Ud and Silent Night. After she sang "Silent Night," she commented about how great it was to be able to sing it, that it was such a beautiful song.

This woman is the full package with entertainment, I tell you! Finally it was time for the encore. I simply could go on forever about how great they were!
I couldn't believe the show had ended.

Editor's Note:
Meav also sang "The Voice," a David Downes composition that is part of the CW repertoir.

To read Kelli's full detailed review, please visit our Méav forum.