Voyage

A few observations are in order regarding the new Celtic Thunder "Voyage" DVD and CD.The DVD release that came out at the end of February 2012 is just Part 1. Part 2 will come out in the fall of 2012 with the rest of the songs from the concert. Why not just make it a 2-disc set? Well, check out Sharon Browne's blog on the Celtic Thunder web site. Sorry I can't put the link here. I tried twice, and apparently Amazon blocks that sort of thing, so just Google "Sharon Browne blog", and it will show up at the top of the list of choices. Then look for her blog comments titled "VOYAGE - DVD's vs TV show - March 14, 2012". There she gives a full explanation of what's going on. It has to do with copyright law. She mentioned keeping DVDs at about an hour in length to avoid problems. She also said that a standard USA CD is 12 songs as compared to 16 in Europe. I guess they can have more than the standard 12 cuts, as evidenced by the fact that all of their CDs to date have more than 12 cuts.Final observations:(1) As I was watching the PBS airing of Voyage, I heard The Irish Rover (part of a medley?), but it doesn't appear to be on the new Voyage CD that I just sampled on Amazon. George also sang Red Rose Cafe on the Voyage PBS show, but that song is not on the Voyage CD. However, it is on the Heritage CD (but not the Heritage DVD), which leads to my next comment.(2) It is a confusing and very annoying practice that songs missing from a particular Celtic Thunder DVD may appear on either a past or a future CD of a different title. The same is true regarding songs missing from a CD appearing on another DVD. The only way to get all the songs in both formats is to just buy all the CDs and all the DVDs. It would be far better if the DVD and CD for a particular show would have the same track list. No more hunting around trying to find what you're missing.(3) As for the repeated songs, at least they are not forgetting all their songs from previous releases just because they have a new show. If every project was nothing but all-new songs, then you'd never hear any variety of their new and old together in the same show. Of course, the trick with repeating songs is to choose the right ones and not to overdo it. I'm sure they get a lot of comments from fans about this sort of thing. If you think Voyage is too full of repeats, then check out the Take Me Home DVD. Of 29 songs, 19 are from The Show, their first DVD, leaving only 10 new ones. Maybe that was due to that copyright issue? Only 10 new songs, hmmm.4) Except for "The Show" DVD, the "Take Me Home" DVD, and the two-part "Voyage" DVDs, all the other DVDs (It's Entertainment, Heritage, Christmas, Storm) have been close to that one-hour mark that Sharon Browne was speaking of in her blog. This makes me wonder what we're missing from the actual concerts of these other DVDs. I don't know myself since I have only seen the original "The Show" in concert. I wonder if they sing some of their previous songs, or whether they are just plainly leaving out new songs from both the DVD and CD, though that would be a completely pointless action. Why create new concert material and then refuse to release a lot of it on DVD and CD? If anyone has insightful information, please share it with us. Thanks.

Overall a great video, and a HUGE improvement over the last video, "Storm." The DVD does fall short in including so many repeats of songs that appeared on prior videos, albeit slightly different arrangements. We own every single prior Celtic Thunder video, and as much as we love Keith and Ryan we would have preferred some of the newer performances instead, and certainly more than one solo performance by the multi-talented Neil. We actually saw this concert in person a few months ago and there were so many other performances of different songs that could have been included. Another major flaw is that the DVD should have included Ireland's Call at the end, as this is their trademark song and one that we want to see repeated. It's fun to see how the performance of Ireland's Call has changed over the years with Damian growing up and members changing, and it's the one song you must have when watching Celtic Thunder! Having said that, the DVD is still great to watch and one we'd highly recommend! Damian has always been our all time favorite so we weren't sure how CT would be after he and Paul left. It's really great to see Neil at the forefront, he has a beautiful voice and we've always wanted to see more of him based on his past performances and role as a backup singer and guitarist for the group. He's finally a main member, and well deserves the position. We were very sad when the group members changed and I was prepared not to like Emmet's voice, but he has proven that he has an amazing, beautiful voice. His two solo performances are so moving. Keith did a wonderful job showcasing his original material and he's always so entertaining and a favorite. Ryan and George's performances just seem to get better and better. Daniel, unfortunately, doesn't add much to the group and his voice is too high and doesn't blend well with the rest of the guys, although his performance in the "Irish Rover" medley is a lot of fun and the song is very catchy. "Voyage" is entertaining and a good affirmation that the group is still very strong and talented. A wise turnaround from the previous "Storm" video (which we couldn't even bear to watch through once despite how much we love this group), we will be watching this one over and over! If it weren't for the repeated songs, I would've given this a solid 5 stars!

This is not the kind of music I was raised listening to, but I have come to love this band and the music. I love the DVD because of the interaction between the band members and the audience. You can really feel the appreciation the band members have for the music and the link that some of the music has to their " HOME LAND " which to them it seems is really about their history. It's an enjoyable experience every time I play the DVD.

Voyage is another great production by Celtic Thunder. I saw the show in Halifax last fall, and it was spectacular! For me, this DVD does not disappoint. It captures the talent, showmanship, and the dedication of a great group of performers, who sang a variety of songs with a unique spin on each.As for criticism of the DVD, please check out Celtic Thunder's website. Sharon Browne, producer, has noted that a second Voyage DVD will be released mid to late 2012. The reason for splitting the DVD and CD was related to the cost associated with buying rights to the songs, which is an expensive venture.Regardless, this is a great DVD filled with an hour of great music and wonderful performances. If you love great music, do yourself a favour, and indulged in the world of Celtic Thunder!

I was so pleased with Celtic Thunders DVD ,they are a fantastic group,they mix the songs so well,old favourites and newer songs, I now have six DVDS by Celtic Thunder and will be buying more no doubt,

I ordered this for my mother just in time for St. Patrick's Day and we all watched it after dinner. As usual, these performers did not disappoint. You will notice some changes in the group...some have moved on, and there are some new members. Great songs and as always, entertaining to watch. It was great that Amazon sent me an email for 'advance purchase', as I didn't even know there was a new release. Great service and it arrived within a few days of the release date. I think my mother has all of the DVD's now, so I hope Amazon keeps me posted when the next release happens!

I was very disappointed with this DVD. I thought I was getting a video of the TV show "Voyage"But it is not. Two of the songs I really wanted were left off. M. Rahrer