November Concerts in Northern Ireland 2012

[dani]

Paul I am sure the concerts were fantastic

Just seemed like a odd location once again. But I am sure there was a method to the madness lol

[Choirfan]

Their choice of destinations of late has been puzzling. Picking the Chanel Islands during the summer ruled it out for many of the regular fans as it was a pain in the neck to get to and pretty expensive too. From what i heard, they did not get great attendances there.

I was delighted they came back to Ireland but puzzled as to why they chose the north exclusively. For me, it was a 5 hour drive to get to see them as those parts are not well served by domestic flights and where they are, they are very expensive. Now to me they are well worth a 10 hour round trip, but to the casual fan here that may have been a deal breaker. Back in 2009, they had a great attendance at the national concert hall in Dublin, much better attended than some of the 2010 autumn tour of Britain. I have no idea why they did not come back there, given that would have been a lot more central for their fans here (I can't be the only one). Also bringing a choir to a catholic cathedral in a predominatly protestant city known for it's religious divides may not have been the best idea.

It seems that the policy at the moment is to spread their music to parts that might otherwise not have heard of them, but the results do not seem to be great which is a shame as that concert in Belfast was beyond stunning.

[JimmyRiddle]

Interesting thoughts. I also went to Dublin in 2009 and indeed it was a great turnout. Maybe Concert Halls are more expensive to hire out than small church/cathedrals. Also I think their decision to go to Northern Ireland was heavily influenced by the necessity to source the least expensive option for boarding 30+ boys and numerous touring staff/chaperones etc..

With their increasing popularity and sought after demand to tour all over the world, it would seem the autumnal half term break may provide the only opportunity for Libera to perform back-to-back concerts in GB. The weather you cannot predict, this time last year the UK had it's second warmest October/November for the past 100 years This year it's literally the polar opposite. Still the lighting will always be at it's best with complete darkness from the word go.

The summer tour of the Channel Islands was an exception to tours of previous summers (US, Philippines) and again may have been chosen with an eye on saving money on accomodation and provisions, even if this means the prospect of less than full attendences for their concerts. Still I can't see St George's being one of these instances.

[Yorkie]

I suspect we will never know but I could offer you a guess as to why they went to NI or the Channel Islands this summer - because somebody was picking up the cost! It really is the only explanation that makes sense. We know that Libera are open to offers of performing in a particular city if there is somebody willing to pick up the bills & we know Mr P has Channel Island connections so it doesn't take a major leap of logic to explain the choice of venues.

Just my two pence worth.

[Choirfan]

Just for the sake of balance in light of some negative comments re. Northern Ireland , lest we damage their tourism industry. As already noted, the Belfast concert was located in a 'rougher' part of the city, maybe a ten minute walk from the city centre. Some of the fans chose to take a shortcut which involved passing through alley-ways and streets in what appeared to be a social housing estate next to the cathedral, and so it is no surprise that some might have felt apprehensive or fearful going through there. There were no reports of any unpleasant incidents though. I, myself, took the main road to the cathedral and that was not so bad.

I think it was Dani that said N. Ireland in the winter would not be a barrel of laughs. All i can say is i enjoyed a very nice day the day after the concert going around Belfast. It's a nice city to walk around with many interesting buildings and churches. I had a very pleasant walk along the river Lagan down to the Titanic quarter, and seeing the famous 'Harland and Wolfe' twin gantry cranes. Of course i could not resist going to the recently opened Titanic Experience museum, and for £13 i spent 3 hours going around that building as there was so much to see. For dinner i went to 'The Crown' pub across from the Europa hotel where i had a very nice 3 course meal for about £20, before setting off on the long drive home. In reading some tourist literature, i could see there was still a lot going on in Belfast including a ghost tour walk around the city that i would have liked to have done had i not been going home. Other people took a bus tour to see the Giant's Causeway nearby. According to Wikipedia, Belfast is the second most visited city on the island of Ireland, after Dublin i presume, and it is not hard to see why.

Also from my own point of view, i realise in my recent posts it may seem as i was whinging that they did not come down to Dublin while in Ireland. I understand that there are many factors that influence where they perform, financing being the major one. I just want to state how grateful i am that they came back to Ireland and for the opportunity to be able to see them at all. I know i am quite lucky to live in a part of the world where getting to see Libera twice a year is easy for me, especially when many fans around the world have never seen them or maybe only once every couple years. Thanks to all the hard working Libera people that make these shows possible, as they bring so much joy to the fans that attend them.

[Yorkie]

That's very decent of you Choirfan and I agree with you.

From my perspective I could get there and back for under £70. I had the rare treat (for me) of staying in a very central, comfortable 4* hotel for under £55 per night. It was a compact city that was easy to walk around. The concerts being poorly attended meant I could get there at 16:45 (after an afternoon in the pub) and still get a front row seat. I experienced my favourite Libera song performed live for the first time and the return of Mysterium to the set list. I spent time with friends old and new and not one of us (so far as I know) experienced anything untoward. The Belfast queue will live long in the memory Oh, and a couple of great shows to boot and I have to say the lads on stage looked to be enjoying the performances.

Now I can't speak for the impact of this and the summer tour on Libera's finances but if I'm right (see previous post) then whilst they may not have made any money I doubt they lost any. From my personal & selfish point of view the Channel Islands & NI concerts have been a fantastic experience and I would be perfectly happy if they did the same every year

Cheers

[Choirfan]

The Belfast queue will live long in the memory

You mean Ciaran and the dogs, haha, where else would be get such free entertainment, i certainly haven't experienced anything like that at Arundel or St George's!

At the risk of this sounding like a love-in, i also love the experience of meeting some of the other Libera fans from all sorts of places, it matters not how rich or poor we are or anything else, we are all just Libera fans at those concerts there to enjoy the music and the show, and on that front, they never disappoint.

[paul]

I have got to agree with Yorkie, I enjoyed the concerts very much, and the queuing at Belfast proved to be some very odd but entertaining nerveless, yes that is one queue I will remember for a very long time, including the fear of having my legs chewed of by doggy ha-ha.

The travel to NI was not only easy, but very cheap as well. I will certainly plan to return in the very near future, Ill certainly be returning for a few local brews and some great food at the Crown. There are many more things that I want to see, things I did not get a chance to when I was there such as the for mentioned Giants causeway and the Titanic museum. A trip down to Dublin will certainly be on the cards as well.

Apart from the walk to and from St Peters, which was pretty scary I have to admit, from a personal point of view the whole trip was very worth while and the concerts where great.

Its a shame that Libera had a poor turnout but as long as no money was lost, they have still reached out to the community so could consider the concerts a success however small.

Got to agree with Choirfan as well, a big part of the concerts is meeting with other like minded fans for a good old chat.

[The Furby]

A short montage with some new photos and videos

[BBvideo 480,360][/BBvideo]

[Lauren]

Fabulous video, Furby! Thank you for doing that! It's like we got to go along on the trip with you.

While in Northern Ireland, Libera participated in the Sunday morning church service at St. Peter's Cathedral in Belfast. The video of the service is up on the church's web site here - http://www.churchservices.tv/stpetersca ... ed/4hIwmTO

They sang along with the church's boys choir, Schola Cantorum. You can hear (but not see) them all throughout the service. Then at 0:46:10 you can see them all walk to the front to sing 2 more songs. Really beautiful!!

Would be nice if someone could edit and get it on YouTube before the church removes it from their web site.

[JimmyRiddle]

Nicely edited video Furby, thanks for sharing!

While in Northern Ireland, Libera participated in the Sunday morning church service at St. Peter's Cathedral in Belfast. The video of the service is up on the church's web site here - http://www.churchservices.tv/stpetersca ... ed/4hIwmTO

They sang along with the church's boys choir, Schola Cantorum. You can hear (but not see) them all throughout the service. Then at 0:46:10 you can see them all walk to the front to sing 2 more songs. Really beautiful!!

Would be nice if someone could edit and get it on YouTube before the church removes it from their web site.

Thanks Lauren - There was no mention on either St Peter's website or facebook page so I didn't check the services, but you did - so thanks for that!

I will try and capture it but it's always a little tempermental from an internet stream due to quality and network reliability issues. Will try it later.

[viabuona]

Would be nice if someone could edit and get it on YouTube before the church removes it from their web site.

On the lower right side there is a link to download the video as mp4.

[viabuona]

A short montage with some new photos and videos

Thanks, a nice video (as usual) from you

[maartendas]

Would be nice if someone could edit and get it on YouTube before the church removes it from their web site.

I doubt if Libera will be too happy with that, as the audio is of really poor quality. This does not do them justice.

[JimmyRiddle]

Would be nice if someone could edit and get it on YouTube before the church removes it from their web site.

On the lower right side there is a link to download the video as mp4.

Do you get sound with that? Could be just me but it opens up in media player and doesn't play audio?

Would be nice if someone could edit and get it on YouTube before the church removes it from their web site.

I doubt if Libera will be too happy with that, as the audio is of really poor quality. This does not do them justice.

Well the sound is not the greatest, but I don't think it's so dreadful to lead you to the conclusion that both choirs cannot sing. It's just not commercially presented dolby pro logic 7.1 surround sound that's all. If you take at face value that it's been recorded using inexpensive hardware designed for live internet streaming I think you would accept such limitations are to be expected.