Out of this world

When was the last time you had an otherworldly experience?

This weekend, I got to do something I didn’t think I’d ever get the chance to do. I went to hear Loreena McKennitt on her The Visit Revisited Tour.

Loreena is one of those people whose name generally elicits one of two responses: “Oh, she’s amazing!” or “Who the hell is Loreena McKennitt??”

If you’ve only heard one Loreena McKennitt song, odds are good it’s this one:

As far as I’m aware, “The Mummer’s Dance” is the only song of hers that’s ever made it onto pop radio in the US (in a slightly more pop version than the CD version), and it did pretty well back in 1997, to my surprise and delight, considering it’s not exactly your average pop tune. I never quite got used to hearing her on the radio.

My first encounter with Loreena was back in my Absolute Irish Music Anorak phase in the mid-90s, when I spied a copy of The Visit in a used CD shop back in York, PA.

The proprietor said, “That is a great album.” So I took it home, popped it into the CD player, and heard this:

“All Souls’ Night” is, if I had to choose, probably my favorite Loreena song, not just because it was first, but because it literally picked me up out of my little apartment and took me somewhere very far away. Between it and the album’s penultimate song, “The Old Ways,” I’m not entirely convinced that it didn’t take me back in time as well.

All I know is that regular time stopped, and I was somewhere else, somewhere I’d never been before, full of fire and wind and water and magic. The return to “reality” was … jarring.

Every album since that one has always been a journey, too, but never in quite the same way as The Visit.

I’d always heard that Loreena put on an incredible show, but I never thought I’d get to see her. She stopped recording and performing entirely for about eight years, at which point it seemed I’d completely missed my chance; it was quite the surprise when she returned in 2006. Even then, though, actually getting to hear her seemed very unlikely.

When I saw she was touring this year, there was no question: I had to go. I can now confirm that it’s true: she and her band put on an absolutely phenomenal show. (Also, she’s very funny!)

At the concert on Friday

I’m curious to know: when have you had a moment when you’ve been swept away by a piece of music, a book, a movie, or another work of art? Who have you heard or seen after thinking you’d never get a chance? Who do you really want to see, should the opportunity arise?

Please do tell us in a comment!