Fire and Water. Loreena McKennitt’s The Old Ways, opening with Huron ‘Beltane’ Fire Dance, an instrumental from her second album Parallel Dreams. The Old Ways is a rich piece placed near the end of Loreena’s breakthrough album, The Visit. Inspired by one of her earlier visits to Ireland and the grave stature of the sea, Loreena repeats a passage several times both at the beginning and closing: «The thundering waves are calling me home, Home to you. The pounding sea is calling me home, Home to you.» Following the tragic passing of Loreena’s fiance in a boating accident many years later, the passage acquired a harrowing new relevance. While written long before the death, it’s difficult to imagine that anything else could be on Loreena’s mind when she now performs this song live. It’s a truly haunting experience, and a great song to begin with. Thank you for listening/watching.
A few Canadian National freight trains coming and going out of the Port Huron, Michigan tunnel along with one VIA unit with Amtrak coaches on August 18, 1999.
Video Rating: 4 / 5