CELTIC THUNDER CONCERT
LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS
NOVEMBER 6, 2011
I arrived early for the concert but there was already a large crowd in the lobby. The doors to the auditorium were locked so everyone had to wait which was a boon for the concessions. I meandered over to a table selling memorabilia and bought a program. An attractive young lady waited on me. More about her later. I noticed that the crowd was about 80% female. This coincides with the audiences on the Celtic Thunder PBS concerts. Finally the doors opened and I made my way down to the second row on the aisle. This was a great seat. The front row was offset and I had an unobstructed view of the stage. Eventually, the auditorium filled up. A lady from the state PBS affiliate went on stage and introduced the show.
As the lights went down a spotlight hit the stage and three lovely ladies appeared seated at the back of the raised platform that served as the set. One had a cello, another a violin and the last one a harp. There was one drummer, a guitarist and a keyboard player. The first piece was a musical interlude which included fog rolling down the steps at the front of the platform. Then all the guys came on stage and the mostly female audience went wild. I thought “this is like the second coming of the Beatles.” At least no one passed out. The first song was in Gaelic and was very good.
Then Emmet Cahill sang a beautiful ballad titled “Kindred Spirits.” He is the perfect replacement for Paul Byrom. He really nails the ballads. Next came Keith Harkin with a pretty ballad of his own, “The Dutchman.” The ladies went wild with applause. Keith has an innate ability to traverse back and forth between ballads and pop music. After that violinist Nicole Hudson came down to the front of the stage and played a nice violin solo. She moved around quite seamlessly and even did a couple of spins. Neil Byrne then sang another beautiful ballad, “Noreen.” Well, if the ladies weren't energized enough Ryan Kelly made his appearance and sang “Black is the Colour.” Nicole sat on the steps of the set and played while he sang. There was nice interaction between them and once he stroked her hair. Ryan has a definite theatrical flair in all of his presentations. Again, the audience went wild. Then the newest and youngest member of the group, Daniel Furlong sang “Over The Rainbow.” He still has a child's voice and it was one of the best solo renditions of that song that I have heard. Everyone was charmed.
The next three songs were Irish pub songs and all the boys joined in. Then Neil sang “Past The Point of Rescue” which was popularized by country artist Hal Ketchum. But Neil's version had more of a pop music tone and was quite good. Keith then followed with a hard driving rock tune and really wore out his guitar. All the boys joined in on “Galway Girl” to end the first act.
Earlier just before the show started the young lady that sold me the program walked down the aisle and sat in front of me. During intermission people kept coming up to her asking to have pictures taken with her and complimenting her on her music. She complied with all who approached her. I had the opportunity to speak with the lady from PBS and asked her about the girl. It turns out she was Rebecca Harkin, sister of Keith and a budding musician in her own right.
Act Two started with the beautiful ballad “Song For The Mira.” All joined in except Ryan who was waiting in the wings and followed that with his famous version of “Desperado.” Needless to say the ladies were enthusiastic. George Donaldson then sang “Cat's In The Cradle.” It sounded so much like Harry Chapin that it was eerie. Great rendition. Emmet then sang another fun filled pub song “My Irish Molly.” Neil sang a great rendition of “She's Always A Woman.” When the song flowed from the verse to the chorus it was outstanding. All the boys then joined in with an a capella version of “Danny Boy.” Then came “Whiskey In The Jar.” Keith and Neil had great fun with this by singing, running across the stage and firing up their guitars. The audience went wild. Next was a fun filled version of “You've Got A Friend In Me”. Keith sat on the steps playing a tiny guitar while Daniel sang the song and pestered him to no end. In what may have been the surprise of the evening Ryan then sang the well-known country tune “Friends In Low Places.” He also played guitar. The girls went wild. Move over Garth Brooks.
Next all the boys joined in on a hilarious drinking song. They took turns staggering and holding each other up. I never caught the name of that song but the audience loved it. Next Keith sang the pop tune “All Out of Love.” Again the girls went crazy. George followed up with “500 Miles.” He is a pleasure to watch and listen to. He involved the audience in the song. Then Emmet sang the pretty song “This Is The Moment.” The show was now in the home stretch. Next came “A Place In The Choir” which included everyone. This is highly entertaining and the audience responded in kind. In a true change of pace next was an instrumental interlude “Dream-Teller/Fantasy.” Harpist Seana Davey came down and danced to the music. Not being an expert in dance my best description of this is a mix of an Irish jig and ballet. It was beautiful. Then came the grand finale “Ireland's Call.” Everyone left with a feeling of having been truly entertained with an eclectic musical feast. A great show. I am not quite a Thunder Head yet but I am getting there.
Hubert Boddie
