So, we saw the Chieftains last night. It was incredible. I loved it. We sat on the first row of the top balcony, which were really cool seats, with absolutely nothing obscuring the view. The Chieftains consist of four guys, a tin whistle/uilleann (sp? aka bagpipe) pipe guy, a flautist, a fiddler, and a guy who played a drum and sang (a particularly cool drum with a name pronounced nothing like it is spelled, (especially considering it has a bh in it somewhere)). They were joined on their tour by a harpist and a guitar player, as well as by a couple of guys who danced and a woman who danced. One of the two guys also played the fiddle. They were, to a person, outstanding. They concert was about two and a half hours, featuring little medley sets. Each set featured a different player, so, the flautist came up and did a solo, which led into another song that included the guitar player, which led to a reel played by the whole ensemble. It was really cool, traditional Irish music. Think a Good Washer Woman, but really cool. Every once in a while the dancer/fiddler would get up and dance or the other dancing guy would come out and do Irish step-dancing. They wore tap shoes and danced like the wind. It was incredible. The fiddler/dancer was good, his feet were really quick, he did a lot of cool steps, but the other guy was almost unbelievable. He would make the same sounds with his shoes as his partner, but every once in a while his legs would shoot out up close to his waist. His body movements were incredible. He was really cool. The woman who danced was also great, her feet were like a blur. She also step-danced and did some of it on toe. Amazing. Another group was touring with them for a couple of months. They were from Canada and played traditional music with the group, as well as a couple of songs of their own. The ranged in age from 16-18, as two brother-sister units. They were OK. It would have been really neat to see them in a club atmosphere, for example, but it was quite clear that The Chieftains were on a different planet. There were also cameos by a couple of local organizations, North Texas pipers, North Texas Irish dancers (young children) but they were a bit silly. The Chieftains, though, wow! Apparently they play here every year and I will certainly make every attempt to go back next year. What an incredible concert.
By the way, if you are looking for a cool intro to the Chieftains, I can personally vouch for The Long Black Veil, which I have had, lost and will soon replace. Very cool collaborations with pop singers, including Sting. I also intend to get their new album, pictured above, currently nominated for a Grammy.
4 comments:
sounds great. I am very glad you enjoyed it so much. Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas indeed. And happy President's Day!
I have one song by The Chieftains in my collection--a collaboration with Diana Krall on Danny Boy. Not sure what album it is from. It sounds to me like the dancing was the most impressive part of the show, though. Maybe we can get the Fort Worth Crick Dancers on stage with them next year?
I tried to explain this show to Melissa last night and found words to be completely inadequate. Brian's words, while good and descriptive, are also inadequate. The dancing was impressive, but the music was like being transported elsewhere and the dancing was where you were being transported to. I smiled the entire time. Just smiled. Wanted to cry and laugh. It was a really great show and was great fun to go with Brian. I am so thrilled he invited me. I definitely think the Crick Dancers could make it on stage. They dragged members of the audience up there to dance and you guys would fit right in. I'm with Brian next year and I'm taking anybody I can get to go with me. It was beautiful.
Thumbs up on the Chieftain collaborations with Sting and Sinead O'Connor that you sent me. Thumbs down on the Ricky Skaggs number.
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