Celtic Thunder in Kansas City
Celtic Thunder perform in Kansas City at the Sprint Center on Tuesday, November 18 2008 at 8pm.
The latest in a string of super-produced, -packaged and -presented Irish (mostly) performers, Celtic Thunder are the creation of Sharon Browne, the original producer of Celtic Woman, and Phil Coulter, legendary songwriter, composer and producer and no stranger to well packaged male groups (think The Bay City Rollers, and also Slik with a young Midge Ure).
In Irish music circles Coulter has given us the now standard ballad about his hometown of Derry during the Troubles, The Town I Loved So Well, and the very personal and highly regarded Scorn Not His Simplicity which famously Luke Kelly was reluctant to repeat live performances of. And of course we tend to forget that Phil Coulter produced Planxty.
The male soloists, who range in age from 14 to 40, are:
Damian McGinty
Keith Harkin
Ryan Kelly
Paul Byrom
George Donaldson
Accompanied by The Celtic Concert Orchestra conducted by Coulter himself, a full band, bagpipes, and monks -who presumably have devoted themsleves to a life of prayer and world tours.
Choreography, dramatic lighting, visual effects, and a set resembling ancient stone steps and paths are all said to enhance the musical production, because nothing says Irish music like a fake set of old steps.
Here’s a video of a ton of clips from the show. I threw up long before half way:
A far superior video is that by the traditional Irish band Terry Winch’s Celtic Thunder (who have had their name appropriated by this latest Irish PBS spectacular) seen here performing When New York Was Irish:
At this point I was going to refer you back to a post I did of The High Kings, another Celtic Woman inspired production of male singers, though with more recogniseable names (sons of performers you know), but I lost that post in the web hosting move before last. They too are playing Missouri later in 2008 but not Kansas City. The High Kings are performing in the Fabulous Fox in St Louis on Wednesday October 8, 2008
Tickets range in price from $37.50 to $57.50 though you can always pay more. Tickets available from Monday June 30, 2008 online at sprintcenter.com (TicketMaster), in person at Sprint Center Box Office or through evil ticketmaster, or charge by phone at (816) 931.3330
Calendar
This event is posted on the KC Irish Events calendar.
External Links
• offical band site
• Sprint Center
To be honest, I think if you want to see this show you are perpetuating the muck that too many people in Irish-America would have you believe passes as Irish culture, and too many people in Ireland itself are eager to inflict on America. Go get yourself that Planxty album instead.
Eolaí gan Fhéile:
I am excited about them coming to KC. Where did you get your ticket pricing from. That is not what I found. …. http://www.ticketbooth.com/Concert/World/Celtic+Thunder/Tickets/782057 …
I have been waiting for the thunder to arrive here. Maybe I should not have said that
Adam - the ticket prices I posted are those listed on TicketMaster, which is where the purchase tickets link on SprintCenter.com takes you to.
Mark - excellent! Thunder Takes Country By Storm! I like it.
And better than the Beatles‘ US invasion? That makes Celtic Thunder better than something bigger than Jesus.
I think that when John Lennon made that comment, he had his tongue in his cheek, and was speaking about the MEDIA’s treatment of the Bealtles.
Check out my *oogle Knol: http://knol.google.com/k/mark-regan/celtic-thunder/3oo5lhklxb3l0/2#
Good luck finding a permanent place to stay. Maybe you can get hired on by Celtic Thunder and help with their website. Sorry you don’t like the glitz and glamor and operatic quality of the show. To get to the top of the Billboard Top World Albums charts with EACH CD you release, you HAVE to inject a bit of glitz. And to play to standing ovations in American venues, even MORE glitz is necessary. That is a FACT of American life.
That’s why some of our cowboy music sells better in Ireland than it does here. Different markets expect their stereotypes to be played to.
There’s a chance I may not agree with everything you say there Mark, and I’d probably do it in lowercase.