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Kansas City Irish Festivals, Music, Pubs, & Events by an Artist in Ireland

A couple of days ago Martha Kiley from Arkansas, development director of the 2007 Arkansas Celtic Music Fair, and a regular commenter here on IrishKC, offered me a review of The Fuchsia Band playing live in Kansas City and Jefferson City, Missouri.

Saving me the airfare from Ireland I was delighted to accept and wish Martha well on her trip north to Missouri.

I think you’ll be delighted too:

As there was an excessive heat warning in effect in Kansas City the night of August 5, the Fuchsia Band concert at Cafe& took place in the upstairs room of Eddie Delahunt’s new location. It’s wonderful that Eddie has options in hosting musicians at the new place; it would have been dreadful outside that evening, and with room upstairs he was able to keep the cafe humming along during the concert without any trouble.

To a sold-out house, the band took the stage in their traditional fashion, ten minutes later than scheduled. Since everyone there was already a Fuchsia fan, they were quickly forgiven. The show got underway in another familiar fashion, with Mairtin inviting us to “spend a little while in Fuchsialand…”

We were treated to tunes and songs that have become old friends, as well as some marvelous new material the guys have been working on since the last time we saw them. Included in that was Mairtin’s poignant singing of “Come My Little Son”. That gave me goosebumps, in spite of the heat.

Each of the boys gets a shot at center stage in this year’s show—Eoin takes the lead on a very funny song about a piper’s trials and tribulations which had some audience members in tears from laughing so hard. Brian gave us “The Rigs of Rye”, beautiful in this intimate setting. Mick’s astounding talent on the guitar was showcased, but those of us who were looking forward to a tune on the flute were disappointed due to a slip at a swimming pool in Colorado.

All in all, a terrific show by the Corkmen in a setting in which they were clearly at home. Mairtin pointed out that they had been the first band in the old Cafe&, and they were delighted to be the first one in the new digs as well.

As good as that show was, it was almost eclipsed by the again sold-out show in Jefferson City on the following evening. Allen Tatman, proprietor of Paddy Malone’s Pub, added concert promoter to his list of talents by hosting Fuchsia at the Langston Hughes Theatre on the campus of Lincoln University.

Finally, The Fuchsia Band has played the venue they so richly deserve—a proscenium stage in a hall with acoustics that seemed tailored to the occasion, with an audience made up of old fans and folks who were hearing them for the first time, all of whom were there for the sole purpose of the concert.

On this night, Fuchsia hit the mark in every respect. The older material is now vintage. The new offerings are a sparkling brew of tunes, songs, and stories that transport the listener to an Ireland
that only ever really exists in one’s heart.

Having heard Mick, Eoin, Brian, and Mairtin over the past three years at festivals, bars and sessions, I’m afraid I’ve begun to take them for granted. Wednesday night I felt as if I was hearing them for the first time again. The audience was clearly enchanted, clapping along where approprate, astonishingly always in time. Comments overheard at intermission only confirmed my admittedly prejudiced impression that the guys were turning in a magical performance.

Anyone who is able to hear The Fuchsia Band during this year’s abbreviated tour should run to the nearest gig, and know they’re in for a rare treat. Know too that I’m green with envy. I won’t get another chance to see them this tour. Hopefully, they’ll be back next year.

Martha Kiley

See Related Posts:
    • Review of The Fuchsia Band in Kansas City
    • Photo of The Fuchsia Band in Paddy Malone’s Irish Pub
    • Fuchsia Band Man in Last Night’s Fun

This entry was posted on Friday, August 8th, 2008 at 2:24 am and is filed under Cafe &, Fuchsia Band, Reviews. You can follow responses via my RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.