I fulfilled a lifelong dream last week by squeezing into a nearly sold-out concert at Royal Albert Hall. The grand old room is a real beauty.
A deliriously celebratory performance by The Dubliners made the fulfillment of my ambition especially sweet. The band is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary. While the current cast is a group of frail survivors, the legendary act managed to enhance its legacy at the familiar venue by playing masterfully for well over two hours. The band dealt with the sad absence of its most revered members by occasionally strumming along to video footage of their old friends. Seeing the late Luke Kelly belting out "Monto" moved me to tears even though I may have been the only person among the 5,000 souls on hand without a drop of Irish blood.
Everyone else, however, was in their element. I'm reluctant to reinforce stereotypes, but the audience went berserk during renditions of alcohol-themed classics like "Seven Drunken Nights" and "Whiskey In the Jar". How the Guinness flowed!
"And it's no, nae, never!"
---
Alex Smith's KCUR feature on Brody Buster references my glowing review of the former blues man's striking new album.
---
Kansas City Click: We Were Promised Jetpacks perform at the Riot Room on Tuesday.
Dan Baird plays Knuckleheads on Wednesday.
New Jazz Order and the Boulevard Big Band compete in a battle of the big bands Thursday at Californo's.
(Original image of Royal
No comments:
Post a Comment