Danville, Kentucky – Celtic Thunder Concert – Norton Center for the Arts
My favorite musical group is the world-famous, award-winning group from Ireland known as “Celtic Thunder”. On March 31, 2015, I had the great joy of attending their concert in Danville, Kentucky at the lovely Norton Center for the Arts.
I was also fortunate enough to be able to attend their Soundcheck performance, and the Meet & Greet event. To say I had a wonderful time is probably the understatement of the century.
The first of those exciting events was the Soundcheck, which was absolutely fantastic . . . and almost as much fun as the actual concert. Only 50 tickets are offered for the Soundcheck event, so I was very excited to be there. The guys in the band were relaxed, in their own casual attire, and were having a good time cutting up with everybody in the audience. I was especially excited to get to see Damian McGinty, as he had previously left the group to become an actor on the American Sitcom “Glee”. Damian is a lot of fun . . . he interacted with all of us during the entire performance, and made us all feel special. Another fun aspect of this event was when Neil (who I think is my #1 favorite of all) got on drums in a show-down with the band’s amazingly talented drummer, Declan O’Donoghue. Shown below are some candid Soundcheck photos I took . . . .
One added bonus that came with the Soundcheck was a lovely full-color program which was signed by each one of the Celtic Thunder guys . . . it’s a real treasure!
Of course, my day was just beginning! After the Soundcheck, I was hustled upstairs to a private room where I got to meet two of my favorite Celtic lads . . . Ryan Kelly and Colm Keegan. Ryan has always been a favorite of mine – he has some mad acting skills in addition to that glorious voice. along with the best “come hither” look I have ever seen on any man. Those dramatic acting skills have served him well – prior to becoming famous as a Celtic Thunder leading man, he was very well-known for his portrayal as Judas Iscariot in “Jesus Christ Superstar”. Colm Keegan is an equally impressive performer, with a voice that is unparalleled in both range and beauty. He also has the most beautiful, piercing blue eyes I have ever seen in person. I shot several candid pictures during the question & answer period, and the ones shown below are just a few of them.
In addition to being allowed to talk to the guys, I also got my photograph taken with Ryan and Colm (it has not yet been processed), and I got their autographs on my actual ticket stub, a favorite group picture of Celtic Thunder in their kilts, and on the insert of the CD that goes with this concert tour . . .”The Very Best of Celtic Thunder”. See my pictures below . . .
The BIG event (the actual concert) came a little later, and I honestly don’t have sufficient words to describe it. I had THOUGHT that, even though I had an amazing seat (3rd row, orchestra), the concert would be somewhat less “perfect” than the performances I have on my DVD’s of them, but I honestly think the live performance was even better than those. The guys absolutely become bigger than life on stage – it is obvious they LOVE what they do! Their voices are incredible . . . both in their many solo performances, and in their combined performances. Each one of these already amazing singers are also proficient in several musical instruments. I was doubly lucky to get to go to this particular concert, as Damian McGinty (one of the founding members) was on this tour despite the fact he had left the group for a period of time to become a star on the American sitcom “Glee”. Damian absolutely wowed the crowd with his performances and his banter during the concert, and I became an even bigger fan than I already was! One of the most exciting highlights of this concert was the performance of “Seven Drunken Nights” by the whole group. It has always been one of my favorite songs they perform because they also act it out as they sing. I really didn’t think they could possibly do it as well as they did on the DVD versions I already had, but it was THE best performance of that song I have ever seen them do, and everybody in the audience was howling with laughter. The most poignant moment in the concert came when the group sang a lovely rendition of “Life with You” in remembrance of George Donaldson, who was one of the founding members and was lost to us all a little over a year ago. For those of us who have been fans from the beginning, it meant a lot because we all miss George and his lovely kind face and beautiful Scottish voice. The concert was a very generous 2 1/2 hours long, but it felt like only a few moments . . . that is how incredible it was. The final performance was, of course, their rousing and iconic rendition of “Ireland’s Call”, which is always an event in itself not only because of the power of the song, but also because it is the much anticipated performance where all the guys wear their kilts . . .
I could write volumes about Celtic Thunder and also about this particular concert performance, but I will leave off now , saying only this . . . if you EVER get a chance to go see them perform, you simply must. It will be an experience you will never forget. Also, I hope you will lend your support to KET because they have brought the Celtic Thunder concerts to t.v. for all those who cannot attend a live performance. Even though I have the Celtic Thunder concerts on DVD, I always watch when they are on KET!
Last modified on: April 4th 2015.