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High Kings vs. Celtic Thunder

I had the rare chance to compare Irish music this weekend. I caught performances by both “The High Kings” and “Celtic Thunder”. First up was HK:

The show was filmed in front of an audience somewhere in Ireland. The set appeared to be a simple wooden stage that was reminiscent of a boat dock – simple and effective. There were drums on the left and a small supporting band on the right.

While they played, a large video wall displayed images behind them – mostly water – setting the mood for the song they were singing at the time.

The vocalists were excellent. You could tell they were really Irish by their brogues, which were honest and uncluttered. The harmonies were good and you could tell they were really singing.

In the beginning of the show they made it clear that everyone should know all the words to the songs they were singing and the audience was asked to “sing up”.

They started with a rousing version of “The Rocky Road To Dublin” which drew everyone in and they never let the audience go the whole performance.

I especially like their version of “The Wild Rover” which has a great deal of audience participation (‘No, Nay, Never, No More’). It’s probably the best rendition I’ve heard.

Two other stand-outs were “Galway To Graceland” and “The Black Velvet Band” (which is NOT about a musical group, it’s about the band that holds a woman’s hair back).

They ended their performance with a ‘goodbye’ song, soon to be accompanied by a tattoo of bagpipe players. The crowd loved it (even though I think of bagpipes as more of a Scottish item).

Very nice all around.


Next was “Celtic Thunder”, which I was also looking forward to hearing. They, too, played in front of an audience but I’m not sure where they were playing. The stage was more ‘glitzy’ with lights underneath and a flashy backdrop.

There was the same type of band ON STAGE as The High Kings but Celtic Thunder also included a small orchestra that was just below stage level… much like you would see at an awards show.

The show opened with some loud thunder strikes and flashes of lightning – real original. Then a booming voice spoke out about Celtic Thunder and they were off and running.

While the performers were wearing personal mic’s, I got the impression that the singing was recorded. I could almost swear on some of the solos that the sync was off.

The performances were slick, over-produced and almost over the top. The music was good but I got the feeling that it wasn’t being played live. I was not impressed.

There was only one song I had heard before – Buachaill On Eirne (Come By The Hills) – which is not a bad thing, I’m just pointing out that I actually knew one of their offerings.

All things being equal, I much prefer “The High Kings”. I shall listen to “Celtic Thunder” no, nay, never, no more.

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