Oh my holy potato, Gaelic Storm! They had the good fortune to play on the same Lido deck as Evan McHugh except that they had the advantage of being a large band with a large sound that could command the space. The organizers need to consult a guru of Feng Shui to better balance venues with performers, like putting the guy with the soft voice in a lounge with comfy couches and low lighting, and putting the rowdy Irish band among the rowdy crowd outside with lawn chairs and drinks. Ironically, Gaelic Storm’s initial launch into worldwide fame was on another boat – appearing in the steerage section of the movie, Titanic.

That said, they came on deck with the late afternoon sun blazing in their eyes. I hope they were wearing sunblock because they looked like bratwurst sizzling on a grill. The band has a dervish of a fiddling girl named Jessie Burns. Then there’s Pete Purvis, channeling the Celtic oracle through various pipes; Steve Twigger, guitar genius; Ryan Lacey, god of percussion; and the omnipotent Patrick Murphy on accordion, spoons, bodhrán and lead vocals. He was very funny, and had a lovely way of saying, “T’anks very much,” in his lovely Irish brogue. Halfway through their set he dove in the pool with his clothes on because the stage was so durnblasted hot. I was hoping he wouldn’t get electrocuted when he splashed back on stage among all the wires and equipment.

They were good at conjuring audience participation by dividing us into two groups who took turns yelling “I brought the whiskey” and “He brought the light” after the singer sang, “Me and the moon stayed up all night”.

They also performed, Scalliwag, which was used in the PC Game, The Sims 2, and recorded in Simlish, (which is a combination of Ukranian, Filippino, and Navajo). Other clever tunes were “Courting in the kitchen” and “What’s the rumpus?” They also penned a tune at the Telluride Folk Festival called, “Deathride to Durango”, a white knuckle piece inspired by folks driving in mountains who are used to living at the Irish altitude of twenty-two feet.

They urged the audience to join together and yell, “Jimmy Buffett, you bastard!” because when they got off the ship and went to one of Jimmy’s franchise bars, the margaritas cost $17.95 each. The crowd obliged.

This is one of those bands you could listen to all night. Infectious, spontaneous, joyous, wondrous – a real treat. I would jump at the chance to see them again.

http://gaelicstorm.musiccitynetworks.com

http://www.myspace.com/gaelicstorm