The house was fairly full at the matinee, other than the nosebleed section at the very top of the balcony. The show started with a bang (or clap of thunder) with their traditional opening number of Heartland. I liked it better this time without the hokier elements of billowing smoke and chanting monks they’ve used in the past. The first act is Celtic/Irish music and is called Heritage. A cd of this music is to be released at a future date. This is definitely the stronger of the two acts and I think it would be a huge mistake to remove it, as they plan to do later in the tour when they add the songs from their Christmas cd. One constant complaint about Celtic Thunder is that there isn’t enough Celtic content in the show. Replacing the weaker second act after Thanksgiving would make more sense to me.

There were some really outstanding features of the first act; features that could possibly lure back fans, like myself, who have lost interest in the show. Come By the Hills, sung, in Irish, by Damian McGinty was excellent. I have long wanted them to do a song in Irish and this was a great choice. Keith Harkin followed with a beautiful rendition of The Dutchman. Keith’s guitar playing is what sparked my original interest in Celtic Thunder and it is still one of my favorite parts of the show. Love his new look, by the way. As a fan of his own music, I am hoping the new look is a signal that he’s getting ready to put out a cd of his original material.

Ryan Kelly sang Black is the Color of my True Love’s Hair, which is one of my all time favorites. Neil Bryne has been with the show from the beginning, but is now getting more solo work. He did the beautiful ballad, Noreen, in this act also. I especially enjoyed George and Ryan’s duet Gold and Silver Days
It was very well done and really added a lot of life to the show. The show included several group songs, that ranged from Take Me Home from their last tour to sea shanties that they had a lot of fun with. The first act was very reminiscent of the original Celtic Thunder show and the audience absolutely loved it.

To me, the absolute best part of the entire show was the great celt rock rendition of Whiskey in the Jar by Keith Harkin and Neil Byrne from the first act. If there was more of this type of music in this show it I think it would have a much wider appeal. On a non musical note I have to say that the wardrobe in this act was by far the best I have seen in a Celtic Thunder show. On the downside, the sets were ridiculously oversized. This meant that, on a small stage, the singers were restricted to a few feet of the stage on which to perform.

After the intermission they performed the second act, which is called It’s Entertainment. If you have the dvd of this show you will note that there are several changes to it. There are no dancers and several of the songs have been removed. Some things that work well when you tape a show just aren’t practical to tour.

While I didn’t care that much for It’s Entertainment, there were a few really outstanding parts that should be noted. George Donaldson did a fabulous rendition of Neil Diamond’s Hello Again. George is really coming into his own on this tour. His other song in this act, Life With You, was also a great vehicle for him. In my eyes, he owned this act although Damian McGinty did a bang up job on Home and Ryan Kelly’s Everything I Do was a huge crowd pleaser. The group song that I liked the best, U2′s Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For was also in this act.

It’s Entertainment seemed to be geared toward their fans more than to the general audience. There were a lot of songs that the fans really ate up. There was a small contingent of Thunderheads, as their most ardent fans call themselves, in the audience but there were far more people who came in from the general public or as supporters of PBS. I think many of them left as fans.

To explain the ridiculous image attached to this review I have to put on my Siggy Freud hat and try to figure out the Celtic Thunder policy of not allowing photos to be taken during their show. If you ask any other band we cover they will tell you that gig photos are the greatest boon to viral marketing a band can have and they are absolutely free. But Celtic Thunder is not a band, it’s a show. I still think they are shooting themselves in the foot on this one, but that is their right. It’s not the policy I, personally, find objectionable but the Draconian pre-show announcement threatening everything short of fire and brimstone should anyone dare take a photo. I know, I know.

For starters, it doesn’t work. There are photos and recordings available of many, many shows since this policy was enacted back in 2009. For another – well to be blunt Celtic Thunder is not famous and photos of them would have no value to a professional dealer who sold celebrity photos. Most of the people in the audience at all but one of the shows I’ve attended where there to support PBS or the local music scene. They were not even remotely interested in taking a photo during the show. The only people who would want to take a photo were the small % of the audience who were actually Celtic Thunder fans. Sadly, the actual reason that I and so many others who were big fans in 2008 but no longer are, is the way fans are treated by official Celtic Thunder policies like this one. Not that photos aren’t allowed, but the rude and disrespectful way the announcement is worded. Every time I hear it I decide that the money I brought to spend at the merchandise table at the shows will stay in my pocket. I am a huge music fan – I buy cds and tour shirts at shows but I am sure not going to support anyone who talks to me this way. It’s also the reason this review carries no endorsement.

If I might be so bold as to suggest that this recording be replaced by a more courteous one – perhaps recorded by the charming Mr Kelly, who has fine set of acting and communication skills, along with some actual real world experience with customer relations. The fans might even be willing to grant his request and thus actually accomplish the goal of having no photos. With a kinder, gentler approach to this situation in place, I could rewrite the end of this post, replace this stupid image with the publicity shot I have been using in other posts and actually recommend the show to my readers, who are fans of Celtic Music and who do support Irish Artists.

To take this imaginary conversation with the powers that be at Celtic Thunder one step further, why not seriously think about your fans and how you might show appreciation to them for their support (which can waver). Why not use that moment at the end of the show when the house lights come up, the cast is standing on the stage looking a bit like school boys at their first dance and turn it into a photo op? Let those fans who have been counting down the days to this show, who have done nothing but eat, sleep and dream Celtic Thunder since they discovered you, who might have traveled hundreds or even thousands of miles to come to the show, who are probably surrounded by several bags of items they purchased at the merchandise table, take that memory shot of what they feel is the night of their life. It won’t disrupt the actual show in any way and it might bring some much needed good will back to the show. It wouldn’t take much time and exiting to an array of camera flashes lighting up the room is a really a lot more in line with the excitement of the show than the flat ending now in place. There are a lot of dates left on the tour that have tickets still available. A second “night of their life” photo could tempt a lot of fans into taking in another show. Just sayin’………

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The Kirk Avenue Music Hall in Roanoke, VA is a wonderful intimate venue. It obviously started off life as a downtown storefront that lost business to malls and a more suburban lifestyle. But it has been reborn as a small theater that hosts live entertainment and helps breath life into the downtown area which is enjoying a rebirth.

Last night the little concert hall was rocking with the music of Celtrock band Coyote Run. Their show was set up as a voyage through the ancient Celtic year beginning in the spring. The songs performed reflected each season. There was a fabulous eclectic selection of music styles throughout the show. There are drum solos, trombone solos and naturally bagpipes. And if you are suffering under the delusion that a didgeridoo is not a Celtic instrument you desperately need to get to a Coyote Run show.

The show is narrated by founder and former professor David Doersch (on the right above) and there is plenty of banter among the band and with the audience involving everyone in the show and making for a wonderful evening. I highly recommend this band. David along with Doug, Mike, Paul and the driving beat of Catherine, the drummer, make the evening just fly by. My only complaints were that it ended way too soon and that the stage was too small for Doug to dance . Maybe next time.

Here is a sample of Coyote Run for you to enjoy.

They are currently working on their 8th CD. Their CDs may be purchased at shows, via their website www.coyoterun.com/ and through Amazon.

Friend them at facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Coyote-Run-Friends/43578213184 and myspace www.myspace.com/coyoterunband and follow them on twitter http://twitter.com/coyoterunband

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