Monday night, Celtic Thunder gave the full house at the South Okanagan Events Centre everything they expected, and then some.
Although the show was just the third in a 62-stop tour in support of their latest release entitled Mythology, the six singers, backed by a six-piece band, were flawless.
Colm Keegan, Emmet Cahill, Ryan Kelly, Keith Harkin, George Donaldson and Neil Byrne, could do no wrong in front of the 3,500 fans who sang and clapped along. Their family-friendly music, dubbed “popera” is a favourite of PBS and they have performed at the White House and were named one of the top world music artists by Billboard.
Performing mostly from a platform shaped like a Celtic cross, the six singers from Ireland took the stage to a round of applause as they began a 14-song first set that featured solo and ensemble performances of ballads, a musical number for the six-piece band and a cover of Thin Lizzy’s The Boys Are Back in Town.
The crowd favourite from the first half was Working Man performed by George Donaldson.
The crowd also enjoyed the uptempo beat of the old Irish ballad The Star of County Down, performed by Donaldson, Cahill, Byrne and Keegan, as they clapped from start to finish.
The lads from Ireland finished the first set with a stirring rendition of My Land which earned them the warmest applause of the evening.
The second set saw Celtic Thunder spread their wings a bit, as they threw in I am a Man of Constant Sorrow, a bluegrass song, featured in the film O Brother Where Art Thou? and a cover of the Simon and Garfunkel song Sounds of Silence.
Also featured in the second set was Song for the Mira and Turning Away. The latter ended the set and brought the audience to their feet.
As for the encore, Celtic Thunder came out in kilts to perform Ireland’s Call which once again had the crowd singing along.
Using words like amazing and fantastic, the crowd sent Celtic Thunder off with another standing ovation.