Gaelic Storm hits Egyptian Theatre

By Lauren Iverson

Gaelic Storm provided concertgoers with an interactive Celtic show at the Egyptian Theatre on Saturday night.

A sea of green hats, shirts, scarves and headpieces turned the Egyptian Theatre, 135 N. Second St., into something akin to a St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

Performing hit songs like “Johnny Tarr,” “Darcy’s Donkey” and “Don’t Go for the One,” Gaelic Storm knew what its fans like and had an impeccable show.

Gaelic Storms performance of “Me and the Moon” was a highlight of Saturday’s show. This song featured audience participation as half the audience sang the chorus in a call-and-response manner.

Gaelic Storm violinist Kiana Weber played with power throughout the gig, and she tended to show the men up. Weber gave off a strong girl-power vibe throughout the night. Throughout the show there were “battles” between Weber and bagpipe player Pete Purvis. The two musicians connected and had great chemistry.

Drummer Ryan Lacey, his hands taped so he could play nonstop, alternated between drum set and percussion instruments. At one point, Lacey sat down on a cajón and drummed incessantly with his hands. He kept this up without missing a beat.

During one song, the group stopped playing and held up instruments for Lacey to play. It was a few minutes of just Lacey playing all instruments, including a cowbell and the djembe and doumbek, drums only played with a person’s hands. An audience member could not resist and “more cowbell” was heard when Lacey finished.

Toward the end of the show, the floor in front of the stage became one giant dance party.

When the group played “What’s the Rumpus?” lead singer Patrick Murphy brought a little girl on stage and everyone counted to four for her. When everyone reached four, she hit a cymbal. Murphy kept coming up with crazy poses for her to do as she hit cymbal. The girl’s participation was a wonderful highlight as the show came to an end.