Gaelic Storm shook the Egyptian Theatre on Tuesday night with a thunderous performance.

The group, featured in 1997’s movie “Titanic” as the steerage band, put on a show that was half Irish music and half comedy.

“We try to break down the walls between audience and performer as soon as we hit the stage,” vocalist and Irish drummer Steve Wehmeyer said.

Gaelic Storm members include Patrick Murphy, Steve Twigger, Bob Banerjee, Tom Brown, Wehmeyer and Ryan Lacey.

Wehmeyer said Murphy, Twigger and himself were the original members of the group, with new additions being Banerjee, Brown and Lacey.

The music ranged from old favorites like “Drink the Night Away” and a smoky rendition of “Black is the Color,” to new songs like “Tear Upon the Rose” and “Rolling Down to Old Maui.”

Wehmeyer said he prefers to perform faster songs.

“There is no feeling like the feeling we get when we’re tearing along and the audience is just about ready to rock it out of their seats and there is this incredible tension running through the air,” he said. “It’s more fun than I can put into words.”

Vocalist and harmonica player Murphy started off the comedy part of the performance by asking if there were any “Gaelic Storm virgins” in the audience. He later said the group ate dinner at the Hillside Restaurant and joked that they had a seven course meal, which consisted of a six-pack of beer and a potato.

Many references were made to alcohol, and the group members told the audience to meet them after the show at “Molly’s Eatery and Drinkery.”

Wehmeyer said the group’s name was taken on a whim when they were scheduled to play at a coffee house and they realized they didn’t have a name. They chose the name figuring that they would change it later, but then about 150 people showed up at the performance, he said.

Angie Moloney, audience member and DeKalb high school student, said she saw the group when they were at NIU in 2000, and she was eager to see them again.

“It’s good music and they’re really funny,” she said.

Bob Conrad, audience member and a 56-year-old factory worker, said the band is excellent and he enjoys the energy.

Kevin Quaid, ticket manager with the NIU box office, said the 1,483 seats were close to selling out, and he thought the show went really well.

Vocalist and guitarist Steve Twigger agreed that the show went well.

“That was good,” he said sitting back stage after the show. “I enjoyed that: good audience, good mix of people.”

Wehmeyer said the audience is what brings the performers back to DeKalb.

“We’ve always had really wild and welcoming audiences here,” he said. “That’s always been really cool.”