Thanks to some generous friends, I was able to catch the Afro Celts concert here in Boulder Colorado this evening…er, well last evening technically, but I digress…
Absolutely fantastic show, really one of the best I’ve seen in a very long while. I’m too beat to give details now, maybe once I catch up on my sleep, but in the mean time, if there’s anyone out there sitting on the fence about whether to see AfroCelts live on the current tour, all I can say is GO! GO! GO!!!
BTW, Colin, the whistles sounded great, in all the assorted colors I can see clearly now how James chews down the mouth pieces: Half the time he’s got a whistle clamped between his teeth while he’s playing the keyboards. No need to worry if he gets enough aluminum in his diet I guess His dentist must be getting rich
Emer played a fair amount of whistle, along with lots of UP, several tunes on fiddle, and only about 3 minutes total on flute, and on that she couldn’t be heard Other than that, the show was about perfect
I’ve never managed to catch this act live but I have seen them on video. They were very impressive and I’ll certainly see them if I get the chance.
Curiously (perhaps) I found their CDs disappointing. Maybe I just need to give them a few more listens. Then again, perhaps this is the kind of act that is best caught live; I can’t imagine listening through a CD of the drummers of Burundi with anything like the enjoyment I get from their concerts.
I think the second and third CD’s are the best, not sure about the new one as I only listened to bits of it at the music store.
I really dig those CD’s, but I’d have to say Afro Celts are really at their best live - much like African Drumming groups, you simply don’t get the full energy, vibe and impact simply listening to a recording. It’s also not enough to see a video bit on a talk show - I’ve seen AfroCelts perform twice on U.S. talk shows, and that really didn’t cut it. This band really feeds off the audience, so as soon as people jump up and start dancing, the band are right there jumping and dancing as well. Okay, Emer was jumping around, sort of difficult to do with a set of U-Pipes strapped to ya and all but you get the idea.
Loren
P.S. Colin - Man, I wish I’d had a bag full of Overtons last night - I could have sold at least a couple of dozen after the show last night! Could have sold some Djembe’s too. (Sigh) Why do I always think of these things too late…
I can see clearly now how James chews down the mouth pieces: Half the time he’s got a whistle clamped between his teeth while he’s playing the keyboards. No need to worry if he gets enough aluminum in his diet I guess 
Other than that, the show was about perfect 
but you get the idea.