To me the greatest Irish Fest of them all occurs every August along the shores of Lake Michigan in the city of Milwaukee. This year marked the 30th anniversary of Milwaukee Irish Fest and if the crowds were any indication the most successful of them all. This was a year to see some new bands and check out some old favorites. My must-see act was Liz Carroll and John Doyle.

On Friday the special guest of the festival was rain (not the band) who last appeared during the 2007 festival. Entering the festival grounds it was a nice summer day and then it decided to storm with the wind blowing the rain sideways to make sure every inch of the fairgrounds was nice and wet. Despite the rain I decided to stay and enjoy the music.

I started off seeing Wisconsin based band Atlantic Wave followed by Green Fields of America. Green Fields of America is a traditional band made up of some of the best traditional players in Irish music. I started watching this set in sunshine and finished watching it under the music store canopy as the rain came down. I finished the day watching two bands perform that are really popular with the younger festival goers - Scythian from Washington DC and Gaelic Storm from California.

On Saturday, as I ventured back up north to Milwaukee with my friend Jim, it was cloudy and looked like it truly could be a repeat of the Irish Fest of 2007. I am glad to report that the rain held off and it turned into a beautiful day.

The first band we saw was Rising Gael who had a nice combination of vocals and fiddle. Rising Gael was followed by another Wisconsin band named Green Tea who I also saw last summer at the festival. Green Tea had a nice combination of flute and fiddle. As per usual, there was a heavy fiddle influence in the bands I chose to see at Irish Fest.

We had the opportunity to see one of our favorite fiddle and guitar duos - Liz Carroll and John Doyle. They did not disappoint. Immediately after the Carroll and Doyle set we saw the Irish traditional band McPeake from Northern Ireland who I hope come back to the festival in the future. McPeake carries on a 100 year heritage and tradition of Irish Music. We followed up McPeake by seeing traditional band Girsa, which means "young girls" in Gaelic, made up of young ladies who started playing together as kids in New York.

The evening set was made up of seeing returning Irish band Slide and a powerhouse show by Kintra.

Links:
Milwaukee Irish Fest - www.irishfest.com
Atlantic Wave www.atlanticwave.us
Green Fields of America - www.herschelfreemanagency.com/moloney/moloney.html
Scythian - www.scythianmusic.com
Gaelic Storm - www.gaelicstorm.com
Rising Gael - www.risinggael.com
Green Tea - www.greenteaworldmusic.com
Liz Carroll - www.lizcarroll.com
John Doyle - www.johndoylemusic.com
Girsa - www.girsamusic.com
McPeake - www.mcpeakemusic.com
Slide - www.slide.ie
Kintra - www.kintramusic.com

On a Monday afternoon in May I had the opportunity to see Melissa Etheridge perform a mini-concert and interview at SPACE in Evanston for WXRT radio. It is not that often you get to see an artist as popular as Melissa Etheridge perform in a 200 seat venue on a Monday afternoon. Melissa did not disappoint the crowd. WXRT has posted the video for the show at - http://wxrt.radio.com/2010/07/26/xrt-private-performance-melissa-etheridge/


Links:
Melissa Etherdge - www.melissaetheridge.com
WXRT - www.wxrt.com
SPACE on Evanston - www.evanstonspace.com

I ventured up to Milwaukee Summerfest to see the Moody Blues on Tuesday Afternoon - make that Wednesday evening. The Moody Blues managed to make the festival setting feel like a theater with their musicianship and musical harmonies. They performed many of their hits during this 90 minute show including Singer In A Rock and Roll Band, Wildest Dreams, and Ride My See Saw. I managed to take a few pictures during their first few songs that I have included in a gallery.

Set List:

1. The Voice
2. Day We Meet Again
3. Slide Zone
4. Gypsy
5. Tuesday Afternoon
6. Lean On Me
7. Never Comes The Day
8. Peak Hour
9. I Know You're Out There Somewhere
10. Story In Your Eyes
11. Widest Dreams
12. Isn't Life Strange
13. The Other Side Of Life
14. Driftwood
15. Higher and Higher
16. Are You Sitting Comfortably
17. Singer In A Rock & Roll Band
18. Late Lament
19. Nights In White Satin
20. Question
21. Ride My See Saw

Links:
The Moody Blues - www.moodyblues.co.uk
The Moody Blues Fan Community - www.moodybluestoday.com
Milwaukee Summerfest - www.summerfest.com

We originally jumped into the Web 2.0 world with the addition of RSS feeds and Google Gadgets with the introduction of the Techy Stuff page. We now have created a Facebook Fan/like page and a Twitter page that we would like to encourage you to follow if you are on either of these social networks. We will update our Twitter and Facebook pages when we have new galleries and news to share. As always, thanks for visiting TheConcertStage.com.

The City of Chicago has moved Celtic Fest from Grant Park to Millennium Park and from September to May. The move was done to save money for the city - which I can understand in these economic times. Millennium Park offers better facilities in a smaller venue. The main stage sound system is state of the art with good lighting. Some of the smaller stages have disappeared and the smallest stage sits right on Michigan Avenue where the fiddles and mandolins try to play between traffic noise.

The first act I saw on Saturday was a celebration of the music of Nova Scotia. Coastal Rhythms: The Music and Spirit of Nova Scotia consisted of samples of traditional music from different areas of Nova Scotia. Some of these talented artists have performed at the fest previously with different bands including Pogey.

I had the opportunity to once again see Vishten perform traditional Acadian music. This band is made up of four multi-instrumentalists performing and singing individually and in four part harmony.

After seeing Vishten I was able to sample some of the music on the side stages while also catching a second performance of Coastal Rhythms in the Gathering Tent. Prior to watching the Saw Doctors on the main stage I caught a few songs of Bodega on the Next Generation Stage.

On Sunday I had the opportunity to see Bodega on the main stage. Bodega is a traditional Celtic made up of young Scottish players who formed while attending school in Scotland.

For the second time in less than a month I had the opportunity to see the Elders. The Elders had the crowd up and dancing with their high energy Celtic rock set. The Elders have a loyal following and by the looks of things they have added even more fans following this show.

After the Elders whipped the crowd into a frenzy the French Canadian band La Bottine Souriante performed. This Quebec based band combines fiddle and piano with a horn section. They even had a high energy step dancer to round things off. They were dancing in the aisles by the end of this show.

Links:
Celtic Fest Chicago - www.celticfestchicago.com
Vishten - www.vishtenmusic.com
Bodega - www.bodegamusic.com
Saw Doctors - www.sawdoctors.com
The Elders - www.eldersmusic.com
La Bottine Souriante - www.bottinesouriante.com

My friend Jim and I had the opportunity to see the Elders perform on April 23rd at the Irish American Heritage Center in Chicago. The concert was part of a new series of shows that the IAHC is offering in their new Erin Room. Since this is a new series of concerts in a new venue the show was not as crowded as a typical Elders show. This afforded Jim the opportunity to take some fantastic pictures from varying vantage points of the Kansas City based band. Jim has graciously allowed me to post these pictures in our newest gallery.

This band grasps the Celtic music traditions while pushing them into the future. The Elders are all great musicians performing original music that can be one moment poignant in the reflections of the Irish struggles while the next celebrating the Irish sense of adventure and fun. On a dime this band can go from the harmonizing vocals of the Men of Erin into the Scottish fueled instrumental Turnpike.

After seeing the Elders quite a few times this was the first time we had the opportunity to meet with the band and some other fans of the Elders. It is always great when you meet musicians whose music you appreciate and they are friendly and seem to enjoy their fans as much as their fans enjoy their music. Below are pictures of Jim and I meeting with Brent, Ian, and Steve of the Elders.

Links:
The Elders - www.eldersmusic.com
Irish American Heritage Center - www.irish-american.org

It is kind of neat when one of your favorite musicians is saluted by another one of your favorites. This is from the 32nd Annual Kennedy Center honors that aired on December 30, 2009.

My friend Julie sent along her list of concerts. Any list with U2, Gaelic Storm and the Young Dubs on it is a good one in my book. I do not know how I have not been to a Bodeans concert yet.

A friend recently asked me what was the best show I saw this year. It is very hard to name one show that stood out above the rest of the 46 sets I watched in 2009. So here is an overview of my top ten of 2009 - in no particular order.

10. Scythian at Milwaukee Irish Fest (Sunday, August 16, 2009): Scythian was not even supposed to play at Irish Fest this year but made last minute plans to replace a band who could not get travel visas. This Washington DC based band put on a high energy show in a rare mid-afternoon show by the Irish Fest favorite. After their show was complete they came out and did a couple acoustic numbers for their fans as the stage crew was setting up for the next act. This show was a pinch hit home-run.

9. REO Speedwagon at the Waukesha County Fair (Sunday, July 19, 2009): Just a week after seeing REO outshine both Styx and .38 Special in Chicago this band rocked the main stage of a county fair between the FFA tent and the carnival rides. This band proved again that it does not matter where they play, from a Walmart autograph session to the All State Arena, they can still rock with the best of them.

8. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in Chicago (Tuesday, May 12, 2009): This was a phenomenal three hour marathon of the soundtrack of my life. After going 20 years without seeing this band I was as impressed by them as much this evening as I was as an 18 year old seeing them on the side of a hill in rural Wisconsin. I guaranteed myself it would not be 20 more years until I again see the earth quaking, air-conditioner shaking, legendary E Street Band.

7. Solas at Fermi Lab (Saturday, March 14, 2009): Solas was the band I was addicted to in 2008 and is still in high rotation on my iTunes play list. The first class instrumentalists are augmented by the chilling vocals of their newest member - Máiréad Phelan.

6. U2 at Soldier Field in Chicago (Saturday, September 12, 2009): My only stadium show was a combination light, audio, and video spectacular. U2 rocked Chicago on the largest stage I have ever seen shaped like a giant octopus.

5. The Elders at the Chicago Irish Heritage Center (Friday, April 24, 2009): A musical hoolie by one of the hardest working Celtic rock bands tourine today. What made the show even more special was attending it with some good friends.

4. Donnell Leahy and Natale MacMaster at Milwaukee Irish Fest (Saturday, August 15, 2009): The middle night of three nights at the greatest Irish Fest featured two of my three favorite fiddle players lighting it up backed up by some great piano playing. This was Donnell Leahy's weekend.

3. Julie Fowlis at the Chicago Cultural Center (Saturday, April 25, 2009): This was billed as a Julie Fowlis show but my friend Jim refers to it as a Jenna Reid show. Julie, Jenna and their band shined playing Scottish traditional music.

2. Eileen Ivers at Chicago Irish Fest (Saturday, July 11, 2009): Hands down the most energetic festival show of the year. Eileen and her band whipped the tent into a frenzy in what could be called a Celtic, bluesy, down-home revival led by one of my favorite fiddle players.

1. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in Milwaukee (Sunday, November 15, 2009): I could not wait another 20 years to see my all-time favorite rock and roll band again. This was a high energy rock and roll show that started out with Cadillac Ranch, Badlands and Bruce crowd surfing into a full version of my favorite album of all time - Born To Run. All that and the show still had two hours left. The set list was over 50% different material from the show in May and both shows were phenomenal. I hope to see this band again many times, but if not, this was one heck of a last show to see.

These were just some of the great shows I saw this year. I could have easily made this a top twenty or 46 list and might even change it on reflection. 2010 looks to be another great music year and I already have tickets for five shows and plan on seeing many more.

Growing up in my house there were three 8-Tracks always sitting next to the stereo waiting for my brothers and I to play every day. For you youngsters out there 8-tracks preceded CDs which preceded digital downloads. I would like to say we would diplomatically determine which 8-track to play. However, we were kids so it was usually the first one to the stereo or the strongest would determine which one was going to be played. Since I was the youngest I would have to usually wait my turn or hope that my sister would intervene on my behalf. My oldest brother John usually had his favorite Glen Campbell 8-track of the moment and my brother Pete always had the latest REO Speedwagon 8-track. As for me it was always Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Twenty five plus years later we still argue which of these musicians are better - at least now we do it in good fun.

On Sunday evening I ventured over the Wisconsin state line to Milwaukee with my sister, who usually had to breakup the fights those many years ago, to see my favorite musician perform my favorite album of all time. The music and the band has stood the test of time and the songs ring even truer today than back when I listened to the songs for the first time.

The concert was phenomenal. While I saw the band six months ago in Chicago the set list was over 50% different and the building was rocking as much as Alpine Valley was the first time I saw the band in 1984. When in Wisconsin (Bruce made sure he knew he was not in Ohio) I can not imagine a better song to start with than Cadillac Ranch into one of my favorite songs Badlands. During Hungry Heart Bruce sang in the back part of the arena and then body surfed back to the stage - not bad for a 60 year old.

From the opening harmonica notes of Thunder Road until the last piano key was played on Jungleland I was able to witness my favorite album performed in its entirety and words can not describe it. After Born to Run was played my sister looked at me and said we could leave now and it would be a great concert. However, there was still over an hour and a half of great music left to be played. Highlights for me included the request of Growing Up, No Surrender and Kitty's Back. My sister really enjoyed Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

This again was another great Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band show. As I drove home from the concert I was struck with how music sticks with you through out your life. Bruce Springsteen's music, especially Born to Run, has been a staple of my music appreciation through the years the way REO Speedwagon and Glen Campbell have been for my brothers.