Celtic Fling, First Day

We arrived to the Ren Faire site around 1pm. We were walking up the stage, and low and behold, there was the band. The stage was not too large, but big enough. There was a wooden large chessboard (hence the name Chess Stage) in front of the stage, for maybe 20 or 30 feet. We were disappointed, cause the seats seemed SO far back. But, as the boys finished setting up, the diehard fans descended onto the chessboard, right in front.

What they were wearing - Hamish: Still dreadlocked, and it looks GOOD! He was wearing the greenish long pants/kilt type things, with a black tank on top. I'm glad to say that the "panty-pipes" from Musikfest are still in action. Ahh, yes, and blue tinted sunglasses for a portion of each show. Rick: Black pants, and a black tank. He was wearing brownish sunglasses, and the brown leather hat. Roel: Was wearing a grey tank, and grey shorts, but the tank was shed quite quickly. He was also wearing red, white and blue star boxers (they stuck out the top of his shorts). Angus: Black pants, grey tank, no shoes! Yup, you read that right. No kilts. Shame.

Well, onto the show. Honestly, I cannot remember much about the first show, and didn't have the chance to grab a set list. But, they didn't follow the set list anyway, so it wouldn't have mattered. I know that during the first show, they did play the Crow, which was very nice to hear. They played Romp, and did the Hoe-down, and it was just fabulous. There seemed to be a problem with Angus' pipes, as he was using Hamish's a lot during the first show.

The new stuff: My Verdict - LOVE IT! First song: Fragile - started with a synthesized beginning. The vocals and harmonies really were excellent! I can't give you any words or basic themes, sorry, but, excellent, and definitely sounds like Brother. Second song: Bye Bye - very nice! We like the synthesized beginning, and the lyrics were powerful - verse begins "Bye, bye Brother". I'd expound further my thoughts on this, but I don't think I'm right, so I'll keep quiet. Third song: Two Weeks - Very Beatles-esqe - Love this one!

Overall, the new songs are excellent, and very, very Brother. I was worried with some of the reviews I had read that the new stuff was very different, but it's not. Hash said that they were trying to fit the pipes and didg in, just hadn't gotten them there yet. Very enjoyable! They also played Bitch, I believe, Crazy, It's All Good, and Clumsy Lover. The boys seemed to be in very good spirits today, and were joking during both shows. One of the funny quips I remember from the first show was about the fact that there were a lot of technical problems. Hamish said that "We're Australian, we have an excuse", to which Rick replied "I'm not!". Hamish replied right back, "So, what's your excuse?" Ok, it was funny there, maybe not so much right now. They seemed genuinely happy to be back performing. Roel was in rare form (oh, and had green hair again, by the way), cracking jokes all over the place.

After the first show, we wandered over to the merchandise table to say hello to the fabulous Teri. She has red hair now, and looks as great as always! The merchandise looks great - the new T-shirts are cool. We wandered the site for a bit, and came back around 4 for the 4:30 show. They actually began playing around 4:10, kind of sound checking, and kind of playing. They were playing something reminiscent of the 911 song on the EP, and it was wonderful.

They segued into thetimeisnow, which was just so nice to hear! We did get a set list from the second show, and here's how it read (although they didn't really use it).

And
Time
Louie
------------
River
Shadowman
Romp
------------
Hang
All
Clumsy
------------
Name
Bye
2 Weeks
Good
------------
Crazy
Unknown

I believe they started with River this time, and also did the new stuff again, 2 Weeks and Bye, bye. Not quite sure. I do know that they played Hang on, as a special request, and it sounded just great. So glad to hear it. We tried to request 2 chairs, but Angus said they don't know it anymore.... booo.... They did do Romp, and were joined by Nigel from the Glengharry Bhoys, and DidgeriDrew, a didg manufacturer and seller I've seen at other festivals. Excellent job by all, it was funny to see Rick and Gus teaching Nigel how to play the song on the spot.

They were once again in great spirits, and Roel told the following joke: Roel: "I have a drummer joke" Hamish: "It's not the pizza one again, is it?" Roel: "No, it's not. What's the difference between a Treasury bill and a drummer?" Crowd: "What?" Roel: "A T-bill actually matures and makes money!" T'was funny.

One of the highlights for me was that they did All I Know, in a new version. Now, we've all heard All I Know on the Black Stone Tramp CD (and if you haven't, go and buy it now!). It starts with the whistle, and is kind of love-songy and angsty? Last summer, they revived All I Know, and it was a similar arrangement, still love songy, with more of a rock star twist. Still good, just different. Well today, they rolled out an entirely new version. Wow. Just about blew me away. It was much harder, strong guitar parts and Hamish was much more vehement with the lyrics. It became such a powerful song, an excellent job!

I believe the show was ended with It's All Good, which was a nice closer. We kept asking for more, and they told us to come back tomorrow. It convinced us, we're making the haul back tomorrow. We grabbed a set list and I was off to get it signed. Roel teasingly asked me where I got it; told him I found it somewhere. Hamish had his picture taken with a little girl and was so adorable. He's definitely a great daddy, he's got such a way with kids. Angus and Rick were sweet as always, and Angus remarked, as he signed "we didn't play any of this!".

Hamish said that they were working on their new album right now, and one of the things they were doing to challenge themselves was to play things different tunings, and in different ways. It's definitely paying off, because they seemed very together today, and it was great to see. Everything sounds great - and I'm not just saying this, I mean it. They were joking all over the place, about the feedback (Angus "Squealing is not my favorite form of torture."), the didg (Hamish told DidgeriDrew that the green didg was in E flat, if Drew wanted to play along, as the tent was close to the stage, and Angus said "E flat, the saddest key for the didg.") and cracking jokes on each other. Angus was dancing around a lot, and using a lot of expressive arm motions again, especially when he his pipes weren't quite working. Hamish did play in the crowd at one point, and one of the coolest things was his and Jim's handoff of the green didg during a fast moment of a song. He tossed it out and Jim handily caught it. Overall, they were in great spirits the entire time. They seemed very pleased to be back on stage, and said so a few times.

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