Within a few days, with any luck, the entertainment roster for Kansas City Irish Fest 2006 will be complete. And I'm on record as saying that in all my years of festing, I think this line up is one of the very best. Honestly, if we've had better I don't remember when.
Through the years, at the Brookside Irish Fest, the Westport Irish Festival and now into our 4th year as the Kansas City Irish Fest, we've been fortunate to have seen some truly great performances. Will anybody who was there ever forget Flogging Molly at the Brookside Fest? The incendiary set that Eileen Ivers and Immigrant Soul put on just last year on the Terrace Stage? Cherish The Ladies on a hot night in Westport? Or some of the gems that the larger crowds may have overlooked? Did you see Amanda Kapousouz, the Tin Cup Prophette inside on the Atrium Stage two years ago at KCIF? Unforgettable. Unbelievable.
So all this reminiscing brings a question to mind. What was your favorite musical moment of a Brookside, Westport or Kansas City Irish Fest? Or have you seen one of our 2006 performers in another setting that was especially memorable? Take a minute to click on that little "comments" button down there, and let me know. I'll post any I get and we'll see if there's a consensus.
Your Guide to the 17th Annual Kansas City Irish Fest at Crown Center. www.KCIrishFest.com
About Me
- Danny Regan
- Danny is a founder, past president, and creative director of the Kansas City Irish Fest. He lives in Kansas City, Missouri, the greatest city in America. He's authored Tir na Blog since 2006.
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19 comments:
It's a toss up......Eileen Ivers, last night of the 2004 KCIF as the rain began to pour down. OR 7 Nations, opening night of 2003 KCIF the night before the rain came pouring down. Both unforgettable!
The session we had in the lobby of the Hyatt Hotel after being kicked out of the top floor suite a.k.a. "party room"! People playing music, singing songs and dancing. Ladies with their feet in the fountain. The craic was mighty, but seeing the President of the Irish Fest and his team, with performers and friends come together to dance around the lobby with everyone else at 4 in the morning after singing Danny Boy, Has to be the Highlight of any festival I was at!
I can't wait to see what will happen in 2006! Hup ou' dat!
I was at the the KCIF that got rained on and it was amazing! The entertainment and session at The Phillips Hotel was intimate and speacial! To be up close with Siucra, Gaelic Storm, and Teada was incredible! I know it was not successful from a money standpoint, but the memories are still clear! However, performing last year was a real treat and still the most special thing we have done as a band! We hope to do it again sometime! I agree with Mairtin that the session on Sunday of the 2005 KCIF was a hoot!
Aaron Svoboda
The Wild Clover Band
Sunday September 1st, 2002. Brookside @ 12:00 noon, Opening Band... Bosko!
The deleted comment was Máirtín's, which I accidently posted twice. Sorry. Carry on.
Just pick 1 favorite memory???? I think the 2001 Westport Irish Fest (I think it was 2001) because I had just moved back to Kansas City and it was the first Irish Fest I had ever been to. We saw Seven Nations a couple of times and wow...what amazing shows!
Brookside 2002 - the first time I saw the Elders after Ian joined the band. I'd been to KC 2 or 3 times total in the previous 10 years, and that day I said "I'll be back more often." Now I go to KC at least that many times per year.
KCIF 2003 - the festival that wasn't. I remember slogging around in the mud that afternoon, trying to find out what was happening. Then, the Hotel Phillips experience. I discovered Gaelic Storm and Jameson's that night. AND it was my first time to see the Dubs. To this day an Elders/Dubs/GS billing is still my fave combo.
KCIF 2004 - Dubs/Elders, main stage. Talk about a musical high.
KCIF 2005 - ETH/Elders. Do you see a theme to my faves?
No kidding though, I have 'discovered' a lot of wonderful acts at KCIF through the years. I wouldn't miss it for the world! Thank heavens it is a holiday weekend and my boss can't schedule an event for work that weekend!
So hard to pick. If I have to pick just one stand out memory, Brookside Irish Fest 2002. I'd only just discovered the Elders a few weeks earlier, and this Irish/Celtic music stuff was new to me. It was my 2nd Elders show, and my first time seeing them up close, so I was just discovering them. And then Eileen Ivers and Immigrant Soul afterwards. Good stuff. I've seen both at KC Irish Fest since. Good show. Sunday 2005 was a pair of stellar shows from these two awesome bands. But, for me, 2002 stands out for being an introduction.
The Elders performance last year, Saturday night. Oh yeah!
There's going to be a lot of great competition this year for The Elders though...Hmmmmm
Flogging Molly at Brookside Irish Fest 2002...
-Massive crowds
-The Power going dead
-Nearly getting in a fight with a band member (Thanks MAB for saving him)
-The baracades falling over (thanks Rico for saving me)
-Huge relief when it was over (Thanks Brookside business' for not inviting us back...hence KCIF!)
Before FM was booked, they were a bar band. After they were booked, they toured with the "Warped Tour." A week after BIF 2002, they were featured in Rolling Stone. Can you imagine the crowd had that Rolling Stone article been published before BIF? Yikes!
Most memorable? Hands down, the "rainy fest" of '03. My best friend Kim and I were having a mom's day out (sans kids). Little did we realize just how much fun a rainy day in the mud could be! Amanda (Tin Cup Prophette) summed it up when she was on that little stage in her AC/DC shirt, slip skirt, and cowboy boots: "Isn't this great?!" Only the people who really wanted to be there stayed through the rain. Even the volunteers in the far west beer tent were somehow glad to be there. And the Phillips Hotel was the icing on the cake.
That was my first experience with a real Irish Fest. Now I say proudly, "I'm an Irish Fest Volunteer!" (I don't think they could pry me away with a crowbar.) Thanks Danny!
I had planned on staying neutral, but...I have to agree with Brett. Magic.
KCIF 2005, my first Kansas City Irish Festival, we flew out from Denver for it. I think the saturday night Elders performance was one of the best I've ever seen. I loved the KCIF, the location, the people, the entertainment. What a classy event! So, I guess mine is one favorite memory of a whole weekend :) Can't wait for 2006!!!
2003 Friday night, a mere seven weeks after the transplant. Shaughnessy played the kidney card and got me up close and personal with Seven Nations backstage. Sweet!
Teada at the 2004 KCIF. The rain hit right before Eileen Ivers while Teada was on the Pub Stage. The power was cut (so as not to kill anyone) and Teada just looked at each other and jumped to the front of the stage (so everyone could hear) without dropping a beat to finish out their set. Awesome!
Eileen Ivers last year was incredible! She grabs the audience by the throat and drags them where ever she wants! What an awesome performer!
My most memorable moments didn't happen at KCIF, but they led me to it. January 2005, Malloy Bros, hearing the Elders sing Men of Erin for the first time live. Stopped me in my tracks and made me a fan for life. Second, The Fuchsia Band, O'Dowds, Sept 2005. When they started harmonizing on Ten Minutes Too Late I froze, and I think my jaw hit the table.
Just to clarify, the only way someone gets backstage that does not have a pass is if he/she gave up or recently received a kidney. So don't ask!
Anyone remember that band at BIF1 that were wearing the dead animals? What was their names?
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