More Tweaking

Dave "Shocko" Shaughnessy continues to fine tune our schedule. Lots of little nudges here and there, but one significant one. Another chance to see the great John Spillane on the Terrace Stage, Sunday at 1:30.

When you help run Irish Fest, you try hard not to play favorites. You don't want to give the impression that you favor one of your babies over the others. But I confess that I am a big John Spillane fan. I've mentioned him here before, and I'm sure I will again because it's important that you see him at Irish Fest this year. It's important because when he's huge, you'll want to be able to say, "yeah, I was there in Kansas City that first year". People will be saying that even if they weren't here, but they'll be lying and you won't be.

Here's what a fan I am. I got married last year to a beautiful girl and when we had our first dance it was to John's song Will We Be Brilliant Or What. We had the title to that song on the front of the programs for the wedding. That song, like so much of Spillane's writing, has the great power to say what you wish you knew how to say, to take you back to places and times gone by, and even to places and times you've never seen. To make you feel like John must have been there, that time, where you were, because how else could he know what it felt like? And he must know, because he writes so perfectly about it. In Ireland, they know how great John Spillane is. He's performed with the giants of Irish music. He's won the Meteor Award twice for best trad/folk performer. The people he beat this last time? A bunch of nobodies like Altan, Kila, Christy Moore and Sharon Shannon.

Plus on his website, he has pictures of himself with Packie Bonner and Paul McGrath. How can you not love a guy like that?

And will we be brilliant or what?
Will we be all dressed in sunlight?
Brilliant or what
Will we be smiling under starlight?
Brilliant or what
Will we be graceful and free
Will we be? graceful and free?
Will we be kind, why not?
What have you got?
And will we be brilliant, brilliant or what?

Brilliant, at the Kansas City Irish Fest. Boulevard Pub Stage at 5:30 on Saturday, and the Terrace Stage at 1:30 on Sunday.