Milwaukee Friday

Tommy had a steady stream of costumers last night here on Irish Fest's first full night's opening. I'm very proud to report that he is a fine ambassador for the KC Irish Fest. As for the old man, when not supervising the kid, I caught snippets of music by Goitse, Altan and Screaming Orphans. And of course, KC's finest, The Elders and Bob Reeder who did old Cowtown proud indeed.

Bob played on The Village Pub Stage, a good sized but still intimate setting on the waterfront, and he killed. His mix of songs, jokes, toasts, limericks and picking had his first Milwaukee Irish Fest audience in the palm of his hand. The Elders tackled the massive Aer Lingus Stage and I'll be honest, I was a bit worried in the minutes leading up to their set. Gaelic Storm had finished and there was a wave of people heading for the exit and a lot of empty real estate in front the Elders' stage. But by the time they started, a nice crowd had filled in and they had them all on their feet by the second song.

KC Fest president Barney Walsh arrived yesterday and he and I attended a reception hosted by the Friends of St. Patrick and several Northern Ireland government bigwigs. Today, always one of the highlights of trips here, is the annual lunch and meeting with other festival directors and promoters from across the country. And of course by "highlight" I mean "free food" which at any festival is a real bonus. Tommy is killing me with his $5 corndogs.

Gotta catch the bus. More later.