The High Kings

Tonight I got to see The High Kings: The Road Not Taken tour. The High Kings have shared a label with Celtic Woman and many years ago they opened for Celtic Woman on tour.

The crowd was pretty engaged, especially the High Kings super-fans sitting around me in the first two rows. A few of them had been to 50 High Kings shows or more and a few were flying to Dublin to see their upcoming shows there. The super-fans were really enthusiastic and some of them got up and danced during the songs. One of them got invited up on stage to play spoons with The High Kings during one of the songs. It was an atmosphere reminiscent of The Shamrock Tenors show in Belfast last year.

It was difficult for me to tell how into the show the rest of the audience was since I was sitting right in front of a speaker. But all of us up front were standing, clapping, and singing along for the last few numbers of the show.

There was less choreographed movement on stage than there is during a Celtic Woman or Celtic Thunder show. They stayed near their microphone stands for the most part, although they sometimes roamed around the stage and came closer to the audience. One of them even ventured into the audience with a bodhran.

Here are some of my other highlights...

Each of the performers sang and they each played around a half dozen instruments.

Men of Aran was a tribute to Finbarr Clancy's relative, who was a member of The Clancy Brothers.

Darren Holden was the lead singer in The Town I Loved So Well and it was phenomenal! He got the most out of every single note, and for his epic performance, he got the only mid-show standing ovation!

1845 was an a cappella number. They've done one of those on every show since the beginning.

Brian Dunphy gave me a fist bump from the edge of the stage during the show. I was like: what just happened??? 😲

When The Wild Rover was the encore, I thought for a moment: "oh well, no Parting Glass tonight" ...

Then they did a second encore! For the first time EVER, I got to hear the David Downes "Parting Glass" live! It has definitely evolved since they recorded it on their first album and DVD, but the essence of it was the same. For those who have been reading my rants on the forum for a while, The David Downes Parting Glass has been at or near the top of my all-time-favourite-arrangements list for along time. Oh my goodness, I was losing my mind with joy!

I managed to procure a set list after the show. There were some additional songs performed that were not on the list, but this will give you a pretty good sense of what was in the show:

Rocky Road to Dublin
On the One Road
Oh Maggie
Will You Go Lassie Go (aka Wild Mountain Thyme)
The Fields of Athenry
The Lonesome Boatman
The Star of the County Down
Grace
Streets of Kinsale
Men of Aran
The Town I Loved So Well
The Irish Rover
Caledonia
Connemara Bay
The Road Not Taken
1845
Chasing Rainbows
The Irish Pub
Whiskey In The Jar
The Wild Rover
The Parting Glass

The show went right through from beginning to end with no intermission.

After the show, the performers all came out to the merch table to sign things and chat. I got to meet all 4 of them! I was my usual chatty self (for those that know me, that's smiling and nodding at a stage door without saying much of anything). I've learned to accept that those types of interactions just aren't my thing.

I wore a Celtic Woman t-shirt to the concert. I wasn't sure how that would go over, but I figured it would at least have some nostalgic value for them. 2 of them did at least comment on it.

Once the line dissipated, the performers stuck around and took group photos with the remaining fans.

That was a very fun and satisfying show and I highly recommend it!

The High Kings released a single "Where I Belong at Christmas," a Christmas remix of "Where I Belong" from The Road Not Taken album.

Both versions are incredible and it's my favourite original High Kings song. 10/10!