On Saturday I was at Simon & Garfunkel in the RDS in Dublin. The concert began with Simon & Garfunkel who seemed to be slow to start. After about 20 minutes, they left the stage to be replaced by the Everly Brothers. The Everly Brothers added some much needed life to both the audience and Simon & Garfunkel themselves. It’s clear that age is taking a heavy toll and Art Garfunkel in particular was stretched to reach some of the higher notes. Overall it was a good night but not a great night out.
Last night I went to hear Beth Nielsen Chapman sing in Whelans I had only recently been introduced to Beth Nielsen Chapman but I’m very glad I was. A strong vocalist, guitarist and pianist, her performance was every bit as good as the CD (and the CD is excellent). Beth sang with her band: flautist John McCusa, baas guitarist Martin Allcock and her son Ernest Chapman on acousitic guitar/piano. She was also joined on stage by a bodhrán and Oilleann pipes player whose name I’ve unfortunately forgotten. The bodhrán in particular made an excellent accompaniment to her style of music and singing (even if she had difficulty with its pronunciation!).
If Beth is singing in your area, I definitely recommend you to go along. You won’t be disappointed.
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