Gaelic Storm (Photo courtesy Kelsey Fitzgerald)
It’s hard to imagine a band just coming into its own after 20 years of success, but Gaelic Storm, a multi-national, Celtic juggernaut grows stronger with each live performance. After two and over 2,000 shows, it is a true force to be reckoned with. With their latest release, “Go Climb a Tree,” their music has never sounded more representative of themselves as musicians and as live performers.
On Friday, June 9, the band storms back to Boothbay Harbor to perform at the historic opera house.
The band attributes its continued success to their fanatic audience. Country-music fans adore the storytelling, while bluegrass-heads love the instrumentals, Celtic fans love their devotion to tradition, rockers simply relish the passion the band plays their instruments with.
Gaelic Storm takes a true blue-collar, hard-nose approach to touring, consistently traveling the U.S. and internationally over 200 days a year, forging a unique path in the Celtic music world.
“You have to see us live. We are the true working-mans’ band,” said Ryan Lacey, who joined the lineup in 2003. “We still, and most likely always will, tour most of the year, and that’s how we constantly hone our craft.”
The dedication to live shows date all the way back to the mid-1990s, when Gaelic Storm kicked off its career as a pub band in Santa Monica, Calif. Due to their discovery at the pub, by the end of the decade, the musicians had appeared in the blockbuster film “Titanic,” where they performed “Irish Party in Third Class.” This laid the groundwork for a career that would eventually find them topping the Billboard World Chart six times, making appearances at mainstream music festivals, and regularly headlining the largest Irish Festivals across the country, all the while gaining a reputation as a genre-bending Irish rock band, whose songs mix Celtic traditions with something uniquely creative.
Whether sliding into Boothbay Harbor during a February blizzard, or overheating the stage on a hot August night, Gaelic Storm has never disappointed audiences of all ages.
Advance discounted tickets currently available directly from the box office at 86 Townsend Ave. or by calling 633-5159. Advance tickets are $30 and regular tickets are $35, available online at boothbayoperahouse.com and at the door if not sold out.
The historic bar will open at 6:30 p.m. for ticket holders, doors for seating open at 7 p.m., and the music begins at 7:30 p.m.
