The Chieftains' 50th Anniversary Tour

The Chieftains, a traditional Irish band formed in 1962, is still celebrating their 50th anniversary, and they're on tour in the United States over the next three months.  In honor of my 50th birthday (!), they'll be making a tour stop in Salt Lake City in mid-February, and yes, we have tickets! 

Here's a link to the Chieftains' website with the tour dates:  http://www.thechieftains.com/main/  The show will be held at Kingsbury Hall, the grand performing arts center located on the University of Utah campus. 

In order to properly prepare for the big event, I'll be sure to have plenty of Guinness on hand, and I've ordered one of their CDs, "Wide World Over," described on Amazon as follows: 

"One of the elements that's made the Chieftains the stellar Celtic band in the world is their love of innovative collaborations with mainstream pop stars. The Wide World Over: A 40-Year Celebration gathers into a single collection some of the Irish ensemble's most memorable moments, including predictable alliances with artists such as Van Morrison, who sings "Shenandoah" to additional backing by the Irish Film Orchestra, and unlikely pairings like the Rolling Stones, who add a rock kick and the "Satisfaction" riff to "The Rocky Road to Dublin." Cross-cultural experts Linda Ronstadt and Los Lobos demonstrate their versatility on the Mexican ditties "Txalaparta" and "Guadalupe," on which pipes and pennywhistle don't seem a whisker out of place, while Ricky Skaggs points to the Irish and British roots of American country music on the rousing "Cotton-Eyed Joe." Art Garfunkel, Sting, Sinead O'Connor, Joni Mitchell, and Elvis Costello are also featured in classic performances with the 40-year-old Irish band, while a brand-new collaboration with Ziggy Marley yields a gorgeous Don Was-produced rendition of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song." The cliché that there's a bit of the Irish in all of us proves true in this wide-ranging, constantly rewarding, and frequently surprising collection. And the tracks on which the Chieftains go it alone are also a gas. --Bob Tarte" 

And, as usual, I provide you with the link to the CD on Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Wide-World-Over-Year-Celebration/dp/B00005YT8U/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1358008484&sr=1-1&keywords=chieftains+wide+world+over

Can't wait to pour myself a pint and pop in this CD.  Hearing a traditional Irish band collaborate with Ziggy Marley on "Redemption Song," one of my all-time favorite reggae songs, should be something indeed, a true cultural mind-twister.  It reminds me of an experience 25 years ago when I was in a bar in central Australia, and an Aboriginal woman picked up the mic and sang, "I'm Proud to be an Oakie from Muskogee."  She belted out the lyrics with joyful enthusiasm and not a small amount of inebriation, and 25 years haven't erased one bit of the vivid memory I have of her in that dark, smoky little bar on a corner in Alice Springs.  Trying to integrate something that seems so wildly discordant is an experience that should come more often than once every 25 years. 

Emancipate Yourselves From Mental Slavery...

OK, I can't wait for the Amazon delivery.  For the listening pleasure of all:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnJgIq48C9k