Christmas Concert Season: Celtic Thunder at the Grand Theater at Foxwoods Casino

12/2/2017-Connecticut—Irish singing group Celtic Thunder returned to Foxwoods Casino for their “Symphony Tour 2017”. Backed by an orchestra, their set list consisted of songs from their new album “Inspirational”, Christmas classics, and their well-known hits.  The stage was adorned with a winter theme in mind: a snowy landscape with snowflakes hanging above the stage.

1^st Segment: The first part focused on the new album “Inspirational” for the most part.  The quintet (Damian McGinty, Ryan Kelly, Neil Byrne, Emmet Cahill and Michael O’Dwyer) walked out in suits as the orchestra kicked off the show and got the concert off to a good start. Celtic Thunder conveyed the tone of their recent recordings through songs like “You’ll Never Walk Alone” (from the musical “Carousel”). “Take Me Home” sounded really good when backed by an orchestra.

Solos in the First Half Included: Ryan Kelly’s cover of “The House of the Rising Sun”….Michael O’Dwyer’s version of the Elvis song “If I Can Dream”…Emmet Cahill’s rendition of  “Jekyll and Hyde”musical highlight  “This Is The Moment” …Damian’s performance of “Feels Like Home”

2^nd Segment: After an intermission, the show resumed with the holiday themed-set.  Celtic Thunder’s version of “Carol of the Bells” started the segment. Also, there was a medley of holiday tunes that displayed their ability to play off each other amusingly; their dancing at this point in the show was later referenced by Ryan Kelly as a casual remark. They addressed the audience, expressing their warmest holiday wishes before preparing for their strong finale “Ireland’s Call”.  The finale was a perfect song to end the evening.

Solos in the Second Half Included:  Neil’s performance of “Mary, Did You Know?” … Emmet’s version of “O Holy Night”…Damian’s joyous cover of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You”… Michael’s beautifully sung version of “Hallelujah”

This concert was memorable.  Besides this being my first Celtic Thunder show, The “Symphony 2017 Tour” was a nice evening out.  Celtic Thunder’s vocals were great.  The orchestra backing them up enriched the experience for the listener.  Like the album title says, the concert was “inspirational”.