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Black 47 Rocks Dublin (Ohio)Aug 05 '01 (Updated Oct 11 '01) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Live, they sound just like their albums. If you like them (or happen to live in Dublin, Ohio), go see them. If you don't, don't.
Dublin, Ohio is a strange place. One of the fastest growing areas in the midwest, this posh suburb of Columbus still tries to cling to their Irish heritage. One of the ways that it does this is by holding the Dublin Irish Festival, a large one weekend event that celebrates the immigrants who founded this town, which only 30 years ago was only a microscopic farming community. My original thought when I heard of the gathering was "Stay Away!" Living on the edge of Dublin, I know to fear the traffic and headaches that results from any of their events. This was changed by the only thing that could possibly make me want to go. I discovered that Black 47 was headlining that Saturday night. Black 47 is a somewhat obscure alternative band from the '90's which mixed rock, traditional Irish music, and reggae. Hailing from New York, they hit the scene with critical acclaim and a mild alternative radio hit, The Funky Ceili. I was taken by them instantly. They came out around the time of the demise of the Pogues, and many of us who listened to Irish influenced rock were quite happy to have a replacement, of sorts. The Funky Ceili also has personal meaning for me. It was in heavy rotation on the local alternative station around the time that my grandfather, a man proud of his Irish heritage, died. I knew that I had to go to the show. After all, how many of the yuppies around Dublin could have possibly heard of Black 47, much less want to see them. I mean, this would be a small, intimate show with only real fans, and maybe some bored local teens, bothering to make it out. Heh. Before heading into the Dublin Triangle, the area in between the three largest corporations around-- Qwest, Verison and WorldCom-- we suited up in the most offensive clothes possible. I, in my "Mom, I screwed the phone company" tee-shirt, and my husband, in a polo for the local university's arch rival, headed for one of the shuttle parking lots, at the AT&T building. The shuttle was the first thing that told me that this was not like any festival that I had ever been to. They had chartered tour buses. We road to the festival surrounded by soft Irish music and sweet air conditioning. The festival was huge, and we had gotten there an hour early, so we decided to take a look around. Taking a look around meant that I hastily found my way to the musical instrument tent, and my beloved stood around bored as I fondled hand made violins. Another thing that set this festival apart from other weekend festivals I have attended was the amount of high priced items available. Hand made musical instruments, rugs with Celtic knot designs woven in to them, silver and gem cloak pins. If you didn't bring them money with you, no worries, there was an ATM tent on the premises. We made our way across the grounds, past the putt-putt, the climbing wall, the tent with pool tables being monopolized by bored teens. I stopped once to ask for directions from a young volunteer who said, "Oh, you mean the /seltic/ Rock Stage?" Good to see he was in the spirit of things. We entered the tent, and there was already a large crowd swarming in front of the stage. All of the tables were filled. Older people, people with young children, the whole town must have come out for this show. It was standing room only, and there wasn't much of that to go around either. The lawn on either side of the tent was covered with people sitting and chatting while the sound check was going on. "I forgot to tell you," my husband said, after we found a decent spot right out side of the tent. "One of my friends at work told me that they play the festival every year. They've done it for years." "So, once a year, all the yuppies in Dublin get drunk on Guinness and come see Black 47 play?" "Pretty much." And drunk they were. Over to the side of one of the Killian's booths I counted around 30 empty kegs. This was ONE of the Killian's booths, and that doesn't count all the Guinness and miscellaneous American beers going around. The sound check was over, and the band started to play. While the crowd thinned a little bit toward the middle of the set, they largely stayed strong, cheering and screaming and dancing. A fun time was had by all. I know that in this review, I'm supposed to talk about what the band sounded like. It's hard, though, since they sounded EXACTLY like they do on their albums. The only exception is all of the Ohio references that the lead singer threw in, definite proof that they've been playing this gig for quite a while, and the fact that there was a mild vibration sound in one of the saxes. While the latter got on my nerves a bit, no one else noticed as they danced, sung, and had a great old time. The truth is, Black 47 is a live band. They have been playing gigs for years, even having a standing weekly show at Paddy Reilly's in New York for most of their career. They go up on stage and play their music in perfect mirror to their recordings, because that's where their music came from. They play out. Their albums are simply a document so you can know what you will hear if you go to see them live. It was a good show. I dare say that it was even a good festival. Will I go next year? Probably. And next time I will bring one of my cd's to be autographed, because they even hang out and talk to people after the show.  |
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