That’s the title to one of the songs played by Jason and The Scorchers in the Set Theatre last Sunday night and everyone in the packed out venue would surely agree.
We began to feel that something different was happening to the festival about a week earlier. Ticket sales, visits to the website and phone enquiries were all showing a massive increase on previous years. Enquiries for press accreditation came from all the major Irish newspapers, some UK journalists and, the strangest of all, from Die Welt, a major German newspaper. What was going on? Here we are in the middle of the worst recession that any of us can remember, but it looked as if thousands of people had just decided, “To hell with it, we’re going to have a good time and forget about politicians, banks and NAMAs for a few days.”
Josh Ritter and his Royal City Band opened the festival in a packed Ormonde Hotel on Friday night to an ecstatic crowd. It was on then to the Set, opening its doors for the first to the Rhythm and Roots Festival with the magnificent Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, one of my personal highlights of the weekend.
Jason Isbell was previously a member of the hugely respected Drive By Truckers and was married to the bass player in that band. The marriage split up and Jason left the group to start a new personal and professional career.
“I miss my ex wife a lot,” he said as he introduced a song. “Yes, I miss her a lot, but my aim is getting better.”
Saturday, day two
Joe Pug kicked off proceedings on Saturday to a packed audience in Cleeres in the early afternoon. These are always the shows that I’m most nervous about.
You bring in a new unknown artist, based purely on your own judgement and hope it will work. The audiences at the festival are the key to this. They’re not looking for the same old familiar faces that are regurgitated at festivals and venues across the country. They are willing to sample something new. This is how acts like Calexico, Ryan Adams and Ray Lamontagne and others who’ve gone on to bigger things were introduced to Irish audiences. The name Joe Pug can be added to that list. Good songs with something to say, delivered with a startling intensity. The queues to buy his CDs after the show said it all.
Joe had to get to Cork for an appearance with Josh Ritter that evening and then get back to Kilkenny for a Sunday show, but hadn’t figured out how to get there and back. The problem was solved in typical Rhythm and Roots Style with a lift immediately offered and the return also sorted out for Sunday morning. Step forward Pat Murphy and Catherine Fitzgerald, your help was much appreciated.
All day Saturday our wonderful volunteer team head out to the shows and then report back to HQ at Rollercoaster Records. “Sold out again,” becomes the most commonly heard phrase as they return from the Rhythm and Roots frontline.
The same thing is happening on the Smithwick’s Music Trail, which is hosting 61 free events. The mix of free and ticketed shows has meant streams of good humoured crowds have been wending their way through the streets and venues all day.
Surely something will go wrong? Well it does with the cancellation of Chris Smither’s shows in the Clubhouse Hotel. Our biggest worry was the cancellation of flights due to the volcanic ash situation. We got through that but, just when we thought everyone was about to arrive safely, Chris had to cancel his tour on doctor’s orders. Within hours two shows from James Vincent McMorrow and Caitlin Rose were arranged to fill the gap and the problem was solved.
I’d offered our bank managers cut price tickets to his shows last week to hear his views on banking. With the cancellation, they had the last laugh, again.
All cares were forgotten when the stunning Duke and The King took the stage. “They slipped into Kilkenny and suckerpunched an audience not once (Saturday night, at the Set Theatre ) but twice (Sunday afternoon at the baronial Kyteler’s Inn ). Between pirouetting on and twirling off stage, and delivering two of the best sets Kilkenny has surely seen in years, this sinewy lot administered a healing touch to those afflicted by a Saturday night hangover (quite a few by the looks of it ), then twisted us around their little fingers and refused to let go.” That’s from the Irish Times review of the festival last Tuesday and I couldn’t have put it better myself.
It’s time to rest my aching feet and head. More on the festival next week.
