Over the decades, I've attended *thousands* of live performances, ranging from the New Lost City Ramblers, to the N. Y. Pro Musica, to Michala Petri, the Heifetz of the recorder, to Kathryn Tickell, OBE, the Heifetz of the Northumbrian smallpipes, to Felix Hell on the pipe organ, to bands like Chicago and the Eurythmics, to Bill Monroe & the Bluegrass Boys, to Natalie MacMaster, Cape Breton fiddler extraordinaire. Many were spectacular and very memorable.
None, however, have ever exceeded The Bothy Band, who I *produced* in concert at a small community college in far western New York State in September of the year of '76. They were on a short, and mostly disastrous, tour, the only time they ever performed in the U. S. Nevertheless, their performance was like no other. It was Promethean—they brought fire to Earth. The Bothys had just recorded their second album, "Old Hag You Have Killed Me," two months earlier, and Kevin Burke was playing the fiddle. I'd turned out an audience of over 200 people in that small town, and no one, not even myself, had ever heard the like. After an opening set by Lew London, the Bothys played for 2 1/4 hours *without a break*, until 11:30 pm, and no one left. Half way through, they put down their instruments and sang their now famous a cappella piece "Fionnghuala" https://youtu.be/3aFAQvhA9kY When they were done, the audience sat in stunned silence for at least 10-15 seconds before the first person clapped, then they went nuts. I've never seen that happen in all of the years and all of the concerts I've attended since. And so it went. As I said, Promethean.
None, however, have ever exceeded The Bothy Band, who I *produced* in concert at a small community college in far western New York State in September of the year of '76. They were on a short, and mostly disastrous, tour, the only time they ever performed in the U. S. Nevertheless, their performance was like no other. It was Promethean—they brought fire to Earth. The Bothys had just recorded their second album, "Old Hag You Have Killed Me," two months earlier, and Kevin Burke was playing the fiddle. I'd turned out an audience of over 200 people in that small town, and no one, not even myself, had ever heard the like. After an opening set by Lew London, the Bothys played for 2 1/4 hours *without a break*, until 11:30 pm, and no one left. Half way through, they put down their instruments and sang their now famous a cappella piece "Fionnghuala" https://youtu.be/3aFAQvhA9kY When they were done, the audience sat in stunned silence for at least 10-15 seconds before the first person clapped, then they went nuts. I've never seen that happen in all of the years and all of the concerts I've attended since. And so it went. As I said, Promethean.