Bothy Band re-form for "Celtic Connections" Jan.2024

[kenny]

This should create a bit of excitement. Someone at "thesession.org" has noticed that Glasgow's "Celtic Connections" festival seems to have persuaded the surviving members of "The Bothy Band" to reform for a concert on Mon. 22nd January next year.
https://www.celticconnections.com/event ... lH_05eWCoE

[Mr.Gumby]

I nearly got to see them around 1978. By the time the audience was seated in the hall the announcement came the band was stuck in customs at the ferryport, unable to make it. We were left with the choice of a refund or stay and see something else. Most of us did the latter and saw something not very memorable. Looked back on that with a degree of regret ever since.

I have since seen all members in some context or other but the magic and excitement they had as a group wasn't quite there.

On some level I am sometimes a bit sceptical about these reunion things, nostalgia fests and pension pot boosters to the cynical among us. Then again, I attended Planxty regrouping in 1979 and again during the noughties, saw Sweeney's Men regroup, seen Jackie Daly joined by Seamus Creagh (Tom Munnelly saying on the night it was like the Beatles getting together again), with Kevin Burke and more recently with Buttons and Bows. And some other memorable reunions as well. Noel Hill teaming up with Tony Linnane a few times, on one accasion joined by Alec Finn even. And all of those were exciting and lovely to watch.
And yes, a bit of nostalgia, for music that was regular listening fodder for a generation, stuff that was full of wonder and amazement at the time, that shaped our notion of music. Seeing the chemistry between the musicians rekindled, happy to be together after a long break revisiting the old material and all that. Wonderful. I'd go see the Bothies if they came within spitting distance.

[pancelticpiper]

I nearly got to see them around 1978. By the time the audience was seated in the hall the announcement came the band was stuck in customs at the ferryport, unable to make it.

A memorable "what might have been" story!

I have since seen all members in some context or other but the magic and excitement they had as a group wasn't quite there.

Lucky you! I have not.

Paddy Keenan (either solo or with various accompanists), Kevin Burke with Micheal O Domhnaill, and Matt Molloy (with the Chieftains) have made numerous appearances here in California but I've not seen Triona Ni Dhomhnaill or Donal Lunny in person.

[Mr.Gumby]

Lucky you!

I don't know Richard. Location, location, location. Musicians are likely to land here at sooner or later. Kevin Burke will turn up in a week or two, for example. Some recent snaps of two of the others:

[Mr.Gumby]

They will also make an appearance during Belfast tradfest at Belfast’s Waterfront Hall on Sunday 25th February 2024.

Here

[Mr.Gumby]

TG4 has a lovely documentary with the band preparing for the reunion and the full concert after. Airing right now.

An Bothy Band

[pancelticpiper]

I sat transfixed and watched that documentary all the way through.

Parts of it felt like a blend of The Boys from County Clare and A Mighty Wind! Paddy in the background getting his pipes sorted, people trying to remember arrangements they've not played since the 1970s. (If you've not seen The Boys from County Clare they show a ceilidh band where the piper always has his pipes apart trying to fix something while the rest of the band is playing.)

It was amazing to see how it all came together. I've not heard most of that music since I spun their vinyl in the 1970s and 1980s so much of it felt fresh to me.

It was also great to see how those arrangements were done, just what the keyboard was doing, what the guitar and bouzouki were doing.

I suppose there simply wouldn't be time to do it, but it would have been incredibly cool for the concert to start out with some NEW tunes and arrangements from these people. These are creative people and would have brought many new ideas and influences into the mix. Who knows? they might have created some mighty sets that people 50 years from now will be listening to. You don't want to be a tribute band, even if it's you that's being tributed.