The Kelly Irish Band

THE KELLY IRISH BAND 

Sponsored by Salina Arts and Humanities

@ The Stiefel Theatre

Salina, KS

© Lydia Lowe  3/17/2012

The Kelly Irish Band . . .What a great way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day!  Attending a concert full of 90 minutes of Irish music by The Kelly Irish Band from Kansas City, who played in concert at The Stiefel Theatre.  Nothing gets the toes tapping and the hands clapping like Irish melodies. 

I got a chance to interview three of the band members before the concert and this interview had to be one of the best.  We did the interview at Mokas Bakery and Bistro and when we walked in the door, we heard the music coming from the other room.  The fellas had eaten lunch there, had brought their instruments along with them, and were performing an impromptu concert in the window of the restaurant.  We immediately felt at ease and couldn't wait to hear them in concert with their other two bandmates.

This concert was worth waiting for.  Kelly sings like a dream, and she featured her bandmates on vocals as well.  Everyone in the audience was rocking out to all the Irish tunes.  They even sang a version of Dolly Parton's "Jolene".   They told jokes in between the sets and gave historical information about the songs.  I thought this really added to the overall performance.  The band played genuine Irish tunes, current tunes set to Irish melodies, and their own original songs.  It was a great event and the time went by much to quickly.  I was humming Irish tunes as I left the venue and I probably will be for a while.