Celtic Thunder: The Show Reviews

• Brilliant vocals; fun for the whole family

  
  By A1GPWOHKHRP7RD on 2008-03-11
  As a singer myself (and one of Irish heritage on top of that) I can tell you I was in awe of the vocal chops shown by the men in this group. There is of course, Paul the operatic tenor who could have a brilliant career in classical music but also can be achingly tender on love ballads and throw a bit more timbre in his voice to put some testosterone into the folk songs. Then there is George the baritone, so rich and mellow and gentle on the family ballads he sings and with the best brogue of them all. Blond twenty-something Keith whose slightly nasal but very sweet tenor is God's gift to those Irish protest songs and pop songs. And then precocious and precious Damian, all of 14, who sounds at least 10 years older than he is and with so much depth and chest resonance-- where did he learn to do that? Finally, Ryan who seems less vocally gifted but I suspect that is only because of the company he is in, but has more than enough smolder and attitude to make up for it. And then when they blend their voices together on the songs of national pride and longing somehow they manage to sound like a string ensemble. There were literally chills down my back and tears in my eyes. These guys are good, really good.
  
  About all I can add to what others have written is to tell you that my daughters, aged 6 and 7, absolutely love this music as much as I do. It is now replacing the Wiggles (thank God!) as our favorite music to play in the car. My 7 year old practically melted into a big puddle on the floor when she saw young Damian. She thinks he is the cutest thing since Zac Efron! So this CD has been a great experience to share with my kids and teach them about our family history.
  
  

• Not Just Good - GREAT!

  
  By AW6DPUU9E3VMX on 2008-03-17
  I am so glad to have discovered this sensational singing group. I must have watched this program at least 5 times during PBS's pledge week. It's simply amazing. The music, the arrangements, the staging and the talent of 5 superb performers. Ranging in age from 14 to 39, and sporting very different musical styles, they all stand out individually - Paul with his magnificent tenor, George with his resonant baritone, Keith with his folk-tinged delivery, Ryan with his theatrics and, of course, Damian. (I had to adjust my TV until I was satisfied that voice was emanating from a 14 year old body!) And the ensemble numbers are every bit as good! Brought a tear to my eye, in fact! Kudos to WLIW for the production and to Phil Coulter for the musical direction and arrangements. I'm looking forward to seeing them in concert - IF I can get tickets - and for any future releases.
  
  

• Wow, what a powerful show!

  
  By A39SC75QQQ7D8J on 2008-03-03
  I was just flipping thru stations with my remote, and came upon this wonderful concert on PBS the other night. I was blown away by the diverse voices of the 5 singers, individually and collectivley. There was a great variety of songs, traditional Irish, contemporary, original. When they sang "Ireland's Call" , a Phil Coulter original, it made me proud to be the Irishman I am! I will be ordering the DVD for sure.
  
  

• It just doesn't get better than this!

  
  By ATECU14VUIOJ0 on 2008-03-22
  I got hornswaggled into watching this on Public TV and expected another cookie cutter Riverdance knock off. Boy, was I wrong. These guys are talented, easy on the eyes and put on a first rate show. Oh, did I mention they can sing? I immediately ordered a copy from Amazon and have watched it several times now and like it better with each viewing.
  
  And who is the young'un? He has more sex appeal than the other 4 put together - and I'm in my 60's for pete sake....mercy!! bg
  
  

• Wonderful music but the show is lacking

  
  By A2FV5YS9F5WG6M on 2008-03-31
  I was very excited to see this DVD - I love Celtic Women and had heard parts of the CD of the Celtic Thunder show, so I couldn't wait to sit back with friends and have a great night of music. I have to begin by saying the gentlemen have fantastic and beautiful voices. Some of the song choices were, I thought, odd (Knights in White Satin and Puppy Love?) but the talent behind the voices definitely make the music come alive.
  
  However, I also have to say that this DVD show is horribly over-produced. Some of the comments by the group that watched it were "This is staged like a bad high-school swing choir." and some of the ladies found some of the staging to be "creepy" and "disturbing." The show got to be so annoying (who told these guys to stand with their legs shoulder-width apart??) that we finally had to turn it off. The over-production and cheesey staging was getting in the way of the music. I still love my CD, but the DVD is one of those "wish I'd rented it first" ones.
  
  I would highly recommend the CD for the fantastic music, but I would skip the DVD.
  
  
• Is this really Celtic Music?
  By A2VOZX7YBT0D6D on 2008-04-01
  Let me start by saying the guys all have great voices and if they were in a good show, it would be wonderful. This is over-produced, WAY over staged, corny, and quite frankly laughable. It also has little to nothing to do with Celtic music. Nights in White Satin? Puppylove? REALLY??? When they did Air Supply's, I Wanna Know What Love Is...I turned off the set. Rent it from your library or Blockbuster first...unless you like corny, over-staged productions. It is too bad they wasted such talent on this dribble...I feel bad for the guys...If they did actual Celtic music and lost the weird stances, the over-acting, an the apparent need to focus on public domain music, they may have a good show. Right now, it is a waste of plastic and silver oxide. (Hopefully Amazon will actually allow my post this time...)
  
  
• Superb Entertainment
  By A1INXXF5S72ZUJ on 2008-06-01
  After watching what was allowed on a PBS special, the complete concert is here in all it's glory.
  Being half Scottish myself, i really enjoyed this concert.
  Phil Coulter, who was responsible for the popularity of the Bay City Rollers back in the early 70's, assembled 5 men, ages ranging from 14 to probably 35 (a guess). Each man sings very, very well. Has superb stage presence, and also dances. Such a display of talent here is recognized by a devotion to entertain, and each does in abundance.
  
  
  
• Heart Stopper!
  By AKSM7GFSP3CYW on 2008-03-03
  Saw this on PBS in advance airing --- can't wait to get it to watch over and over. A great mix of traditional Celtic music and more modern. The 'boys' are worth watching !!!!
  
  
• Great show!
  By ANYW6ZLJDCE91 on 2008-03-04
  I saw this show on PBS and really enjoyed it! I especially love the baritone ... sorry, I missed his name. He's really great on the songs about home and family (My Boy, The Old Man). I'll be pre-ordering the DVD for sure!
  
  
• Moving and Entertaining
  By A2WJAWK7TSBT5T on 2008-04-21
  I absolutely love this dvd. I was disappointed that the cd doesn't contain all of the songs. Especially the solo A Bird Without Wings by Damian McGinty. This is my favorite of all. If you like great voices and songs, this you will love and not be disappointed. But get the dvd to get all of the songs and see the cutest little guy ever sing like an angel! Just a very moving experience! Love it so much!
  
  
• Celtic - NOT, Thunder - ALL WET !!!
  By A3LQP7QCUJ697N on 2008-05-03
  It is worse than hokey - it is stick your finger down your throat awful - this group is being promoted by the same woman who promoted Celtic Woman. I have cousins in Dublin and Galway who have never heard of either of these groups and who told me they never appeared on stage in Ireland. I want to warn all the Irish and Irish-Americans - especially the Bronx Irish about this group appearing on PBS calling themselves Celtic Thunder - a show that airs on Sundays called Out of Ireland (RTE) featured this group calling themselves Celtic Thunder - it was relentlessly awful - actually painful to watch. I want to get the word out because this bears the name - Celtic Thunder - and anyone who has been to the Real Celtic Thunder Concerts in NY, DC, VA, MD, Ireland, et al will be sorely disappointed if they were expecting to see the Real Celtic Thunder. The members of the bogus CT group are supposed to be Irish patriots who sing traditional Irish tunes. One of the ancient, traditional songs was "Mull of Kintyre", with a bagpipe accompaniment. This ancient Irish tune was written by Paul McCartney and Denny Laine during his days as a member of Wings. Other featured tunes included Londonderry Air (a song about English behind?) and Puppy Love from the 1950s. This is the Uber Crapola being foisted upon America as being traditional Irish music. I was strongly tempted to call the PBS station to demand the return of my membership contribution. They didn't even sing the crap well!!! The pinnacle of this moral obscenity was when all members of the band appeared on stage wearing black tuxedoes with black kilts! They looked like members of a Monty Python transvestite skit. The PBS aired show was awfully over staged - same stage production as the Celtic Women Show. The singers appeared to be lip-synching (with echo chambers turned on) and the audience also looked staged with their Grammies and relatives swooning and applauding them on. BUYERS BEWARE -THE CURRENT PBS CT SHOW AND ALBUM ARE AWFUL.
  The REAL Celtic Thunder
  ... formed in 1977 by Indie Award winning singer, songwriter, poet and famous Irish-American author Terence Winch. The Real Celtic Thunder albums, feature original and traditional Irish songs and get out of your seat and dance music. The Real Celtic Thunder -featured on the album Light of Other Days - played at the Clinton White House 2 times - with a great write up in the Dublin Times.
  You need to hear the original Celtic Thunder - Light of Other Days or Hard New York Days still available on Amazon and CD Universe as are Terence Winch's books Irish Musicians American Friends, That Special Place: New World Irish Stories, Boy Drinkers and many others. Garrison Keillor also read Terence Winch's Poetry on the Writer's Almanac Poetry Corner.
  Another great choice is A&E DVD The Long Journey Home - Available on Amazon - Another true Irish American experience, albiet back to the Great Hunger era. Whereas the Real Celtic Thunder is Irish who came to America in the 1920s and their first generation American childrens' experience in keeping the traditions alive for generations to come.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Very nice, probably prefer the CD, though
  By A1HJA60OLGXF3U on 2008-03-04
  I DVR'd(or TIVO'd) this last night. Had to watch it first thing this morning. May have been the PBS station(not the best for my area), but it looked a bit like some pre-recorded voices were going on in a few places. I would have given it 4 1/2 stars if I could - yeah, it's good. Like they say - it's not a "boy band", but 5 talented individuals. A good blend of fun songs & moving songs - just wish the station hadn't been interrupting through the show, but I understand about raising money. If they come to Chattanooga(like Celtic Woman did), I'll be there.
  
  
• Fantastic
  By A37J718KKMLUG on 2008-03-21
  Like many other reviewers I was flipping channels and saw the show on PBS. Ordinarily I would keep going but the vocals were amazing and drew me in, every time I saw it listed I would watch and tape it, fortunately on PBS and the Today Show in NYC they were interviewing the members of the goup and they would sing without all the backup and were STILL GREAT. I ordered it ASAP and it's so good. Hope to see it live when they tour.
  
  
• DVD compliments CD
  By A2647FLZA8G4D2 on 2008-05-04
  Seeing is believing - their voices are outstanding, their show is fantastic - non-stop music, entertainment and you could just "fall in love" with Ireland by listening to them!
  
  
• Celtic Thunder (DVD)
  By A3EKYAAO7BZQQW on 2008-03-06
  This is a real good show to watch again & again i highly recanend buying bouth DVD & CD this is a steal at a great price. I just watched it on evt a pbs station & i highly recamend that you get bouth the (DVD & CD) so that you can watch or listen to again & again.
  
  
• Celtic Thunder Concer 2008
  By A13UWA23Q3E0NV on 2008-03-30
  The best Group Concert of the year 2008 for sure...Damian, Keith Ryan, Paul and George do all their best with unique voice and selected songs.
  
  
• Irish at it best...
  By A2RPHPY270F31M on 2008-06-09
  What was created in Celtic Woman, is replicated in Celtic Thunder. A wonderful diversification of ballads and pure traditional Irish songs. If you like Irish music, this is a must have!
  
  
• BLOWN AWAY2
  By A15LECYA9QL44I on 2008-06-20
  THE BEST VOCALS!! MY WHOLE FAMILY WAS BLOWN AWAY. MY MOTHER-IN-LAW IS SO IN LOVE WITH THEM & THAT IS SAYING SOMETHING (SHE'S IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE)! BUYING EVERYONE CD/DVD FOR GIFTS. CELTIC THUNDER WILL BE TOURING THE USA STARTING IN OCTOBER THRU DECEMBER. GOING TO SEE THEM LIVE!!!! CAN'T WAIT FOR THEIR NEXT CD/DVD. WE NEED MORE POSITIVE-CULTURE INFLUENCE ON OUR YOUNG PEOPLE ESPECIALLY IN THE MUSIC WORLD. CELTIC THUNDER APPEALS THE YOUNG AND OLD!!
  
  
• Linda
  By A10U5C1WDMDNKH on 2008-03-07
  Saw this on PBS the other night. Recorded it and have watched it several times. These guys are mesmerizing! There is such diversity in each of them. Can't decide which is my favorite. Have already preordered the CD and DVD and plan to purchase tickets for their live show in Atlanta in November as soon as they go on sale.
  
  
• Is this really celtic music
  By A2SG2SA5JRXEJ5 on 2008-03-25
  I saw bits of the show on pbs and thought i might like it. The show was shot in dublin but was not pleased with the slection of american song .The singer were good and the stage was well set up
  
  
• Enjoyed It as a Family
  By APU32DW30VO4O on 2008-04-16
  We did enjoy watching this as a family. It has a lot of variety and obviously great talent. Several of the segments were spellbinding. However, towards the end it didn't really hold the kids' interest. When we talked about it after, we all agreed we liked the Riverdance and Celtic Women shows better. We will definitely watch this again, but probably in two parts instead of all at once. The male-themed show is very nice in comparison to the Celtic Women DVDs. The vocals and intrumentals were very powerful.
  
  
• Celtic Thunder The Show
  By A3VV0YPFZV2THM on 2008-04-21
  I saw the singers from Celtic Thunder perform this concert on PBS and I was enthralled and hoping there would be a DVD of their concert. For anyone interested in Irish and contemporary music performed by five diverse male singers ranging in age from 14 to 40, this DVD is a must. These singers should boost Irish tourism. I know I want to return to my ancestral island after watching them perform. (I am listening to them as I write this.)
  
  
• In Awe
  By ANKLC3MKFA6BM on 2008-06-05
  You know how every once in a while, something comes along that really touches you? That's how it was for me with Celtic Thunder. I initially saw the show in March on a PBS station. I was compelled to pledge so I could get the video. I did and I have watched my video countless times since I received it. I also ordered two CDs through Amazon, one for the car and one for indoors. Since I live in a two-story townhouse, I'm considering ordering a third CD, one for upstairs, one for downstairs. Am I obsessed? Maybe so, but this is the first thing that has truly moved me in a long, long time. I love it and each time I watch it, I see something new or hear a new chord. These five guys each have very distinct voices and their own distinct singing style. And, it is so much fun to watch the reactions of the family members. It's easy to see the amazement and pride in their eyes.
  
  This show is just extraordinary. So much talent -- Phil Coulter, Sharon Brown, the five singers, the musicians, everything. I can't say enough. I understand that more music will be released in September. I certainly hope so and anxiously await that day. I have tickets to see them live in December and I'm so excited. I'm saving money to buy Celtic Thunder merchandise.
  
  Thank you, Phil Coulter and Sharon Brown. In my book, you've earned more than five gold stars! Thank you. Thank you.
  
  
• The whole thing looks like it was lip synched
  By AVVJNWI93MT1H on 2008-06-08
  If this style of romantic Irish music is your thing, you will probably love this concert. However I was disappointed because the ENTIRE thing looks lip synched. Having worked in live performance my entire life, I understand the difficulties of live audio production especially in a large space. The audio on this DVD sounds extremely over produced, too perfect, too slick, especially since they are using lavalier mics. You never hear the singers even take in a breath or a uneven level of sound no matter how high or low the pitch which is a sure sign of studio production and not a LIVE performance. The other sign that it is not being performed live is that all of the performers don't all do a great job of matching their lips to the words. And when a singer is singing live you can see it their diaphragm, their body will move, some of the singers make this look believable whereas others look completely fake. The worst offender being the young Damian McGinty. He doesn't even come close to matching the audio. I really hope that they perform LIVE when in concert and that they only lip synched for this PBS broadcast. Again I don't know 100% that they are lip synching but it looks extremely suspicious that they are not singing live. It ruined the whole show for me. They are obviously talented performers. Go to a live theater show, and see for yourself, the singing doesn't sound like this, you can hear the tiny imperfections, proof that it is LIVE SINGING!
  
  
• Sappy and derivative
  By A21D0P41IJCJUH on 2008-07-12
  I will say up-front that I am a lover of Irish music as expressed in the A Woman's Heart series, for instance. I found in the music of this Celtic Thunder not only not really Celtic, but derivative and commercial to the nth degree, though I agree, everyone has a very nice voice. I was duly warned by a negative review on this site, but bought it anyway and left it at the local Free-cycle spot immediately. I rated the CD one star for lack of an alternative. There was another group also called Celtic Thunder in the 1980's, and their CD "The Light Of Other Days" is just wonderful and just the ticket for a dour purist like myself.
  
  
• Outstandingly Fantastic
  By A3BOPCV6G9Y0H5 on 2008-03-21
  My only regret is that I can't give this group a 10 star rating but I think I just did! I am a big roamer during commercials and I stopped on this program on GA PBS and I never went back to the program I was watching. These guys are great. There have been Irish folk songs that I have liked but never like these. They blend real well together and the most interesting thing about them is the different mix of personalities. I guess my favorite two of the group (if I can say just two since I like them all) is Ryne and Damian. I also like the fact that they mix in non-Irish songs. Really love the Elvis song "My Boy" and "Heartbreaker" which I hope are on the DVD. I will certainly be keeping up with this group and looking forward to more from them. Gotta go! Gotta order my CD and DVD before they are gone.
  
  
• TOTALLY AMAZING!!! Don't Miss This One!
  By A3AWXOM2KLGHKV on 2008-03-26
  For anyone who loves good music, this group can NOT be missed! These guys are the most awesome thing to come along in many, many years! We stumbled across the show on PBS totally by accident, and immediately ordered both the CD and the DVD, and have almost worn it out since it arrived. This group will take the world by storm, as the THUNDER ROLLS!
  Absolutely TOP DRAWER, but with Phil Coulter involved, how could it miss!
  THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for enriching my life! I will be watching for anything and everything to come!
  
  
• Has its moments
  By A336PPLFDTXENM on 2008-03-28
  If you can ignore the horrendous choreography (who told these guys to move this way???)and just focus on the music, you can really enjoy this. They all have great voices, they harmonize beautifully, most of the song choices are good (this show is heavy on the romance, truly a chic show, and they're all good-looking). Best to just buy the CD, though, because actually watching them perform leaves you constantly shaking your head in amazement at the amateurism of the production. Every move they make has been choreographed, and badly; they're stiff as boards, obviously uncomfortable with the routine and with good reason, it makes them look ridiculous and takes away from their singing. They need to fire whomever is telling them to do this, then relax and just SING.
  
  I was busy in another room when this show aired on PBS. It sounded good so I left it on for the music, enjoyed it enough to order it afterwards. What a shock to actually watch it. Seriously, just get the CD.
  
  
• dvd quality poor
  By APC5NTEAX9BK6 on 2008-04-05
  I was looking forward to this dvd as I really loved the show I saw on tv.
  However, I was very disappointed in the quality of the dvd. Very dark and poor vocal quality. Vocals lack clarity - difficult to hear a lot of it.
  
  
• What a Show
  By A2ZN5S12GZHEL on 2008-04-15
  WOW what a show. Every once in a while something comes along that is far above everything else. "Celtic Thunder" is just one of those. The show on TV hadn't even finished and I was on the internet looking where I could get this. There are some on this DVD that I didn't like, like Young Love and Desperado. But when Damian sang "Come By The Hills" and George sang "The Old Man" they more than made up for the ones I didn't care for. There was one review that said something about lip sync singing. I think he forgot this was done before a live audience. So so much for lip singing. If you like traditionial celtic and some modern singing this is the DVD for you. I highly recommend it. As for the CD, forget it. It only has 15 of the 28 songs on the DVD. I think the CD is a ripoff.
  
  

• Celtic Thunder
• Act Two
• The High Kings
• Celtic Woman - A New Journey: Live at Slane Castle, Ireland
• The Light of Other Days