The current tour of the Chieftains appear to be promoting their latest release, Down The Old Plank Road, but in reality it is a tribute to the late, Derek Bell, who passed away in October 2002.
If Paddy Moloney is the brain of this Irish ensemble, then Derek Bell was the soul of the group. Derek was a virtuoso harpist, master of the tiompán and from all accounts served as Lewis to Moloney's Martin. Having last seen The Chieftains in 2001, Bell's absence leaves a void as profound as his presence.
The concert opened with a selection from an earlier era, the traditional Irish piece Ruairí Óg Ó Mordha (The March of the King of Laois). The band was then joined on stage by Canadian brothers, Jon and Nathan Pilatzke, who displayed their step dancing talents. Jon was later invited back to join the band on the fiddle.
A Chieftains concert is not just a showcase of their talents solely, it is often a forum to introduce and advance the talents of artists who may not be, but perhaps, should be known to the audience. In 2001, The Chieftains toured with the Chinese singer Dadawa, who, from her base in Shanghai is among that country's most beloved artist.
On this tour, the Chieftains feature country singer, Allison Moorer performed a selection of songs from her latest CD, Miss Fortune. Most notable was her execution of Hey Jezebell. The Chieftains were also joined by bluegrass guitarist, Chris Jones. Jones provided guitar accompaniment for the concert and also sang Cindy, which was performed by Ricky Skaggs on the "Old Plank Road" album.
The most stellar guest of the tour however is the English cellist/singer and "aspiring" dancer, Caroline Lavelle. Miss Lavelle has worked with Peter Gabriel, The Cranberries, and Radiohead, to name a few. She began her career with Siouxsie and the Banshees. She performed material from her latest release, Brilliant Midnight and sang the traditional lullaby, Whole Heap of Pretty Horses, which was performed by Patty Griffin on the album.
The Chieftains performed the title track for "Old Plank Road" with Kevin Conneff doing an excellent job on vocals. Conneff also performed his haunting a capella The May Morning Dew and Ar Poc An Buile; both are tracks from the band's ground-breaking 2000 release, Water From The Well. The talents of Seán Keane, who has played fiddle with the Chietains since the release of their album Chieftains 2 in 1969, and Matt Malloy, flautist, and "latecomer" to the group in 1979 were featured in solos. No recent Chieftains concert would be complete without their rousing version of The Rocky Road to Dublin, complete with a nod to the Rolling Stones, who contributed their talents to the group's 1995 album, The Long Black Veil. Another track from that release, Mo Ghile Mear, was covered by Kevin Conneff as Paddy Moloney apologized that "Sting could not make it".
Irish music and Irish dance are two halves of one entity, the expression of the Celtic experience. Having introduced the world to Michael Flatley, The Chieftains uphold the tradition of Irish dance in their concerts via the talents of Donnie Golden and Cara Butler, and the Pilatzke brothers. Even Caroline Lavelle was "drafted" into the troup and displayed quite the talent.
The hallmark of any Chieftains performance is the finale, which is a showcase for any visiting artist and the individual members of the band to solo, and since this concert tour is in support of The Old Plank Road, what better finale than the finale from the album, a rousing piece called Give the Fiddler A Dram. In past years, during the finale a bit of comic relief was found in the late Derek Bell's overextended solo and Paddy's faux impatience. Derek Bell's absence is felt most strongly at this point of the show, and although the finale was a success, it can never be the same. The Chieftains commendably honor the memory of their fallen colleague on this tour by presenting a guest harpist from each of the communities on their itinerary.
The encore followed, and then another "Irish evening" was, sadly, over.