On Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites fans raved about Sean McCann singing Danny Boy. So I went in search of some bootlegged videos. I found one on a site called WhatIexpectin. The video was not acknowledged so I watched it. It was a beautiful and soulful rendition as the caption said and sung and played beautifully by Sean McCann. The video broke down a couple of times. And as soon as Alan Doyle played a note the camera was there and I knew it was @lyndahere video from Between the Rock. Which spoilt to a certain extent the mood and feel of the performance and was totally unnecessary. The site was full of her videos.
Alan Doyle often tweets that he leaves what happens on the stage on the stage when he goes home or moves on. What is totally brilliant and extremely special about what happened at this concert is that it seems to be truly between Great Big Sea and the audience and remains in their hearts and memories.
I love the fact that in this day and age with the Internet and social media there are still some events that do remain largely between the audience and performers and the community decides primarily how they are recorded and what importance they play in the scheme of things.
I found this brief mention in the Metronews in Winnipeg.
"No Ordinary Day as Great Big Sea Celebrates St. Patrick's Day in Winnipeg" by Shane Gibson 18 March, 2013.
Alan Doyle and the boys from Great Big Sea celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with just over 4,000 very jolly Winnipeggers at the MTS Centre Sunday night.
The band from Newfoundland and Labrador brought their energetic brand of Canadian folk-rock through Winnipeg as part of their North American tour marking the band’s 20th anniversary.
I found this brief mention in the Metronews in Winnipeg.
"No Ordinary Day as Great Big Sea Celebrates St. Patrick's Day in Winnipeg" by Shane Gibson 18 March, 2013.
Alan Doyle and the boys from Great Big Sea celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with just over 4,000 very jolly Winnipeggers at the MTS Centre Sunday night.
The band from Newfoundland and Labrador brought their energetic brand of Canadian folk-rock through Winnipeg as part of their North American tour marking the band’s 20th anniversary.
And another article published earlier by the Metronews in Winnipeg on March 13 2013
"Backstage Pass: Great Big Sea celebrate 20 years with anniversary release" by Jared Story.
Newfoundland folk-rock band Great Big Sea celebrates its 20th anniversary with XX — a two-disc compilation and box set — and a great big tour of Canada and the U.S.
“It’s great looking back, it’s great looking ahead too, but we’ve never really been big fans of stopping to pat ourselves on the back,” Alan Doyle says from Anaheim, Calif., where the band recently kicked off its tour.
“It felt like, ‘It’s 20 years, we should just do this for a moment,’ like actually stop and pat ourselves on the back one time. So here we are doing it.”
XX’s first disc showcases Great Big Sea’s pop side, containing fan favourites like When I’m Up (I Can’t Get Down) and Run Runaway, while disc two covers the band’s penchant for playing folk and traditional music.
Given Great Big Sea’s practice of putting pop songs alongside sea shanties, it’s probably safe to say Doyle, Bob Hallett and Séan McCann have introduced a few folks to folk music.
“That’s a weighty responsibility, but it’s been a joy to be the bearer of such good news,” Doyle says. “It’s like, ‘Guys, guess what, I’m going to play you a Paul Brady (Irish singer-songwriter) song you’ve never heard’ or ‘I’m going to tell you about a band called The Chieftains (traditional Irish band).’
“That’s been a real joy, going to places that are well versed in American bluegrass and Irish Celtic music and going ‘We have songs like that in Canada, in Newfoundland.’ You sing them a couple and they go ‘How many more are there?’ Well, hundreds and this is just one little place, one little island.”
Doyle says introducing people to folk and traditional tunes is one of his favourite parts of being in Great Big Sea.
“We’ll get stories like ‘My four-year-old’s favourite song is Old Black Rum.’ Oh dear, really? Or ‘My little guy wants to be Captain Kidd.’
“He wants to be a murderous pirate? One who gets shot and dies of gangrene?” Doyle says.
“But it all comes from the right place. People make the music part of their lives, part of their families and their weddings, their celebrations. It’s crazy.”
"Backstage Pass: Great Big Sea celebrate 20 years with anniversary release" by Jared Story.
Newfoundland folk-rock band Great Big Sea celebrates its 20th anniversary with XX — a two-disc compilation and box set — and a great big tour of Canada and the U.S.
“It’s great looking back, it’s great looking ahead too, but we’ve never really been big fans of stopping to pat ourselves on the back,” Alan Doyle says from Anaheim, Calif., where the band recently kicked off its tour.
“It felt like, ‘It’s 20 years, we should just do this for a moment,’ like actually stop and pat ourselves on the back one time. So here we are doing it.”
XX’s first disc showcases Great Big Sea’s pop side, containing fan favourites like When I’m Up (I Can’t Get Down) and Run Runaway, while disc two covers the band’s penchant for playing folk and traditional music.
Given Great Big Sea’s practice of putting pop songs alongside sea shanties, it’s probably safe to say Doyle, Bob Hallett and Séan McCann have introduced a few folks to folk music.
“That’s a weighty responsibility, but it’s been a joy to be the bearer of such good news,” Doyle says. “It’s like, ‘Guys, guess what, I’m going to play you a Paul Brady (Irish singer-songwriter) song you’ve never heard’ or ‘I’m going to tell you about a band called The Chieftains (traditional Irish band).’
“That’s been a real joy, going to places that are well versed in American bluegrass and Irish Celtic music and going ‘We have songs like that in Canada, in Newfoundland.’ You sing them a couple and they go ‘How many more are there?’ Well, hundreds and this is just one little place, one little island.”
Doyle says introducing people to folk and traditional tunes is one of his favourite parts of being in Great Big Sea.
“We’ll get stories like ‘My four-year-old’s favourite song is Old Black Rum.’ Oh dear, really? Or ‘My little guy wants to be Captain Kidd.’
“He wants to be a murderous pirate? One who gets shot and dies of gangrene?” Doyle says.
“But it all comes from the right place. People make the music part of their lives, part of their families and their weddings, their celebrations. It’s crazy.”
