Chieftains An Irish Evening: Live At The Grand Opera House, Belfast CD

The Chieftains: Kevin Conneff (vocals, Bodhran); Martin Fay, Sean Keane (fiddle); Derek Bell (harp, Tiompan, keyboards); Matt Molloy (flute); Paddy Moloney (Uilleann pipes, tin whistle).
Additional personnel includes: Nanci Griffith, Roger Daltrey (vocals).
Recorded live at the Grand Opera House, Belfast, Ireland on July 31 & August 1, 1991. Includes liner notes by Paddy Moloney.
While there's nothing quite like seeing the Chieftains live in concert, An Irish Evening marks the next best thing. Recorded live over two evenings at the Grand Opera House in Belfast, the disc captures the group's eclectic, fun, and loving approach to traditional Irish music. American country-folk singer/songwriter Nanci Griffith (a huge star in Ireland in her own right) provides sweet vocals on "Little Love Affairs," "Red Is the Rose," and "Ford Econoline." The Who's Roger Daltrey sounds a tad awkward on the traditional "Raglan Road" and the music hall-ish "Any Old Iron," but delivers a fascinating trad-style acoustic rendition of his group's "Behind Blue Eyes." An Irish Evening will appeal to die-hard fans and, with the co-billing of Daltrey and Griffith, will likely attract a whole new audience as well.~ Roch Parisien
This 1991 live concert featuring The Chieftains with Roger Daltrey and Nancy Griffith is one of the most spirited of all Chieftains releases. Daltrey and Griffith both sound inspired, despite the fact that, as Griffith points out in an interview, they didn't get a sound check due to a bomb scare.
Highlights include Nanci Griffith's dainty "Little Love Affairs," and the C&W "Ford Econoline." In the band's the Irish repertoire "O Murchu's Hornpipe," "Dochas," and others are all performed splendidly. However, rock fans will best like the revamped version of the Who classic, "Behind Blue Eyes," a version that will move even the most skeptical of listeners. Traversing traditional Irish music, rock, C&W, and even ragtime, AN IRISH EVENING has a little bit of something for just about everyone.Rolling Stone (3/5/92, p.72) - 3.5 Stars - Very Good - "...[The Chieftains] continually find new ways to prove how much Irish music has in common with other traditions....captures the irresistable spirit of a Chieftains concert..."
Spin (4/92, p.97) - Highly Recommended - "...pure rock and reel....touches upon the sacred and the profane..."
Uncut (8/02, p.100) - 3 out of 5 - "...The Chieftains are a treasure and every home should have at least one of their albums..."