Really, what more can one say.
Actually, here was one of the other quotes from the night. At one point I turned to Jen and said, totally enthusiastically, with no self-hatred whatsoever, “GOD, I just LOVE it when I don’t act like myself! It is so awesome!”
Joe Hurley’s Irish Rock Revue last night was a fantastic show. It was a five-hour-long extravaganza. “Come on, Eileen” was played to roaring success, which gives you some idea of the feel of the event. Not to mention “Raglan Road” which brought me to tears.
I need to Google the cast of thousands who performed although I am familiar with some of them (especially the writers – Colum McCann!) but for now, some photos.
Thanks, Joe, for being a warm and wonderful MC. Great night. A perfect St. Patty’s Day fest. Meaning no:
— amateur messy drunks
— green beer
— flashing shamrock antennae
— people who seem to feel that being “Irish” means “acting like a complete douchebag on Bleecker Street”
It wasn’t a precious event or twee in any way, but it wasn’t “cool” either, which was one of the best things about it. Try to remain “cool” when “Come on Eileen” is being played. I dare you. The place went nuts. There were Irish fiddlers (one girl in particular was really fantastic, with a shiny green ribbon in her hair, she made me cry), and people flew in from Ireland, from Chicago, from elsewhere – just to perform one song. Really moving. Also, I know I’m in the right place when raffle tickets are sold and the prizes are a year-long subscription to The Irish Echo and signed copies of McCann’s latest novel. It’s also clear I am in the right place when Joe Hurley, as MC, interspersed the entire evening with quotes from Oscar Wilde. I mean, honestly. I love these people. To paraphrase Anne Sexton, they are my kind.
Some of the photos below are blurry – I was experimenting with how much I could get away with, using no flash. The results are iffy, but I think a lot of them do capture the FEEL of the night.
Hahaha. “No amateur drunks.” Nothing but the pros, lassie. The important part is no green beer. Green beer is stupid.
I was tossing that hovercraft stuff around last night, except I would tell everyone it was a line from a Yeats poem (“about a child drinking from a village brook near sweeping planes of green blanketed in rainbows”) translated into Irish or an inspirational quote from Eamon de Valera (“um…who?” to which I would roll my eyes and say “He’s the guy who invented Guinness. Everybody knows that.” People believed me, too).
That looks like so much fun!
Emily – hahaha
“Yeah, and the Frosted Lucky Charms leprechaun was once the Taoseich. Oh yes, indeed he was.”
“Really???”
i didn’t realize the revue was at le poisson rouge. my friends own that place–the ones who i was on a softball team with (i was a liability. i was so bad for their team). they are all great musicians who wanted to open a great music venue and they have really succeeded. it’s great to see!
Siobhan – Cool! I did not know that – although I do remember the baseball team part! It was a great venue and it was packed by the end of the night.
Doesn’t one of the Irish writers (in the only vertical photo I posted) – the one with the little black cap – look just like cousin Timothy?? I seriously did a double-take when I saw him at the bar.
Oops – realized there are two black hats in the photo. The guy all the way over to the right is Joe H. – but the other guy, second in from the left … I don’t know, to me he looks uncannily like Timothy!
I am sooooo, so, so, so, so insanely jealous of you. That is all I can say…
I wish you had been there, Beth! It’s a yearly event so maybe next year you should come down on a field trip.