Al Gritzmacher - Enter The Haggis

Enter The Haggis - Gaelic Storm

Created on Friday, 4. August 2006.

August 1, 2006 - Artpark, Lewiston NY.

Gaelic Storm and Enter The Haggis played Artpark for what I had hoped would be my first day of retirement. Unfortunately, Delphi had other plans (can you plan that level of mis-management?) but I went anyway and hustled into work afterward.

The crowd was much smaller than the first show I went to, America, probably due to the weather. It was hot around the 90s with a heat index nearing triple digits. Even the cool breeze off the river wasn't enough until after sundown. But those who were there were in great spirits and enjoyed the show.

I saw a lot of people I knew, friends from other Celtic shows I've seen over and over. I was wearing a t-shirt from one of the South Buffalo fies in Caz Park and almost as soon as I got there someone in a kilt was calling to me to let me know this years was coming up in September! Actually, I had just received the band lineup and put it in my calendar a day or two earlier.

Enter The Haggis, a Toronto band that I had heard of and had some of their music for a while was the opener. I had never seen them play before. In fact, I don't remember them playing anytime in the Buffalo area in recent history. I had even considered going to the Irish 2000 festival in Altamont because they were one of the regular bands there.

I had remembered them as being more punk than they seemed this night. Either they've mellowed thier sound, or I'm wrong. It happens! But they were very good and gave an enjoyable celtic-folk-rock performance.

Of course, Gaelic Storm was the highlight. It's almost tough to call them the headliner over ETH, but someone had to go first. I have seen GS before, twice at Buffalo Irish Festivals. Their digeridoo player (whose name I forget) is no longer with them (I was aware of that before the show, so it wasn't a surprise) so there was one less person stage and it seemed a bit thin because of it.

But every other aspect of the show was up to par, despite the heat. They must have been suffering as much as we were from it, but they didn't show it and gave an energetic show. Fortunately, the sun went down as they were playing and it did get noticeably cooler. They had a new CD out and played a lot of new songs from it.

Anyway, I took photos. Lots of pictures. See them here!