Celtic Crossroads

The Ark is a great place, but it is not popular among college students because it tends to tailor its shows toward the older generations. That is why I was surprised that a group like Celtic Crossroads was featured there. The musicians and dancers were much younger than I expected, not because young people do not play Irish music, but because of where they were playing and who they were playing for. The majority of the audience had the gray hair and wrinkles of older parents and grandparents, who often listen to music from when they were young. Perhaps I am wrong to stereotype though. I also enjoyed the modern twist they put in their music. Looking back, I should not have been so surprised that the audience liked it too, even though they were older. Clearly they can recognize talent no matter what kind of music it plays. I was expecting something a bit more traditional, but it was very interesting how they incorporated a wide range of styles into their show.

I also noticed that Celtic Crossroads kept to the theme of loss in their lyrics, which has been a common motif throughout the class. Even the American song they chose to perform was about loss. The lyrics are “If it hadn’t been for Cottoneyed Joe, I would’ve been married a long time ago. Where did you come from? Where did you go? Where did you come from Cottoneyed Joe?” The suffering and loss in this song, as well as one of the others they sang, is masked by upbeat music and a joking tone, as if they are laughing at themselves to keep from feeling sad. This is an interesting way of dealing with one’s feelings, and it is uncommon for Americans to deal with their feelings in this way. Perhaps some of our music would be less whiny and annoying if our artists used this technique.