Went to see these lads again, this time with the whole clan. They played on a stage in the North Meadow at the Woodland Park Zoo for the ZooTunes series. Sadly, the setting sun was shining directly on the stage, so much of the first part of the show was visually obstructed by large umbrellas used as sun shades. By the time the break rolled around, things were more manageable, but they sounded great, regardless.
As usual, they had some guests with them, notably some practitioners of Ottawa Valley stepdancing which seemed like full-on tap dancing with traditional Irish rhythm. Unlike the more traditional style, with lots of leg kicks but no arm action, this was full-body dancing. Very impressive. There were also some traditional step dancers, including the required element of a willowy female dancer with long red hair, kicking up a storm. By the time all was said and done, there were more dancers than musicians, even with the addition of a bluegrass picker (Keith Little) and Patty Griffin, a singer they worked with on some recent recordings and whose tour crossed theirs here in Seattle.
All in all, an enjoyable show. Kids got a little bored, mostly because it was hard to see much from the lawn, but I thought it was great. Some great solo turns by Sean Keane and Matt Molloy, more singing by Kevin Conneff than the last show we saw, just lots to like.