SIOBHAN O'Brien opened this concert in magnificent voice, a roadie and cable show followed and Sharon Shannon's entourage burst to life finally at 10 p.m. with a tremendous Altan-esque fiddle based reel set.
One and a half hours of unflagging, brilliant music compensated frayed nerves. Shannon herself suited well, being in control with accordions, fiddle and whistle. A white spot set her off from redhued Winnie Horan's terrific biting fiddle, Trevor Hutchinson's bass bowing, bouncing and plucking, Donagh Hennessy's guitar, Ritchie Buckley's familiar sax riffing. Guest Seamus Egan (flute) added wildness and strength to closing encores that brought on fiddler Sean Smyth.
The light and familiar Mouth of the Tabique and Penguin Cafe set were mixed in this expert performance with the great depth and purpose of the syncopated interplay of the two women on fiddles in swing, continental polka style, interspersed with beautifully steady reels and jigs. Mood escalation in tune and tempo change was expertly effortless and Buckley's interventions superbly measured - his Lagan Love still defying cliche, his discordant endings quirky.
Shannon's whistleplaying ran from a West Clare directness to florid ornament but on the Sporting Paddy set the bass seemed to lose contact; in general, like guitar, it was unnecessarily domineering. The accordion sound itself was too loud for the venue but none of this suppressed the impressiveness of Shannon's musicianship and sheer control over the rigours of the straight to the downright contrary in an exceptionally enervating performance.
