Sitting from left to right is Lisa Kelly,Lynn Hilary,and Máiréad Nesbitt. Standing from left to right is Chloë Agnew and Alex Sharpe
When it's pledge drive time at PBS, out come the mass-appeal shows: doo-wop groups, Yanni and, in recent years, Celtic Woman in concert.
But Celtic Woman, in Tampa on Sunday, is a lot more than a public TV phenomenon. The 5-year-old group with a somewhat fluid membership has sold millions of CDs and played sold-out concerts around the world, thanks to a combination of polished versions of traditional Irish songs (they've been called a vocal version of Riverdance) and Irish-tinged renderings of slick new pop songs (you could think of them as Celine Dion with a brogue).
Their television performances show that they're fine singers with a slick show backed by excellent musicians. All of that should be much more impressive in concert.
Celtic Woman, Isle of Hope, will be at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center's Carol Morsani Hall at 3 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $38.75 to $73.25 plus service charge. (813) 229-7827; tbpac.org.
St Petersburg Times
tampabay.com
By Marty Clear, Times Correspondent
Thursday, April 2, 2009
