Celtic Thunder rolls into Pittsburgh

Celtic Thunder

Heinz Hall

Oct. 20, 7:30 p.m.

$47.50 – $67.50

412-392-4900

Decked out in… Celtic Thunder

Heinz Hall

Oct. 20, 7:30 p.m.

$47.50 – $67.50

412-392-4900

Decked out in plaid, one of Ireland’s most exciting vocal groups, Celtic Thunder, will rumble and roll into Pittsburgh this fall.

Celtic Thunder combines the talents of five men to create a variety of music, including Celtic ballads and popular hit songs. Some of its songs are acoustic, while others are products of an entire orchestra.

On stage backdrops are also used to give the setting a scenic feeling.

With props, the orchestra ensemble and even a composer, Celtic Thunder blows boy bands out of the park.

“It’s a unique show. It’s five completely different voices, five soloists in a show who just come together,” Celtic Thunder singer Damian Joseph McGinty, Jr. said.

Creator and producer Sharon Browne put the group together after hosting auditions in Ireland two years ago.

“It’s her baby. She thought it up,” McGinty said about Browne. “She tried to think of something the Americans would love. We’re working, making records, trying to sell our show.”

However, McGinty said Celtic Thunder does not fit the stereotype of boy band in any sense.

“It’s five soloists who sing their own show and come together to produce a few good shows,” McGinty said.

There is also an incredible discrepancy in ages.

“The age difference is huge,” McGinty said. “I’m the youngest. I turned 17 last month.”

Of the other four singers, one is 23, two are in their 30s and the oldest is 41.

“It’s a weird combination,” McGinty said. “[But] a different age attracts different people. It could attract the widest audience possible. You never see a boy band where age varies so much. It’s gone well so far, and we’re all enjoying it.”

The five different voices and vocal ranges can provide a challenge, but McGinty said their composer Phil Coulter does a good job creating the best pieces for the band’s lineup.

The wide range of musical instruments matches the wide range of vocal talent. Including everything from a full orchestra to a smaller string quartet, bass player, drummer and percussionist, a Celtic Thunder performance can be compared to a full-blown musical.

“The more instruments you’ve got, the more songs you can produce,” said McGinty.

Attracting the widest audience goes hand in hand with Celtic Thunder’s mission, which is not just to make money by selling records, but to make people happy, McGinty said.

McGinty recalled one woman who thanked Celtic Thunder for helping her through chemotherapy, saying the group was an inspiration to her.

“That’s an amazing thing to hear,” McGinty said. “We were all shocked. It was incredible.”

McGinty said the group does tries to advertise and make sure it can reach as many people as possible, which was a challenge to begin with.

“When we were released in March 2008, nobody knew who we were,” McGinty said. “We’ve done a lot of promotion around PBS and TV stations. It’s a challenge to get yourself known because it’s a big place. It’s part of the fun, though.”

Along with TV promotions, the group began recording its CD very early.

“We recorded the album in the summer 2008, and I was 14 at the time,” McGinty said. “I never really sang in a studio before. I wasn’t really nervous. It was so new, I didn’t understand the size and capacity of what I was doing. We were all excited. We all recorded the songs and had a great couple of weeks in Ireland.

“There’s a couple weeks off, then we’re being back in the studio,” he said. “Me, I prefer being on stage. It’s an incredible feeling. You don’t get a bigger buzz.”

The reactions of the crowd can especially assist in the buzz which stage performers like McGinty experience.

“Sometimes the crowds are absolutely incredible,” McGinty said. “If the crowd is incredible, then you’re not going to forget anything soon. Places like Pittsburgh — we were there last year, that was incredible.”

“We buzz off a crowd, the crowd buzzes off us,” he said. “We all look forward to Pittsburgh, and we cannot wait to play there.”