The High Kings

We saw The High Kings at the Riffe Center in Columbus, Ohio, tonight. The show was excellent. There's not a weak voice in the quartet, and it seemed like they had as much fun as the somewhat-small (less than 200 people) crowd did. I would highly recommend the show to anyone.

Felt like we were watching our uncles and cousins jam in the living room. Well worth the travel time and expense to experience these guys at the Birchmere. Will definitely make the trek again!!!

2nd time seeing the High Kings and the show was great! George Murphy is a great addition to the group!

The show was fantastic!! The songs were moving... emotionally, physically, melodically. The acoustics in the theater were perfect for their style of music. My boyfriend & I loved the show. It was an extraordinary night, even getting to meet them afterwards.

The High Kings put on a roof raising, foot-stompin', heart-felt, high energy show rich, in Irish story tunes and their own musical talent and pedigree. Their rousing renditions of classic songs makes the music stick in your head, and you keep on smiling (and maybe even high kicking) for days after. The four artists, Finbar Clancy, Brian Dunphy, Martin Furey, and Darren Holden, create instant rapport with the audience and clearly enjoy what they are doing so much, it's contagious! They slow down the tempo occasionally ("so we don't pass out" as they say) for achingly beautiful acapella versions of the old songs everyone loves, and here their perfectly blended voices fill up your ears and eyes and heart. The lads stick around after the concert to say thanks and shake every hand in the house, and they really mean it. Don't miss them when they come to the States!

Hight Kings were great! Small room so everybody was close to the stage. Sound could have been better to get an excellant rating.

The concert was great. I loved that the restaurant had live feeds to their television screens to allow people without a great view to see better.

Absolutely a fantastic night with incredible gentlemen! The music and craic were mighty. Made new friends all around and sang ourselves hoarse.

we loved it !! wish it was a bit more promoted. the attendance was sparse, and the Irish community loves their music.

I have been a fan of the High Kings from the beginning. I bought their first cd and dvd way back when. I listen to them daily along with the Dubliners, and that is a huge compliment to put them in the same category as them. When I heard they were coming to Minneapolis I was so excited. It was a very small venue in the Hennepin Theatre but it was nice as it felt more personal. I loved the show as I knew I would, their voices harmonize so beautifully together. They're a huge talent that will only get bigger and bigger. There were a few technical difficulties and there wasn't much for staging but I was there for the music and I wasn't disappointed. I also thought it was great how they took the time for pictures afterwards. I wish I had known that ahead of time though to work up my nerve as I didn't have my photo taken with them as I left but soon regretted it. I looked on their webpage to see if and when they will be returning. Whoohoo...Irish Fair in August. I will be going again ! LOVE THEM

The High Kings were excellent. I've seen them in Columbus before, but their scaled down performance was much better. They showed that they are truly exceptional musicians. We were lucky to meet them after the show.

This is an extremely talented group from Ireland who perform traditional Irish music. It was a high-energy and intimate performance which blended songs from their new CD, Memory Lane, with their first CD, The High Kings. Just a lot of fun to watch, as well as sing along with.

The musical ability of these 4 men is marvelous! There were some issues with sound. . . mikes were not always working. Sound mixing prevented us from understanding the words. We will attend ANY concert these men bring back to the metro area! In fact, we hope to see them in Ireland in 2012.

It was simply FANTASTIC!!!!! I would recommend this to everyone.

When we walked into the small venue (seats approx 200) I wasn't sure what to expect. We had heard them play at the Irish Fair last summer and enjoyed them. These men are very talented musicians and singers who kept us entertained for at least 2 hours. Can't wait to see them again!

Great! The small theater at Hennepin Stages was wonderful. The High Kings were great. I would love to see them again.

The High Kings gave an amazing performance on Tuesday night. Regardless of some of the technical difficulties ( there were a lot of audio/instrumental level adjustments), the guys took it in stride and filled time telling jokes and stories. This was the 3rd time that I've seen them and love the small venue style that they are doing. It just feels like a group of friends getting together, enjoying each other's company, and having a rousing good time.

This was an amazing concert in a great, intimate theater. Loved to hear them sing, loved the stories behind the songs, and loved the accents! They looked like they were having so much fun performing, which makes it more fun to listen to. A great night!

Enjoyed the performance at a very intimate venue. From what I have heard about the group...there were things that they couldn't do in that theater, but looking forward to seeing them at Irish Fest, ie, bagpipes. It could have been a bit longer...but a nice taste pre-Irish Fest! Great group!

These boys don't disappoint! Great mix of old sing along classics and songs I'd never heard before. I'd never seen the High Kings or been to Shank Call before. We got there a little later than I wanted So we ended up sitting in the back, but I could still see just fine.

It is hard to believe that 7 years had passed since their last Birchmere show but the wait was worth it . The group has changed one member (Furey) but there was a good mixture of sing a longs and old standards to keep the crowd involved. It was an enjoyable evening of Irish entertainment coinciding with Ireland's Grand Slam win over England at Twickenham on St. Patrick's Day to conclude a great "Irish Weekend"

Awesome venue and as always the High Kings were great!

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to The High Kings! I loved the atmosphere of The Birchmere! I think the crowd would have been more upbeat if they didn t feel the need to sit the whole time. I would have liked for the crowd to get up and clap and dance along. I think the band s energy was lower because of the crowd s low energy. We stood up at the end, but I would ve enjoyed it more if I could stand up earlier in the show.

The band was talented and engaging. Loved the music. Glad the pipes came in at the end. I thought the mikes were on too loud so I could not hear what they were saying. This was also noted by the friends i was with. The seats at the Somerville theater are TINY. I am not a big person but even I felt squished into them. It is a beautiful venue though.

The High Kings played at the Paradise Rock Club on St. Patrick's Day. It was a full capacity crowd and truly appreciated the talent and musicianship of The High Kings. The High Kings sang well known songs such "Rocky Road to Dublin" and "The Auld Triangle". They also sang songs that may not be as well known, such as "Peggy Gordon" and "Joe Hill". The audience was rearing to go from the first song and never stopped until the last song was played. The High Kings matched the energy of the audience with their amazing vocal and instrumental abilities. In short, The High Kings concert was a perfect match for St. Patrick's Day in Boston. The High Kings were awesome and took time to do a signing after the show.

Attended the show in Norfolk, VA...amazing voices, good entertainment, and a thoroughly enjoyable evening. I would love to see The High Kings again...am purchasing their CD's. Fantastic group!

The Irish gentlemen are gifted with beautiful voices. Both their solos and their ensemble work were real treats of sound. The most powerful work they did was in their a capella numbers, when the pure tone and pitch of their voices was "in plain view," with no instruments to act as masking agents or as support. In addition to their musical talents, the Kings appeared to be genuinely nice guys, with the refreshing Irish humor popping up frequently. They're the kind of good souls who make audiences really hope for their unbridled success!

Absolutely awesome from beginning to end! The only thing wrong with the whole event was the being stuck in a theater chair and unable to dance. Most of the show was wild Irish gigs. They only slowed the music down for a few soft songs. I left the theater feeling better about the world than I have in years. Went straight home and ordered their album "Memory Lane," from Amazon. I discovered I need more Irish music in my life!

The High Kings are excellent performers, whether on CD or live. I was so impressed by their sheer talent, whether vocal or instrumental. They were charming, entertaining and truly the best concert I have been to. I would highly recommend this to anyone.

The first two songs were a little slow... but then all talent broke loose and it turned out to be an incredible experience. We had never seen the High Kings before and did not really know what to expect after seeing their website! Well worth the price of admission!

Saw they were playing at the Birchmere and did not hesitate to get tickets. They were excellent even better than I imagined. I highly recommend! All great songs, great harmony, a great night

The High Kings gave an amazing show at the Birchmere! They performed many favorite traditional tunes, giving them their special touch. Loved hearing tunes I know from the Clancy Brothers or Finbar Furey being sung by the next generation of Irish minstrels. Their harmonies were fantastic, especially when they sang a capella.

These lads put on such an excellent show; it was well worth the price of the ticket. They do great justice to the old traditional folk songs but have put a very welcome modern spin on the arrangements. If they're playing in your area, snatch up a ticket as fast as you can - you won't be disappointed!

The Highkings were entertaining in the tradition of the famous Irish groups. They performed enjoyable Irish classics along with some new material. The audience was encouraged to join in on the more familiar songs-a very enjoyable night

The High Kings really put their whole heart and soul into performing. The energy from them collectively was electrifying--it was obvious that they were having great fun and wanted to be sure we were as well. I particularly liked the songs that they introduced as special to them, whether it was Finbarr remembering his father and uncles, or Brian sharing about learning a song from his grandfather--it made the songs special to us as well. They were not just performing--they were sharing their love of the music and the traditions of many of the songs, as well as sharing their musical talents with us. Each of them has a terrific singing voice, with Darren's multi-musical-tasking to Finbarr's guitar-playing, Brian's phenomenal bodhran and Martin's soulful wind instruments it was an evening to remember. As the audience enjoyed and appreciated the many talents of The High Kings, they, too, seemed to appreciate us. Near the end Brian thanked us all on behalf of the group for being there to hear them, and it was a mutual lovefest.

The High Kings are an amazing group. We got to sit so close at the Birchmere for a really special experience. Their voices were rich, their enthusiasm high, and their personalities were revelaed to us. The songs were all wonderful. You could see the green grass of Ireland as they sang. Don't miss them if you get the chance.

Great program! Can't come up with enough superlatives to fill the minimum 50 characters for this post

The High Kings put on a great high energy show .Great to see a group like this in a intimate club-like setting with excellent sound. This is the third time I have seen them in the last 6 months. The lads just keep getting better. The new CD, "Memory Lane" is great. Can't wait for the next time they play in New England

The Kings were great as always but the M&T Pavillion was not the place for them to perform. It should be kept as a recital hall, the accoustics overpowered their sound system and while I could recognize the music, the lyrics were unintelligible. No one who was more than 3 or 4 rows back could understand what they were saying in their introductions to the songs. They did 3 numbers acapella without mikes or instruments and they were absolutely perfect in every way and the acoustic in the pavillion were a real advantage for those songs. All in all I saw them do almost the same program last August at Brittingham's, an Irish pub and restaurant just outside Philadelphia and enjoyed it a lot more because the venue was intimate and the sound system fit the room.

I loved all the music. Each of the four performers did an outstanding performance, both instrumentally and vocally. I especially liked when they sang a cappella as their voices blended superbly. It was very informal as there was only about 250 people in the audience and all seats were close. The reason I gave it a 4 star rating is because the acoustics were poor since it was held in the M & T Bank Pavilon next to the Hippodrome theater. There was too much reverberation because the venue is small. It was hard to understand the words being sung. There was nothing fancy about the set because there was nothing more than a black curtain behind the performers and only a couple spotlights. I did not like general admission seating because it was first come for the closest seats even though the tickets had seat numbers printed on them. It didn't mean a thing.

I have seen them once before and they were every bit as good as I remembered. Better, because this was a smaller venue & I could sit closer. They do such a good mix of familiar classics, with their own twist, plus other songs I don't know. And they seem to be having such a good time up there. That they stood around & signed autographs & took pictures with everyone who wanted one was just a bonus!

The High Kings did an amazing job! My husband and I are already planningon trying to see them in concert again.

The High Kings put on a brilliant show. They are very personable, and really bring the music to life. It is amazing to see them bringing traditional Irish music to a new generation!

High energy, high emotion, high quality. The High Kings deserve a round of high fives!

The beauiful Irish country music----ruined by the horrible sound system and acoustics in the high ceilinged hallway. We left halfway. $100 down the drain.

The concert was absolutely amazing. All 4 of the guys in the band have unique talents, and i was excited throughout the entire show! Best show ive ever seen

All I can say is please have them back again and again.

The boys were back in town! Yes, the High Kings made their return engagement to the states to promote their second CD, "Memory Lane". Neither the show, nor does the CD disappoint. Different from their first CD, this is more acoustic and relies less on production. The vocals, the camaraderie and the love of this music really shines through. Whether singing solo or all together, everything seems more soulful, more buoyant and very much at home. Brian Dunphy's leads on "Fields of Athenry" and " The Rare Old Times" is simply sublime. Martin Fury's, "Green Fields of France" is one of my top cuts on the CD, is a haunting rendition that harkens another time and place in live performance. Darren Holden is almost aerobic as prances around the stage and brings special nuances in "Cavan Girl". He should really record a country CD. FInbarr Clancy probably has the biggest shoes to fill, as the son of Bobby Clancy of the Brothers. He took us back to "Will Ye Go Lassie, Go?" Aside from the cold weather and the awkward venue location, The High Kings put on a great party and made us glad they are Irish. So much so, they made us feel Irish and welcomed in our own land. Who knew a bunch of Irish ballads and beer drinking songs could make a guy so happy?

Experiencing The High Kings in the intimate club-like setting of the Hard Rock Cafe made for an all together superb time. These Irish vocalists are accomplished craftsmen of Irish folk music. The concert was full of energy, fun and hauntingly beautiful songs. I plan to see them again the next time they are in Pittsburgh.

the harmony was crisp, the melodies were new and fresh. Four lads from Ireland did a great job and gave a wonderful performance!