Weather Doesn't Dampen Boston Fest

One immediate benefit of great sound is more attentive listeners for sure but given the thriving acoustic music scene in Boston with its lively college atmosphere and varied venues, you already have a well-trained ear and interest in roots music. This festival would have attracted Irish and Celtic music fans that were well versed in the broad Irish Connections theme through weekly radio listenership of Celtic Sojourn (www. wgbh.org) produced and presented by Brian O'Donovan, also the artistic director of the ICONS Festival.

Those elements were key to allowing people to sit enraptured all weekend at the large but exposed Compass stage area (Compass Records was one of the main sponsors whose artists also predominated at the weekend event) while the ground grew dewy, damp and muddy by Sunday night.

All the acts paraded through that well-designed stage were mostly under cover, but they acknowledged the dedication of the audience out there on the marshy grounds. The smaller and protected areas like the Point, Abbey Theater, An Ghaeltacht/Cottage Stage, Hapapalooza and the WROL Marquee swelled as the varied acts and groupings were paraded through each venue on the Saturday and Sunday when attendance was at its pique.

Even the Burren Pub Tent which was a very noisy venue last year was tamed by the sound and audience this year as it made for a very hospitable meeting ground for ceol agus craic and a pint with a Fleadh-like atmosphere.

The Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann tent had great dance music all weekend from urban to traditional ceili music with Larry Reynolds Hannafin-Cooley mates playing much of the time. But they were ill-served by a new dance floor that was more suited to overcoming wet conditions and safety than it was for actual dancing given its composition and smaller size. (Hope they didn't throw out the old floorboards which did the trick for years?)

All the entertainment was first rate, but I'd like to call attention to two acts that really bore out the theme of Irish Connections for me that I observed. Maryland's Footworks Dance Ensemble under the direction of founder Eileen Carson and music director Mark Schatz vividly displayed the dance and percussive threads in two dedicated performances on the Compass stage and intermingled with other music sets there as well. The multicultural presentation was solid and professional and plain just good fun as they complimented the music and musicians in every way.

The second standout was the combination of Cape Breton fiddler Jerry Holland and Dubliner John Doyle, who were teamed up for the weekend at the Cottage, Burren and Point stages where they received standing ovations and great encouragement.

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Nster.com