When the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre said they’d be presenting an East Coast Week, everyone was ready for lively, down home fun.
With the Barra MacNeils and Gordie MacKeeman & His Rhythm Boys on tap for two shows in just a few days, Valley toes were tapping in anticipation.
Nobody was disappointed with the results, either.
When the Barra MacNeils get together for a Christmas Celidh, everyone’s invited.
The acclaimed Nova Scotia band kicked off their cross-country holiday tour at the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre Friday, Nov. 13 and the big crowd of fans that turned out to welcome them was indeed in a party mood.
They got what they came for, too, Lucy, Sheumas, Kyle, Stewart and Boyd MacNeil and James Gatti delivered an entertaining evening of seasonal music from Down East.
The program included everything from step dancing to Ave Maria with many stops in between.
Click on the image below for a photo gallery.
The foot-stomping good tunes had the audience clapping along.
MacKeeman and Co. were set to go onstage Nov. 19. In fact, they were within hours of showtime when a bug hit guitarist Peter Cann.
Luckily, they were able to reschedule for Sunday afternoon, Nov. 22 and at 2:30 p.m. and when “Crazy Legs” MacKeeman started the show off with a lively tap dance, everyone knew it had been worth making the extra effort to fit in the change of time and day.
Along with Cann, MacKeeman was joined by Thomas Webb and Mark Geddes, and the four of them provided an extremely engaging, energetic afternoon of their own music and some covers but all with that special Prince Edward Island bluegrass touch that is theirs alone.