Backstage at the Egyptian: Patrick Murphy & Ryan Lacey of Gaelic Storm

Gaelic Storm concerts are known for their energy, spontaneity, and crowd interaction—making every show a little different from the last. With nearly 4,000 performances behind them, the band has built a reputation as one of the most entertaining live acts on the road. Ahead of their upcoming performance at the Egyptian Theatre, Egyptian Theatre Marketing Intern Myah Mackey connected with lead singer Patrick Murphy and drummer Ryan Lacey via email to talk about what makes their shows stand out, memorable moments on tour, and what audiences can expect when Gaelic Storm brings the party to DeKalb.

MYAH: What do you think makes your live performances stand out from other bands on tour?
PATRICK: For me I think it’s the interaction with the crowd and the spontaneity of the show every night. We have fans that have seen over 100 shows and I ask, “Why do you keep coming back?” Their reply is usually; “You never know what’s going to happen. It’s different every night.

M: How would you describe a Gaelic Storm concert in three words for someone who’s never experienced it before?
P: Do the best you can and never give up.

M: What’s been one of your most memorable crowd moments while touring?
P: One moment that sticks out was on a cruise called ‘The Rock Boat.’ I saw a guy in the audience having the time of his life. So I jumped off the stage and jumped on his back and asked him for a ‘piggy back ride’ around the deck. Turns out he was blind. Crowd went nuts.

M: When you step onto a historic stage like the Egyptian Theatre, does that change the way you approach the performance at all
P: Not really. We’re pushing 4,000 shows now and we’ve played every venue imaginable. I do love The Egyptian for the historic aspect of it Some of the smaller towns across the USA have beautiful old venues that require the entire community to keep them open. From the sponsors, volunteers, workers and the patrons. DeKalb should be very proud of keeping that venue open all those years. It’s part of the identity of the town in my opinion.

MYAH: What do you think makes your live performances stand out from other bands on tour?
RYAN: What sets us apart from a lot of other bands is that our live performances are so interactive. Each night we create almost a curated experience for the audience. Sure, we play the songs and the tunes, but outside of that, we involve the crowd to be a part of the show. Pat, our singer, constantly changes things up so we always have to be on our A-GAME, which we all appreciate, it just means there is never a dull moment on stage for us or the audience.

M: How would you describe a Gaelic Storm concert in three words for someone who’s never experienced it before?
R: Fun, Raucous, Spontaneous

M: What’s been one of your most memorable crowd moments while touring?
R: A year ago, we did a New Year’s Show opening up for the Zac Brown Band at the State Farm Arena. Of course, we were a little anxious about it because it felt enormous. The first song was going well, and I was able to relax a little bit, but in my mind, after the first song is done, you find out if the crowd is all in or not. Well…. our singer Pat turns to the crowd when that song finished and said “This next one is a standy-up-song, it’s a fun one” and all of a sudden, the entire sold-out arena stood up to party and it was then I knew we were golden. The rest of the show, the crowd was nuts. What an experience!

M: When you step onto a historic stage like the Egyptian Theatre, does that change the way you approach the performance at all?
R: Not so much for me. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Egyptian Theatre, but the approach to the show always remains the same. We come to create a party… period.