Backstage at the Egyptian: Interview with Gaelic Storm

Celtic juggernaut Gaelic Storm is returning to the Egyptian Theatre on Friday, March 3rd at 8 PM. Marketing Intern, Josh Hanold, got the chance to chat with Gaelic Storm about how it feels to return to the Egyptian, what the audience can expect and what sets them apart from other Celtic musicians.

JOSH: How does it feel to come back to the Egyptian and what makes it such a special venue to perform at?

GAELIC STORM: The Egyptian is always a blast, we’ve been gigging there so long that it almost feels like a hometown gig.  Actually, for two of us in the band it kind of is, Pete and Ryan live in the Chicagoland area.  It’s easy to get excited about this venue because it always feels like the crowd is raring to go a bit crazy, which, of course, we live for.

J: What can newcomers expect from your show?

GS: They can come knowing that we treat our concerts more like parties than shows.  We try to involve everyone in the room right from the get-go and bring them along for an experience.

J: What is your favorite aspect of performing?

GS: In our opinion, the best part of performing onstage is the connection you create with your bandmates that permeates into the crowd.  Our whole performance is based on making that connection, and once that happens there’s no way you’re going to have a bad time.

J: How has the band managed to be as successful as it is after 25 years?

GS: The band has stayed successful because we are extremely hard workers.  We’ve continued to tour for the last 25 years consistently putting in between 100-130 shows a year.  As well, we have been lucky enough to build a remarkable relationship with our fans.  Their unwavering support is what keeps us going to do what we do.  We really are a lucky bunch.

J: What makes your band different from other Celtic bands?

GS: What makes us different from other Celtic bands is our instrumentation, our approach to writing original music, and of course our individual musical influences.  Those influences range from folk music like The Clancy Brothers, to rock like David Bowie and Depeche Mode, to traditional like Planxty, and all the way to hip hop like the Beastie Boys and everything in between.  That’s what’s so fun about creating new Gaelic Storm music. It always feels fresh because we are drawing from so many different musical areas.

Don’t miss this awesome show! Get your tickets today!