We've waited this long into 2014 and now we have it: the musical event of the year! The Boomtown Rats, the Stunning and Mundy are set to perform on the same bill as part of the Big Session in New York and Boston next month.
The Big Session, presented by Smithwick’s Irish Ale, will take place at Terminal 5 in New York on September 26 and The Royale in Boston on September 28.
The shows are the culmination of a month-long pub rock tour presented by Smithwick’s featuring a series of gigs along the East Coast this September. Acts performing on the tour will include some legendary names from the Celtic Rock scene in the U.S. as well as a host of much talked about bands from Ireland.
The Boomtown Rats need no introduction. Led by Bob Geldof, the band became one of the biggest bands of the late 1970s and early ‘80s with a string of Top 10 hits and platinum albums. They were the first Irish band to have a U.K. number one hit with “Rat Trap,” and they went on to top the charts in 32 countries with “I Don't Like Mondays” and a string of albums.
The Boomtown Rats had been on an indefinite hiatus until they came out of the mothballs for last year’s barnstorming set at the Isle of Wight Festival stage. After the show, an exhilarated Geldof said, "It's weird. I'd forgotten how powerful a band the Rats are!"
Fans have been waiting for decades to see the Rats perform live. This will be their first live shows in the U.S. since the late ‘80s.
That would be enough of a reason to come out to the show but there is more! The Stunning’ will be on this bill as well. Their first two albums, Paradise in the Picturehouse and Once Around the World both went to number one in the Irish album charts. They are considered to be classic alternative rock discs in the Emerald Isle.
Mundy is one of the most promising performers. He completed a successful U.S. tour earlier this year that included a performance at the White House on St. Patrick’s Day.
From Birr, Co. Offaly, his 2008 version of “Galway Girl” spent five weeks at number one on the Irish singles chart. He has shared a stage with Oasis and the White Stripes among others.
Ash has also been announced as a special guest for the New York show. Their power pop punk is truly infectious, and it has brought them a string of U.K. Top 40 hits including “Shining Star,” “Sometimes” and “Burn Baby Burn.”
The possibility of seeing Boomtown Rats and Ash at the same time gives me goosebumps as I type this!
The shows will be hosted by Irish comedy legend Joe Rooney, whose TV appearances include Father Ted.
The Big Session tickets, priced at $48, can be purchased here for the New York show and here for the Boston show. For more information visit the Big Session's Facebook page.
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