BY SEAN SANBEG
October 1 – For nearly three hours, The Tartan Terrors entertained the Sherman Theater with Celtic music and an energetic stage presence.
While the show may have looked long on paper, the audience felt it wasn’t long enough. Immediately following the last song, audience members were calling for an encore. The Tartan Terrors gladly retook the stage and performed two more songs.
In a brief interview after the show, Chris Kerba, guitarist for The Tartan Terrors, said it was great to play at the Sherman Theater. “Playing in PA is amazing. The fans are awesome at all of our shows,” Kerba said.
The show went well on a technical level as well. “The sound guy was efficient. He checked every monitor and was very organized. We had great sound,” Kerba said.
A happy band produced a happy audience. By the end of the show, audience members were dancing by the stage.
Garry Gwozdz and Karen Taber are strong followers of The Tartan Terrors. “We know them from the Renaissance Fair,” Gwozdz said. “They have played there for St. Patrick’s Day for seven years. It’s sold out every year,” Taber said.
The show also doubled as a fund raiser for Pocono Pipes & Drums, who performed during intermission. Their performance was capped by a moving rendition of “Amazing Grace.”
Both The Tartan Terrors and Pocono Pipes & Drums had merchandise stands set up in the Sherman Theater lobby. At the conclusion of the show, the band members were even out at their tables to talk to fans, take pictures, and sign autographs.
The show’s opening was just as entertaining as The Tartan Terrors and Pocono Pipes & Drums. The first half hour of the show was dominated by the performers of Gallagher School of Irish Dancing. The young performers set the bar high with their various Irish dance numbers.
To continue the night of fund raising and good spirits, The Tartan Terrors performed “When Pink is Just a Color Again,” a song about breast cancer. Intermission followed the song, and audience members placed donations for the Breast Cancer Foundation on the stage as they left to stretch their legs.
The overall success of the show was all from the close musicianship of The Tartan Terrors. Each song flowed flawlessly into the next, transitioned either by brief moments of comedy or just by the change in song. The Tartan Terrors created a fun atmosphere with abundant audience interaction by telling jokes and stories. Late in the show, they even asked the audience to choose between two songs to determine what they would play next.
The band as a whole performed very well. Greig Cairns’s bass lines gave all of their songs a great sound, and Sahra Featherstone’s fiddle kept the energy level up. With complements from bag pipes, drums, and rhythm guitar, the overall sound blended perfectly. The volume itself was accommodating to both the youth of the audience and the elderly.
The Tartan Terrors and accompanying acts put on a great performance, validating their audience member’s enthusiasm and excitement for their next show.
