What a Zoo! I went to my second Zoo Music show of the year this last Friday, and man, who invited all these damn people? The place is becoming way too crowded. A couple years ago, they decided to make free admission to the zoo concerts one of the benefits of membership to the NM Zoological Society. This seems to me to have opened the floodgates and led to the overstuffed attendance of these shows. I left the house an hour ahead of showtime. I took me 10 minutes to get from 10th and Central to the Zoo parking lot. It took another 5 to find a place to park. The zoo lot was already full so I had to park about 2 blocks away at the end of a residential street. It took another 20 minutes waiting in the zoo member line (this has NEVER happened before) until I was actually in place. Going to these events is becoming such a hassle that I think many people are going to get turned off by the experience. However, I was determined to see the show, and the hassle turned out to be well worth the effort.
The performer that night was Natalie MacMaster, a Celtic fiddle player from Cape Breton Island Canada. Her emphasis is on traditional Celtic music, but with some wonderful twists and turns toward rock, bluegrass and jazz influences.
What struck me most about Natalie was her tremendous energy. It takes enormous skill to play the fiddle as masterfully as she did, but she also bounced around the stage like a hummingbird on crack, dancing, jumping and rarely standing still.
We also got a brief step dancing performance from three local Celtic dance students, who added an even more theatrical touch to the evening. The music was uplifting, delightful and brilliantly played. The energy was spectacular. If you have any interest in Celtic music, don't miss Natalie MacMaster the next time she comes to town!