The bagpipes will skirl, the fiddle will fly, and the walls of the Historic Park Theatre will get a workout when Seven Nations returns to downtown Estes Park for two nights of Celtic rock.
The internationally known band will perform at 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 23 and 24. The concerts will mark the group’s 11th appearance at the theater, where it has built an enthusiastic following over the years.
“We are so excited to have the very popular Seven Nations back on stage live,” said Jenna McGregor of the Historic Park Theatre. “We are so excited to rock out with Seven Nations again this year, Celtic-rock style.”
Seven Nations is no stranger to Estes Park. The band has performed numerous times at the Longs Peak Scottish Irish Highland Festival, Autumn Gold, and the Historic Park Theatre. It is also a major sponsor of the theater, a downtown landmark at 130 Moraine Ave.
Concertgoers expecting a quiet evening of traditional Celtic ballads may be in for a surprise. Seven Nations blends the sounds of bagpipes and fiddle with electric guitar, bass and drums, creating music that can move from traditional roots and folk to dance music and full-throttle rock. The result is a sound meant as much for dancing and cheering as for listening.
The band began in New York City in 1993 with a conventional rock lineup of guitar, bass and drums. Bagpipes soon joined the mix and became an increasingly important part of the group’s identity.
Making bagpipes cool
“We soon introduced bagpipes into the show, and over time the number of songs utilizing bagpipes grew until it became obvious that they were integral to our emerging sound,” lead singer and guitarist Kirk McLeod said in the band’s biography.
Most of the musicians grew up playing Celtic music, McLeod said, but the band has performed original compositions since its beginning. The combination of pipes, fiddle and rock instrumentation gives Seven Nations its distinctive sound.
The band’s name honors seven Celtic nations: Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, Galicia, the Isle of Man and Brittany.
Since beginning full-time touring in 1994, Seven Nations has performed across Europe, Canada, Puerto Rico, and every U.S. state, including Alaska and Hawaii. The group has appeared in PBS and CNN specials and has recorded 17 albums. Its latest studio release is “Tales From the Eighth Nation Vol. II.”
Its career has included performances at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, the New York City Marathon and a New Year’s Eve celebration on Scotland’s Royal Mile before an audience of about 40,000 people.
Seven Nations has also taken Celtic rock into the orchestral world, performing with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Jacksonville Symphony, South Carolina Philharmonic, and Columbus Symphony Orchestra.
Despite the far-flung tours and large stages, Estes Park has remained a regular stop for the band. Its return to the intimate, single-screen Historic Park Theatre will put musicians and fans together in one of the town’s most distinctive performance spaces.
The theater bills itself as the nation’s oldest continuously operating single-screen movie theater, originally built to show motion pictures. For two nights, however, films will give way to live music — and the theater’s historic tower will stand above a building filled with fiddle, guitar and bagpipes.
Doors will open at 7:30 p.m., 30 minutes before each performance. Seating is open.
The concession stand will offer regular movie-theater candy, popcorn, and soft drinks, along with bottled beer, wine, and liquor.
Tickets are $25 and may be purchased through the Historic Park Theatre website or at the theater box office, 130 Moraine Ave. The theater’s official listing confirms performances at 8 p.m. Sept. 23 and 24.
Click here for more information, or call 970-586-8904.