12/17-18: An Nollaid: An Irish Christmas in Wickenburg
by Brie Mattox - Dec. 14, 2010 10:57 AM
The Arizona Republic

Classic holiday tunes get a Gaelic makeover this weekend as an Irish Christmas concert comes to the Valley.

Ivers' band, Immigrant Soul, will perform and tell stories about Irish holiday traditions.

Familiar tunes that will get an Irish spin include "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," "Deck the Halls" and "Do You Hear What I Hear?"

"There's so much beauty in them, and the melodies are very hummable, and it gets you in the Christmas mood," Ivers said.

Ivers and her band will perform 15 Christmas medleys of songs that date from the 12th century, including a "jiggified" version of Johann Sebastian Bach's classic "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring."

This year, the Wickenburg High School choir joins the cast onstage for four songs and performs a step dance that is a Saint Stephen's Day tradition. Saint Stephen's Day is celebrated Dec. 26 in Ireland.

The song "Ms. Fogarty's Christmas Cake," will get laughs with lyrics that describe the makings of the ultimate alcohol-infused fruitcake. Ivers even shares her family's recipe written in the show's program.

Concertgoers get a fun history lesson as Ivers takes the audience through the traditions of the Irish Christmas. The most famous perhaps is the hanging of holly on doors that can't be taken down until Little Christmas on Jan. 6 Doing so beforehand is considered bad luck.

Off-stage, Ivers will sell CDs and give all proceeds to the Salvation Army.

"I love that about it as well; it's very communal," she said.

What Ivers really wants is for families to enjoy the music and get into the Christmas spirit and a feel-good mood.

Some people approach her after shows and talk about how it has become a family tradition for them.

"It's the biggest form of flattery," Ivers said. "When you break that fourth wall of the concert theater, it's very powerful."