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December 14 2004

'Very emotional' farewell tour Rita MacNeil brings tears to the eyes

by Graham Rockingham, The Hamilton Spectator

Here are two good reasons to go see the Rita MacNeil Christmas concert Thursday night. First off, it will probably be the last chance you'll get to see the Cape Breton songstress perform with The Men of the Deeps. Secondly, J.P. Cormier -- one of the best guitar/mandolin/banjo/fiddle players Cape Breton, or the rest of the country for that matter, has ever produced -- is playing with them.

Let's start off with MacNeil and the Men of the Deeps. The two have become sort of an institution in this country ever since they teamed up to play Expo '86 in Vancouver. MacNeil's quivering voice and her heart-rending song Working Man combined with the helmeted, coal miners' choir to bring tears to the eyes of a nation that had lost more than its fair share of men pulling resources from the ground. Those early shows also helped cast a light on all the hidden musical treasures buried on Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island, sparking an interest in east coast Celtic music that continues to this day. The Rankins, Ashley MacIsaac, Natalie MacMaster and others all followed.

For the past five years, MacNeil and the Men of the Deeps have been celebrating this Cape Breton tradition every winter with a special Christmas tour. "This is our farewell Christmas tour together," MacNeil said in a recent interview from her home in Sydney, N.S. "We'll be doing our own things (after), but as far as performing together this is our last tour. We're going to be saying goodbye to folks at these shows and it's very emotional."

MacNeil has a new record out called Blue Roses with 10 original songs sure to please her fans, and, if given a chance, create some new ones. She'll be performing both with and without the Men of the Deeps. The choir, also pushing a new album (Their Lights Will Shine) will sing with and without MacNeil >> more