The Paul McKenna band

[GatorChris]

Do you do anything out side of Disney? I will definitely be back to see them again and will be showing my support.

Alright, Paul's mom!

And yes, I do quite a bit outside of Disney. For one, I perform myself. And I learned long ago that what I wear and what I do visually is as important as the way I sing and play. It's the difference between no one caring and everyone caring. I know. I've lived it.

And feel free to support this new band. You clearly know them better than the rest of us. Just know that a lot of us are still stinging from our favorite acts, entertaining acts I might add, being cut. I'm just waiting for that first person to come along and say they were great and the crowd loved them and here's the video proof.

 

[maclondon]

I guess this is the part I don't get. The main reason I used to fly from CA to WDW is because of Epcot. And I loved Epcot for all of it's great nation-themed entertainment.

you know it wouldn't cost a whole lot more to keep on the plane and go to 'real' europe

 

[carlyle688]

Alright, Paul's mom!

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.


Whoever they are, they aren't helping the band by creating an account simply to come on here and insult people.

That's nonsense! Rather than some rubbish bands who have been manufactured by Disney this is a real band. They are from Scotland aren't they? So therefore this is obviously the way folk bands dress and act while performing. That video is also probably from the first day. You're right, it's not a show, it's not meant to be. I think you're missing the point completely. Kilts and dancing around the place? This is actually good music and if you need people dressed like idiots to find something entertaining then there's somethjng seriously wrong with you. Do you do anything out side of Disney? I will definitely be back to see them again and will be showing my support.

 

[katdralion]

It's not about the music. It's about presentation. When I go to the local celtic/highlands fair, I hear OK music but they're dressed up in Celtic attire and dancing and spinning around on stage. The McKenna band is good for their genre, but they come out dressed like everyone else in the crowd and stand and play. I get it - that's what folk music is supposed to be. But this is Disney where paying customers expect entertainment that gives them a buzz.

I think they sound great but then when I pay to go and see a band it's ALL about the music! I couldn't give two hoots about what they are wearing and I certainly wouldn't want to see them dancing and spinning around like a bunch of trained seals. These are real musicians not a circus act.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

They're fine, but I do miss the interactive acts. That was something I really enjoyed about World Showcase Players and The Ziti Sisters - they were interactive with the adults. The bands are fun and all, but you really just walk by them and listen to the music. You are pulled up to be Romeo, Edna, Galahad, Caesar, Superman, etc. That was fun and something just for the adults. The only other act that is still in world showcase that is interactive is Sergio and, while I love his show, only one or two adults is ever incorporated and it is usually to make fun of them and point out how they aren't as good as the kids.

Anyway, the band is fine. Not likely to be something I will stop to watch like I did with Off Kilter, but also not something that will make me alter my World Showcase plans in hopes of avoiding them ala lumberjack show.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

It's not about the music. It's about presentation. When I go to the local celtic/highlands fair, I hear OK music but they're dressed up in Celtic attire and dancing and spinning around on stage. The McKenna band is good for their genre, but they come out dressed like everyone else in the crowd and stand and play. I get it - that's what folk music is supposed to be. But this is Disney where paying customers expect entertainment that gives them a buzz.

When Off Kilter performed, it was in kilts. When British Invasion plays, it's in Beatles-type attire. When the Fife&Drum corp came out, it was in colonial garb. When the World Showcase Players did comedy, it was in 1800s British-common costume. I guess why everyone is so down on the new show is people are visual first. If they look like the band that plays at the downtown cafe' every Friday night, people simply won't be impressed.

The other side is this - I miss the comedy show that preceded Paul McKenna's act and the 50-150 people that would congregate and have a hilarious time. As good as PMB may be, it's seems more of "mood music" then a show. And Disney can play that over the speakers - in fact, they already do.

Honestly, I think I'd like it more if they were dressed differently, as well.

 

[emokid9963]

Saw them play last weekend and it was the highlight of my day honestly. I really do enjoy more folky (sp?) music, and this was just great. It was rather sad that my girlfriend and I were the only people who watched from start to finish. Will watch them everytime we go now!

 

[GatorChris]

It was rather sad that my girlfriend and I were the only people who watched from start to finish. Will watch them everytime we go now!

And see, this is what I mean. Instead of a show where people continued to gather throughout the performance like the WSPs, it's a walk-by act for many people. It's not that they're bad. It's that most people don't dig folk music or celtic music enough to spend 20 minutes not going to the next attraction. Not unless something besides the music grabs them. There's a reason Off Kilter wore kilts and played covers - because people stop for that stuff.

Alright, I think I've said enough. Just bring back the WSP already. You can keep the band - just put them in the Rose&Crown and let it be like Biergarten, only without the horns and weird green shorts/overalls.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . They are from Scotland aren't they? . . .

1) Are they?
2) The "official" Paul McKenna Band website
. . . does not have a picture of all the same people
. . . lists five in the band, not four
. . . lists a Nov-11-2014 Germany tour date, not Epcot
. . . appears the have two of the band members performing in Epcot
. . . the rest of the band seems reconfigured

3) I know that folks say they want the music, not the outfits.
4) However, this is Disney, not the corner Pub.
5) I want, and demand, an experience.
6) Scruffy jeans, to me, is not an experience.

NOTE:
. . . I am a part-time musician.
. . . OK, so I play a banjo and some say that doesn't count.
. . . But, I have played in several folk and bluegrass bands.
. . . Plus, I play with the Ocoee Parking Lot Bluegrass Jam (YouTube, not me on this video)
. . . I hope I can appreciate music.
. . . This band does not impress me.

 

[katdralion]

They are from Scotland aren't they?

Yes, they absolutely are! They worked with my son's school on a Scots song project in Stirling. I don't recognise the girl on the bodhran though, it is normally Ewan Baird.

 

[realfolkmusic]

If I was Paul's mom I would have had a lot stronger words for you lot. Have your opinion but for me they are the only real band at epcot. Who cares what they dress like. Obviously you don't really understand the concept.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

If I was Paul's mom I would have had a lot stronger words for you lot. Have your opinion but for me they are the only real band at epcot. Who cares what they dress like. Obviously you don't really understand the concept.

Then please enlighten us.

 

[georgina]

Saw them on Saturday afternoon. We enjoyed them but we like that type of music already. No need for costumes or dancing, that would be odd for that kind of music. Plenty of people watching, many with glasses of beer from the pub.

I also enjoyed the band in Canada with holiday music.

I had seen the WSP so many times that the show was seeming to be the same each time.

 

[larryz]

Very pleasant.

Don't know if that's what they were going for, though...

 

[larryz]

The McKenna band is good for their genre, but they come out dressed like everyone else in the crowd and stand and play. I get it - that's what folk music is supposed to be. But this is Disney where paying customers expect entertainment that gives them a buzz.

The Paul McKenna Band is REAL. If you look at their website, that's who they are, that's how they dress, that's what they play.

If Epcot World Showcase is supposed to show us authentic examples of culture from the WS countries, then I accept that this band is an authentic example of UK-ish culture.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

I just miss the guest interaction of The Ziti Sisters and World Showcase Players. Bands are fine, but for me to stop and watch them they would need to have something that I would actually want to watch. If they are just playing regular music, I'm not likely to stop. I'll just listen to them as a walk around. If that's what Epcot was going for, then they have really achieved that. Heck, it might be what they want because now, instead of stopping and watching King Arthur and the Holy Grail for 25 minutes, I'm more likely to walk on by which makes me more likely to duck into a shop or grab something to eat or drink.

 

[realfolkmusic]

I just miss the guest interaction of The Ziti Sisters and World Showcase Players. Bands are fine, but for me to stop and watch them they would need to have something that I would actually want to watch. If they are just playing regular music, I'm not likely to stop. I'll just listen to them as a walk around. If that's what Epcot was going for, then they have really achieved that. Heck, it might be what they want because now, instead of stopping and watching King Arthur and the Holy Grail for 25 minutes, I'm more likely to walk on by which makes me more likely to duck into a shop or grab something to eat or drink.

You're just being disrespectful now. Have you seen them yet?

 

[BillSears]

I saw them play twice and I enjoyed the sets. But I do have one complaint, I wish they were louder. I had a hard time hearing the vocalist over the general hum of EPCOT and I missed a lot of the words.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

You're just being disrespectful now. Have you seen them yet?

Exactly how is saying that I miss acts that were interactive "being disrespectful"? I've seen a video of them. They aren't interactive like World Showcase Players or The Ziti Sisters were. I like those acts because of the guest interaction. A band, though, will play music and I will listen as I stroll by, but I'm not going to stop unless they have something that grabs my attention that I want to watch. In this case, a band just playing music isn't going to accomplish that.

 

[GatorChris]

Exactly how is saying that I miss acts that were interactive "being disrespectful"? I've seen a video of them. They aren't interactive like World Showcase Players or The Ziti Sisters were. I like those acts because of the guest interaction. A band, though, will play music and I will listen as I stroll by, but I'm not going to stop unless they have something that grabs my attention that I want to watch. In this case, a band just playing music isn't going to accomplish that.

Nothing disrespectful about this. There's a lot of us who miss the interaction. With Off Kilter, I would usually stand around and catch a song, and then keep walking. With the El Mariache Cobre, I'd catch a song, video it, then keep moving. With Mo'Rockin, all I did was Mo'Walkin. I'm a music lover/performer/addict. But at Epcot, at a theme park, I don't tend to sit and listen to music unless there's a purpose: part of a bigger show, they're singing while I'm eating.

People like Jenna and me miss the interaction. Nothing wrong with that. Especially when the replacement simply stands on a sidewalk and sings nice and soft. Maybe if I were into drinking a lot of beer and sitting around, this would be my thing. After all the walking around we do, rides we hit, hearing the music that constantly plays at WDW, I'm looking for a good laugh and a fun time. Celtic Folk just doesn't fill that craving. Not disrespectful. Honest. And if Disney sent me a survey, this would be at the top of the list.

Bring back the laughs. Bring back the World Showcase Players.
https://www.facebook.com/honoraryworldshowcaseplayers