“I think that’s the best cover version I’ve ever heard,” sobbed the middle-aged man behind me. In between, Martha Wainwright literally brought tears to the eyes, paying tribute to her aunt Anna McGarrigle – one of the performers at the very first Transatlantic Session – with a version of her Goin’ Back To Harlan, before tackling Tom Waits’s Take It With Me When I Go. Ireland’s John Doyle tackled Ewan MacColl’s Tunnel Tigers, and Capercaillie’s Karen Matheson, wearing a glittery gold jacket to mark her 60th birthday, showcased her extraordinary voice in both English and Gaelic before Hothouse Flowers frontman Liam Ó Maonlaí brought the house down with his Irish-language finale, somehow persuading a packed hall to sing along with the chorus as the extravagantly coiffed and bearded singer whooped and stomped and flailed around the stage like a demented caveman. Young bluegrass duo Allison De Groot (banjo) and Tatiana Hargreaves (fiddle), from Winnipeg and North Carolina respectively nearly took the roof off the RFH with their foot-stompin’ old-time tunes and Chattanooga gal Amythyst Kiah created a similar storm with her self-styled “southern gothic” blend of blues from her native Tennessee and folk from the Appalachians. This year’s event featured an array of star quality among the other guests performing alongside the regular house band of Douglas on dobro and lap steel guitar, fiddlers Aly Bain and John McCusker, accordionist Phil Cunningham, piper Mike McGoldrick, keyboard player Donald Shaw, bass guitarist Daniel Kimbro and drummer James Mackintosh. Rock legend Eric Clapton made a surprise appearance at this year’s Transatlantic Sessions concert to pay tribute to his late friend Jeff Beck. His unadvertised guest appearance was a highlight of the annual show that brings together stars of folk music in Britain, Ireland and America, under the direction of musical director Jerry Douglas.
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