Texas State Fair and the Killdares

   Hi guys.  It’s me again, John Smith.
   The Texas State Fair is in town, folks (if you live ‘round here that is), in case you weren’t aware of that fact.  I sauntered on over there yesterday and had me a right good time.  Be warned though, before you go—if you haven’t already gone—there has been a major change.  You know those tasty fruit ice cream-like things they call Chills?  Well, I’m afraid that I must inform you that…they changed the name!  They’re calling them Freezes now.  Really?  Freezes?  The change makes absolutely no sense, because they are definitely not frozen.  But they are chilled.  Hence the previous name, Chills.  But it’s okay.  It’ll be all right.  They still taste good.
   Speaking of tasty food, check out them curly fries!  There was this new place (yeah, that’s right, something else new) and they were serving up, and I quote the menu “Mountain of Curly Fries”.  And when these people use the term mountain, they use it literally.  I mean, it was like they threw the potatoes into the fryer, cooked ‘em up, and when they were ready, just dumped the fryer full onto a plate and handed it out.  It was an insanely massive amount of fries.  And they were good too.  What more could a guy ask for?
   Maybe a good ol’ fashioned parade, eh what?  You’re never too old to enjoy watching the colorfully arrayed people and floats as they pass by.  It doesn’t hurt that you get some pretty nice music in the process.  Then there’s the tromp over to the fountain area for a bit of dazzling effects with a mixture of light, flame, and water.  This year I particularly enjoyed the part with Adele’s Set Fire to the Rain. I don’t think the fair would be quite complete without the parade and light show to finish it off. 
   This time around, though, the fair was a lot better than usual.  Why?  Because the Killdares were there, that’s why!  Yeah, they are there every year, but I only discovered this fact at the fair last year.  And so I spent the duration of the rest that year figuring out just how awesome they are.  And they’re pretty freakin’ awesome.  As a Celtic rock band, there aren’t many out there like them, if any at all.  But you can’t really go wrong with the drums, bass, electric guitar, fiddle, and bagpipes. That medley of instruments gives them an amazing sound that I haven’t found anywhere else.  When you hear the drums, bass, and electric, you think, “Hhmm, these guys sound like a pretty sweet rock band.”  Then in comes the fiddle and that changes to, “Man, that fiddle really takes it to another level.”  Kapowy!  Enter the bagpipes. “Dude.  This is freakin’ epic!”
   So yeah, I think it’s safe to say that the Killdares were the highlight of the fair for me.  Because not only do these guys play awesome music, but they’re really cool up close and personal.  After their shows I hung around and got to talk with them.  They autographed my CDs, and!  Best of all, played my favorite song for me, Gone West.  They are some seriously awesome guys (and gal!  Roberta Rast, you’re awesome!).  I’m already excited for next year’s fair.