Irish Rovers’ Farewell in Lexington Sunday Nearly Sold Out

Spectacle Management presents the Irish Rovers at Cary Memorial Hall in Lexington at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 23. The concert is nearly sold out, Pete Lally of Spectacle Management said March 16.

After nearly 50 years on the road, the band is ready to say Farewell to Rovin’ with one final Boston-area concert.

If ever there was a way to celebrate the St. Patrick’s Day season, it will be with the Irish Rovers.

Tickets are $49 and are on sale now by calling 617-531-1257or go to www.caryhallshows.com.

Founded in 1963 in Toronto, the Irish Rovers have sold more than 40 million albums during their long career. The band’s big break came in 1968, when they recorded Shel Silverstein’s “The Unicorn,” which became a top-10 U.S. hit.

In the 1970s, they starred in “The Irish Rovers show” on CBC, introducing a generation of Canadians to Irish music. In the early 1980s the band had another pair of radio hits, with their recording of “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” and “Wasn’t That a Party.”

The band also starred in two additional TV shows: “The Rovers Comedy Hours” and “Party with The Rovers.” The band remains popular to this day, with their recent recording of “Drunken Sailor,” receiving more than 11 million views on YouTube.

The Irish Rovers Farewell to Rovin’ Tour lineup is George Millar, Wilcil McDowell, Sean O’Driscoll, Ian Millar and Fred Graham. Joining the Rovers on tour are multi-instrumentalist Morris Crum from Ireland, whistle/flute player Geoffrey Kelly from Spirit of the West, and one of Ireland’s most outstanding fiddle players, Gerry O’Connor — all of whom regularly play on Rover’s recordings or tours.

There are no additional fees to order tickets by phone or online.

Cary Hall is at 1605 Mass. Ave., Lexington. A number of parking options are within a short walk. F

Cary Memorial Hall, named for Isaac Harris Cary, was built in 1928 with a donation from two daughters. The Colonial-style building, with its grand auditorium, has provided the community with a year-round site for musical programming and popular events for more than 80 years. It has been the longtime home of the Lexington Symphony and many other civic and community events throughout its history.

For more information about area resources, visit the Lexington tourism website as well as the Merrimack Valley Visitor’s Bureau site.

Final Concert in Cary Hall Series

Spectacle Management presents The Manhattan Transfer at Cary Memorial Hall in Lexington on Thursday, April 10, at 8 p.m.

“The Living Room Sessions” promises to be an intimate concert experience, as The Manhattan Transfer will perform stripped-down versions of their hits as well as long-lost gems from their catalog. Tickets are $69 to $55 and are on sale by calling 617-531-1257 or at www.caryhallshows.com.

It’s been more than 40 years since Tim Hauser, a former Madison Avenue marketing executive, paid his bills by driving a New York City cab while aspiring to form a harmony vocal quartet. In the fall of 1972, Hauser’s taxi fare was an aspiring young singer named Laurel Massé, who was familiar with the sole album by Hauser’s earlier Manhattan Transfer combo, and was looking to form a group.

A few weeks later, another of Hauser’s fares invited him to a party where he met Brooklyn native Janis Siegel. As Hauser, Massé and Siegel began rehearsing, Massé’s then-boyfriend introduced Hauser and Siegel to Alan Paul, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Signed to Atlantic Records in 1975, their music quickly took the airwaves by storm. Numerous No. 1 singles throughout the late 1970s and early 80s, including the megahit “Birdland,” placed the group in a category all their own. They became the first group ever to win Grammy Awards in both Pop and Jazz categories in the same year. In 1982 and 1983, the group won consecutive Grammy Awards in the Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group category for, respectively, “Route 66” and “Why Not!”

The critical praise and commercial success of the group’s first seven studio albums could hardly have prepared them for the monumental 12 Grammy nominations the group received in 1985 for the album Vocalese.

Those 12 nominations made Vocalese the single greatest Grammy-nominated album in one year, and cemented the group’s status as one of the most important and innovative vocal groups in the history of popular music.

Today, Manhattan Transfer continues to wow audiences at sold-out performances around the globe. Their unique style, amazing talent and 40 years of hits make an evening with Manhattan Transfer a night that is not to be missed.

There are no additional fees to order tickets by phone or online. Cary Hall is at 1605 Mass. Ave., Lexington.

Cary Memorial Hall, named for Isaac Harris Cary, was built in 1928 with a donation from two daughters. The Colonial-style building, with its grand auditorium, has provided the community with a year-round site for musical programming and popular events for over eighty years. It has been the long-time home of the Lexington Symphony and many other civic and community events throughout its history.

Spectacle Management is a full-service booking, marketing and promotion company based in Boston. For more information on Spectacle Management, Cary Memorial Hall, the 2013-2014 Cary Hall Concert Series, or to request artist photos or interviews, please contact Pete Lally at plally at specmgt.com or 617-531-1257.

– YourArlington.com