I’m going to be honest here, samba spectaculars aren’t really something that I would associate with Phil Lynott, or the celebration of his birthday.
Here’s the blurb:
On Phil Lynotts birthday, Saturday 20th August, at 6pm MaSamba dance and music troupe will put on a spectacular street pageant to celebrate the life and work of the Thin Lizzy legend. 90 dancers and members of Masamba will form a street pageant, called The Boys Are Back In Town, on Grafton Street, Dublin performing Thin Lizzy hits.
The troupes incredible carnival costumes are being created in Sao Paolo, Brazil and will represent the different songs; Elvis outfits for The King, Celtic warriors for Emerald and heavy metal leather jackets, electric guitars and more for The Boys Are Back In Town.
MaSamba Creative Director, Simeon Smith said, 25 years after his death, Phil Lynott still holds a special place in the hearts of Dubliners and we wanted to honour him and his work on the very streets that Phil once busked as a struggling musician. We promise a spectacular show that will have everyone dancing and singing along as we parade through the streets!
The Boys Are Back In town will be a collaboration of several partners with dancers coming from the Brasilian community and young people from the Smithfield and Darndale areas of Dublin. Remembering Lizzy, the definitive Thin Lizzy tribute band will also perform as part of the pageant.
People can find out more on www.masamba.com. The performance will set out from South King Street, outside the Gaiety Theatre, parade down and back up Grafton Street, finishing at the Phil Lynott statue on Harry Street from 6pm to 7.30pm.
Tom Coffey, CEO of the Dublin City Business Association, which is supporting the pageant, said, The spirit of the local Dublin community spirit in music and the arts is an important element in civic society and also important in creating new attractions for tourists in Dublin. We are delighted to support the Boys Are Back In Town which will bring the spirit of community and carnival to the city.
MaSamba is funding the pageant but require additional help from the public to fund the project. Fellow Phil Lynott fans can help to fund the spectacular by logging onto http://www.fundit.ie/project/the-boys-are-back-in-town.