Record-breaking Irish singer Daniel O’Donnell returns to Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on May 20
From a press release:
One of Ireland’s best-loved artists, Daniel O’Donnell, has announced that he will be returning to tour in the United States next May and June, including a stop at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, May 20, 2017 at 8 p.m.
The tour will see the record-breaking chart singer play a more extensive concert tour than he did in October of 2016, when he performed in venues in the Mid-East U.S. to packed houses of ardent fans.
Tickets, which are $58, $68, $78, and $88, plus fees, will go on sale this Monday, Dec. 19 at 10 a.m. and will be available through the Kirby Center box office (71 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre), online at kirbycenter.org, and by phone at 570-826-1100. A Kirby Member pre-sale begins today, Friday, Dec. 16 at 10 a.m.
Commenting on the tour announcement, O’Donnell said, “I’m really looking forward to returning to touring the U.S.A. next year. We introduced some new musicians and some different instruments when we went back touring earlier this year, and I am delighted to say that they have been a great success; fans everywhere have complimented them on their great talent as musicians and have really welcomed them on board.”
Although he took a break in early 2016 to tour the world with his wife Majella, O’Donnell added, “I was really looking forward to going back on the road in America and getting back out there to meet the fans, who I’m so very thankful for, as they are the ones who make these shows happen. We really enjoyed the short set of dates we performed in October and are already looking forward to next year’s tour.”
O’Donnell burst into superstardom in the U.S. back in 2002 with his first-ever PBS special, “The Daniel O’Donnell Show.” That began a special relationship between him and PBS and, since then, he has recorded a further 12 specials, with “Stand Beside Me” being his 13th one in 2013. “Stand Beside Me” is a concert celebration of Irish, country, gospel, rock, movie, and longtime Daniel O’Donnell favorites. The title is not only a popular song among concertgoers, but also reflects O’Donnell’s belief that fans throughout his more than 10 years on PBS have brought him to where he is today, standing beside him making his career a success, and he will be forever grateful to them.
The Irish singer made record-breaking chart history earlier this year by becoming the first recording artist in the history of the United Kingdom Artist Album Chart to have charted at least one new album every year since 1988, an unprecedented and unbroken 29 year span, surpassing everyone from Michael Jackson to The Rolling Stones to Madonna to Irish strongholds U2. Along with this, O’Donnell makes regular appearances on the Billboard World Music Chart.
In total, he has now reached the U.K. Artist Albums Chart with more than 35 albums and has now amassed 30 Top 30 albums over the course of his career.
Over his long and continuously successful career, O’Donnell has received many accolades, including an honorary MBE from Queen Elizabeth, an appearance on “Top of the Pops,” his life celebrated on “This Is Your Life,” and multiple “Entertainer of the Year”/”Person of the Year” awards in Ireland and the U.K. to add to his record-breaking chart appearances.