DVD
McDermott has created a touching and emotionally charged ninety-minute musical special, seen on PBS, that presents its audience with songs that transport us to other times and places, and summon up our feelings of love, our roots, and our deeply ingrained sense of patriotism. "It is a journey," according to McDermott, "that will hopefully remind us of all of the common threads that bind us together." McDermott introduces dance phenoms Chanda Gibson and PULSE, a high-energy stepdancing troupe. Gibson lights up the stage with her six-member troupe in an electrifying rendition of "Scotland the Brave." The special is also the nation's first glimpse at The Cottars, Cape Breton's prodigious young foursome, who at eleven to fourteen years of age, are already making waves in the Celtic scene. The angelic vocals of Fiona MacGillivary, 12, and genious fiddling of Natalie MacMaster prot©g© Roseanne MacKenzie, display a musical maturity and youthful exuberance that is a joy to watch. Another highlight is McDermott's salute to the thousands of veterans who have volunteered their lives to guarantee our freedoms. "War has served as the inspiration for many great songs which have brought comfort to and resonated in the hearts of many," says McDermott. Selecting a few of the more memorable tunes that span the wartime experiences of the past century, John sings his signature song "Danny Boy," "As Time Goes By," "Christmas in the Trenches," and "Battle Hymn of the Republic," which brings a deeply moved audience to its feet for a standing ovation. In perhaps the most moving moment in the show, he pays tribute to his father who died in 1995. With an audience clearly riveted to the stage, John sings "The Old Man," while clutching his father's hat and cane that have accompanied him through every performance - John himself is moved to tears. VHS-JM-12