ARTANE BAND TO PLAY JACKO MUSIC AS TRIBUTE IN USA

Ireland's famous Artane Band starts its first tour of the United States in 11 years later this week – playing Michael Jackson music as a tribute to the late King of Pop.
The 62-member Artane Band, which has not been in the US for 11 years, touches down in the states on Thursday and will perform its first engagement Friday night at the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts in Worcester, Massachusetts.
When the young musicians – ranging in age from 11 to 18 - first heard word last year of plans to come to America, there were some doubts if the trip would come about, revealed the band's music director Ronan O'Reilly.
"When the tour was announced about a year ago, with the recession, everyone was thinking it's not going to happen," O'Reilly said.
That feeling may have persisted until quite recently but then the uniforms and finally the plane tickets arrived.
"The excitement is crazy," said O'Reilly.
The Artane Band will be bringing that excitement and energy with them to America.
"You won't see them and say `that was just another band.' The energy that comes from them is enormous," said O'Reilly.
There have been quite a few changes since the last time the band was in the States.
In 1998 it was called the Artane Boys Band. Girls were first admitted in 2004.
Also, O'Reilly, who was appointed music director of the band in 1998, was not on that US tour then because he had commitments to fulfil for his old employer.
The band is known for its playing of old Irish airs but the U.S. tour, the band will play a medley of Jackson tunes as a tribute to him.
O'Reilly said: “There will also be Irish marches, American marches and selections from Les Miserables.'”
Referring to his musicians, O'Reilly added: “Their genre of music is very wide, and they love that, too."
The band – which has been called “the biggest little band in the world” - was formed in Dublin's northern suburb in 1872 out of the former Artane industrial school, which was largely a school for orphaned boys.
The band's Massachusetts visit will include performing at Gaelic Athletic Association games in Canton, and the tour coincides with both the 125th anniversary celebrations of the GAA and the 50th anniversary of its North American board.
Numerous local Irish-American organisations have helped with the current tour, and Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray formally invited the band to Massachusetts.
The band is now part of the Artane School of Music, a community music school with the stated mission of providing "training in music and musicianship, leadership skills and character formation."