# Celtic Tiger Live

Celtic Tiger Live or more often known Michael Flatley's Celtic Tiger or just Celtic Tiger was an Irish dance show.

## History

Michael Flatley, known for Riverdance, Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames, created Celtic Tiger which debuted in 2005. After being retired for four years, Flatley announced he was going to tour with a new show. In the summer of 2004 Flatley started the rehearsals of a new show in the SFX Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. In the autumn of 2004 the rehearsals moved on in the Shepperton Studios in London. Michael tried his best to keep the details including the name of the show a secret. Michael announced on his website in April 2005 that he was going to have a preview show of his new show Celtic Tiger in June 2005.
Celtic Tiger had its first performance at a private, invitation-only performance at the NIA Birmingham, England on 17 June 2005. The show was first performed for the public on 9 July 2005 in the Puskás Stadion (formerly the Népstadion) in Budapest, Hungary. Another preview show was planned for Prague in the Czech Republic, but at the last minute that show was cancelled due to the venue (which included a massive stage specially built for the show) was unsafe for the dancers.
The next show, a preview show for the US tour, was held in Worcester, Massachusetts, on 24 September 2005, followed by a gala performance in New York City's Madison Square Garden on 27 September 2005, the show's official US premiere. The show then toured through Canada and sections of the US, with the final 2005 performance at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia on 26 November 2005.
Celtic Tiger started its European World Tour on 20 April 2006 at the Point Theatre in Dublin. That show was the first time Flatley had danced in the Point Theatre since he debuted Lord of the Dance. On 15 November 2006, the Autumn and Winter tours for the Celtic Tiger tour of Europe and Asia were cancelled when Flatley was hospitalised for a viral infection for two weeks. Flatley claimed in his website that he would release future touring dates in early 2007 but never did.

## Meaning

In the press release announcing the European preview of the show, Michael Flatley explained 'Celtic Tiger portrays the oppression of the Irish people through the ages and the tiger symbolises the awakening of their Spirit and their struggle for freedom. Celtic Tiger is my finest work to date. Budapest is one of my favourite cities in the world and I can think of no greater place to preview my new show."

## Credits

* Director – Michael Flatley
* Producer – Michael Flatley
* Choreographer – Michael Flatley
* Leading role – Michael Flatley

## Numbers
### Cast

* Michael Flatley
* Thomas Badger

## Dancers

* Lisa Anderson
* Thomas Badger
* Desmond Bailey
* Lynsey Brown
* Cherie Butler
* Ciaran Connolly
* Martin Connolly
* Siobhan Connolly
* Arlene Cooke
* Sarah Doherty
* Alison Epsom
* David Folan
* Odette Galea
* Jason Gorman
* Damon Griffiths
* Cassandra Halloran
* Louise Hayden
* Mark Hennessy
* Niall Holly
* Laura Jones
* Joanne Kavanagh
* Megan Luke
* Maeve Madden
* Debbie Maguire
* Rachel Martin
* Owen McAuley
* Kathleen McCarthy
* Brian McEnteggart
* Leigh Ann McKenna
* Kevin McVittie
* Niamh O’Brien (later married to Flatley)
* Damien O’Dochartaigh
* Roisin O’Donnell
* Andrew O'Reilly
* Ian Oswald
* Zoltan Papp
* Gary Pender
* Chris Piper
* Katie Pomfret
* Sarah Redmond
* Margaret Revis
* Sarah Spratt
* Keagan Van Dooren
* Bryana Verner
* Scott Walker
* Stephen Walker

## Vocalists

* Una Gibney (DVD & tour)
* Paul Harrington (DVD and tour)

## Tour dates

List of performances, showing date, city, country, venue :
| Date | City | Country | Venue | Notes |
| 17 June 2005 | Birmingham | England | NIA | DVD filming ("St. Patrick" onwards) – directed by David Mallet |
| 9 July 2005 | Budapest | Hungary | Nepstadion/Puskás Ferenc Stadion | second DVD recording (used for the opening scenes), concert and rehearsal scenes on DVD. |
| North America Late 2005 | North America Late 2005 | North America Late 2005 | North America Late 2005 | |
| 24 September 2005 | Worcester, Massachusetts | United States | DCU Center | |
| 27 September 2005 | New York City | United States | Madison Square Garden | |
| 29 September 2005 | Montreal | Canada | Bell Center | |
| 3 October 2005 | Halifax | Canada | Halifax Metro Center | |
| 5 October 2005 | Ottawa | Canada | Corel Center | |
| 6 October 2005 | London | Canada | Budweiser Gardens | |
| 7 October 2005 | Hamilton | Canada | Copps Coliseum | |
| 11 October 2005 | Winnipeg | Canada | MTS Center | |
| 12 October 2005 | Saskatoon | Canada | Credit Union Center | |
| 14 October 2005 | Calgary | Canada | Pengrowth Saddledome | |
| 15 October 2005 | Edmonton | Canada | Rexall Place | |
| 17 October 2005 | Vancouver | Canada | GM Place | |
| 18 October 2005 | Victoria | Canada | Save on Foods Memorial Centre | |
| 20 October 2005 | Everett, WA | United States | Everett Events Center | |
| 22 October 2005 | Sacramento, CA | United States | Arco Arena | |
| 25 October 2005 | San José, CA | United States | HP Pavilion | |
| 27 October 2005 | San Diego, CA | United States | iPayOne Center | |
| 29 October 2005 | Anaheim, CA | United States | Arrowhead Pond | |
| 30 October 2005 | Glendale, AZ | United States | Glendale Arena | |
| 3 November 2005 | St. Louis, MO | United States | Savvis Center | |
| 4 November 2005 | Ames, IA | United States | Hilton Coliseum | |
| 5 November 2005 | Omaha, NE | United States | Qwest Center | |
| 8 November 2005 | Minneapolis, MN | United States | Target Center | |
| 10 November 2005 | Cleveland, OH | United States | Gund Arena | |
| 11 November 2005 | Pittsburgh, PA | United States | Mellon Arena | |
| 12 November 2005 | Columbus, OH | United States | Nationwide Arena | |
| 17 November 2005 | Milwaukee, WI | United States | Bradley Center | |
| 18 November 2005 | Chicago, IL | United States | Allstate Arena | |
| 22 November 2005 | Uncasville, CT | United States | Mohegan Sun Arena | |
| 25 November 2005 | Philadelphia, PA | United States | Wachovia Center | |
| 26 November 2005 | Fairfax, VA | United States | Patriot Center | |
| Europe and Asia 2006 | Europe and Asia 2006 | Europe and Asia 2006 | Europe and Asia 2006 | |
| 20 April 2006 | Dublin | Ireland | The Point Theatre | |
| 22 April 2006 | Newcastle | England | Metro Radio Arena | |
| 23 April 2006 | Sheffield | England | Hallam FM Arena | |
| 26 April 2006 | London | England | Wembley Arena | |
| 27 April 2006 | Birmingham | England | The NIA | |
| 28 April 2006 | Manchester | England | MEN Arena | |
| 29 April 2006 | Glasgow | Scotland | SEC Centre | |
| 1 May 2006 | Antwerp | Belgium | Sportpaleis Antwerpen | |
| 2 May 2006 | Rotterdam | Netherlands | Rotterdam Ahoy Sportpaleis | |
| 6 May 2006 | Oberhausen | Germany | König-Pilsener-Arena | |
| 8 May 2006 | Stuttgart | Germany | Schleyerhalle | |
| 10 May 2006 | Hamburg | Germany | Color Line Arena | |
| 11 May 2006 | Zürich | Switzerland | Hallenstadion | |
| 12 May 2006 | Vienna | Austria | Stadthalle Wien | |
| 15 May 2006 | Stuttgart | Germany | Schleyerhalle | |
| 16 May 2006 | Frankfurt | Germany | Festhalle | |
| 17 May 2006 | Oberhausen | Germany | König-Pilsener Arena | |
| 19 May 2006 | Copenhagen | Denmark | Forum Copenhagen | |
| 20 May 2006 | Karlstad | Sweden | Löfbergs Lila Arena | |
| 21 May 2006 | Oslo | Norway | Oslo Spektrum | |
| 23 May 2006 | Stockholm | Sweden | Stockholm Globen | |
| 25 May 2006 | Helsinki | Finland | Hartwall Arenna | |
| 3 June 2006 | Dublin | Ireland | RDS Arena | |
| 10 June 2006 | Taipei | Taiwan | Chung Shan Soccer Stadium | |
| 11 June 2006 | Taipei | Taiwan | Chung Shan Soccer Stadium | |
| 13 June 2006 | Kaohsiung | Taiwan | Chung-Chun Stadium | |
| 17 June 2006 | Hong Kong | China | HKCEC Hall 3 | |

## Cancelled shows

List of cancelled concerts, showing date, city, country and venue :
| Date | City | Country | Venue | Reason for cancellation |
| 12 August 2005 | Prague | Czech Republic | Strahov Stadium | The venue stage set built for the Prague stop was deemed unsafe for use. |
| 14 November 2006 | Brussels | Belgium | Vorst National | Flatley's hospitalization and recovery |
| 15 November 2006 | Brussels | Belgium | Vorst National | Flatley's hospitalization and recovery |
| 17 November 2006 | Zurich | Switzerland | Hallenstadion | Flatley's hospitalization and recovery |
| 18 November 2006 | Hannover | Germany | TUI Arena | Flatley's hospitalization and recovery |
| 19 November 2006 | Mannheim | Germany | SAP Arena | Flatley's hospitalization and recovery |
| 21 November 2006 | Munich | Germany | Olympiahalle | Flatley's hospitalization and recovery |
| 23 November 2006 | Leipzig | Germany | Arena Leipzig | Flatley's hospitalization and recovery |
| 25 November 2006 | Berlin | Germany | Velodrom Berlin | Flatley's hospitalization and recovery |
| 26 November 2006 | Stuttgart | Germany | Schleyerhalle | Flatley's hospitalization and recovery |
| 27 November 2006 | Cologne | Germany | Kölnarena | Flatley's hospitalization and recovery |
| 28 November 2006 | Hamburg | Germany | Color Line Arena | Flatley's hospitalization and recovery |
| 5 December 2006 | Manchester | England | MEN Arena | Flatley's hospitalization and recovery |
| 6 December 2006 | London | England | Wembley Arena | Flatley's hospitalization and recovery |
| 8 December 2006 | Paris | France | Stade de France | Flatley's hospitalization and recovery |
| 9 December 2006 | Verona | Italy | Verona Arena | Flatley's hospitalization and recovery |