Alternate Perspective: Mia x Ally close out “Shipping Up to Boston” Tour on a High Note (a lot of them!)
Photo by Jonathan Lane
Internet sensations Mia Asano (on 6-string electric violin) and Ally Crowley-Duncan (on bagpipes and sax) closed out their Shipping Up to Boston Tour to a packed and VERY enthusiastic crowd at City Winery Philadelphia last week. These 2 outstanding musicians treated the house to an eclectic blend of original songs and covers, ranging from traditional and modern Celtic tunes to some straight up metal bangers.
The duo, each a rock star in her own right, teamed up for a 12-day, 10-show, 9 city tour this month, kicking it off in Akron, Ohio where they opened for The Red Hot Chili Pipers (that’s Pipers - get it?)
Photo by Jonathan Lane
The Artists
These 2 musicians have a number of things in common. Both started playing music at an early age, work incredibly hard, and have established impressive audiences with virtuosic playing, social media savvy and charisma. Both also demonstrate how, in the right hands, a “traditional” instrument can rock – and both seem to have as their mission tearing down the walls between musical “genres,” pushing the limits of their primary instruments, and spreading joy through music.
The pair’s virtuosic and eclectic playing on the violin and pipes (and a little sax) together with their genuine charm, humor and charisma explain the huge online success and the ovations they got at the show.
Photo by Jonathan Lane
Denver-born Mia’s sassy and creative video posts went viral shortly after she began posting on Instagram and TikTok, during her junior year at Berklee College of Music. As of this writing, Mia enjoys over 100K followers on YouTube, is chasing half a million on Instagram, and 1.7 million on TikTok. Ally’s social media numbers are comparably impressive.
Ally, like Mia, a musician from an early age, plays piano, sax, (she picked up the sax for a couple of tunes at this show), other woodwinds, and landed on the bagpipes in her teens. She is well-respected and well-known in the Celtic music world, having competed successfully in numerous competitions in North America and Scotland, and continues to keep a busy festival performance schedule.
Photo by Jonathan Lane
The Show
As fierce as they were when playing, they were funny and charming as they talked about their craft, their instruments, the tour. They made sure to give ample and well-deserved praise to the two rockers who accompanied them on many of the tunes on guitar and drums. This totally satisfying set included about a dozen and a half songs plus an encore. In what was pretty much a set full of highlights, here are some of the highlights, across so many genres, included:
A haunting rendition of the Game of Thrones theme
Lunar – original by Mia
Labyrinth – original by Mia
A variation on Dragonforce’s Through the Fire and Flames (Mia has played on stage with Dragonforce)
Crazy Train
Danny Boy
Dropkick Murphys’ “Shipping up to Boston”
Encore: Charlie Daniels’ “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”
Photo by Jonathan Lane
The Venue and Audience
Mia x Ally and bandmates played on The Main Stage, a beautiful, spacious room where the appreciative crowd of all ages were served dinner and wine by a friendly, efficient staff as they enjoyed the music.
With an additional, attractive room upstairs, The Loft, this venue also serves up an impressive, and plentiful range of live music right in the center of Center City Philadelphia.
Photo by Jonathan Lane
Conclusion
It’s incredibly heartwarming to see two people who have found their passion so young, serve up such satisfying music, and make countless people happy doing it. The proof was right there on the faces of the music fans at City Winery-Philadelphia last week.
