The Waterboys opened for U2 in the ‘80s in Chicago, and frontman Mike Scott made a solo appearance almost a decade ago in Milwaukee, but tonight’s performance at Turner Hall offered a rare Midwest-based opportunity to see a beloved band from across the pond.

In many ways, frontman Scott is The Waterboys.

He started the band in 1983, and the rest of the group has been a revolving door of talented musicians – primarily from Scotland, England and Ireland. In fact, more than 60 different musicians have been in the band at one point or another.

Tonight’s formation, which included the talented Steve Wickham on electric fiddle, continued the tradition of staying true to the band’s Irish-rock-folk vibe and brought an incredible amount of energy to the stage. 

At times, the interaction between Scott and Wickham excluded the other players – it was just that intense.

Despite more than three decades of performing, Scott hasn’t slowed down in the least. He was passionate and engaged and offered up a show that was clearly a tribute to his past 33 years of music making, drawing from the first album to the last.

Along with five other musicians, Scott produced an energetic, 100-minute marathon of old favorites and songs off his latest project, which is a collection of adapted W.B. Yeats poems called "An Appointment With Mr. Yeats."

The band opened with "Strange Boat," and went on to rip through "Fisherman’s Blues," "A Girl Called Johnny," the heartbreaking "We Will Not Be Lovers," "I Will Cry When You Go Away," "Glastonbury Song," the rare cut "Spirit," the band’s biggest hit "Whole Of The Moon" and more. 

The encore, which featured "Don’t Bang The Drum," ended the evening on a high-energy note.

Scott, who often brings literary references and spirituality into his lyrics, has described his music as "a metaphor for seeing God’s signature in the world." This sounds lofty, and yet the band’s music has deeply affected many notable artists and musicians including Eddie Vedder, The Decemberists and Big Country. 

Tonight was more of the same. The fans were extremely moved by the performance – shouting out, dancing and singing along to the tunes. 

But even though it was clear that Scott was truly in the moment, he said very little to the audience. He did, however, dress up for the show with a black shirt and jacket and a sparkly gold tie. He also hinted at a 2014 return, which would clearly be more than fine with Milwaukee fans. 

Our only disappointment? Set lists from shows the past few nights included "This Is The Sea," but it was not performed tonight.

But there’s always next year. Or so we Waterboys fans can hope.