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Warm, Cozy and Cool, Man, Cool

I and some friends headed off on a much-anticipated road-trip through
central and south Florida for 3 glorious nights in December. A Christmas
gift we, all, gave to ourselves and I can't think of anything better to receive
for Christmas than the Irish Tenors! That would be THE Irish Tenors, Finbar
Wright, Anthony Kearns and Karl Scully; three well turned-out Irish men
with an abundance of "cool", to warm our hearts and whatever chilly
cockles might be lurking therein.

Their singing is certainly legendary at this point and their demeanor on
stage, in this context, is "cool, man", as Kerouac may have said, or was
that Maynard G. Krebs...I get those two mixed up all the time. Anyway,
the Irish Tenors are so cool they're hot! "The Rat Pack", of the early 60s,
has nothing on these guys when it comes to "cool".

Finbar, 'Mr. Cool' personified, looked fit, trim and seems to get younger
every year - Dorian Grey would be envious. Several years ago horse
serum injections were touted as the new fountain of youth and our
Finbar looks as if he may have found a good veterinary! I'd put my money
on him in the next Derby for sure!! In Florida he was a huge helping of
Cary Grant with a dash of Dean Martin - and you can't get "cooler" than
that! Finbar stood with nonchalant elegance as lyrics rolled around
deliciously in his buttery beguiling tones. That trademark head-full of
dark wavy hair, with a whisper of curls falling down across his forehead,
topped a poetic figure as Finbar sings with ease, charm and panache.
Women swooned but the men too enjoyed hearing Finbar as they made
comments like "he has an easy-going style" and "he has a nice stage
presence" and I heard one man say "wow, that's some smile he's
got!". Every Christmas, his "How Great Thou Art" meets with tremendous
applause and appreciation and this year was no exception!

Anthony, the always handsome "man in the middle", with those piercing
blue eyes, just has to open his mouth and a wondrous sound fills the hall.
In Florida, he bade us "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas". As for
"cool", Anthony certainly has his share with a bit of Elvis and a sprinkling
of Sinatra rolled into a very pleasant package - and how could it not be
with a tri-mixture like that. Anthony is, with his ever-present short
cropped hair style and sometimes serious brow, the epitome of the
dashing operatic tenor. While Anthony sings you could hear a pin
drop were one to fall.

Cute and cuddly Karl most definitely has been working out for he cuts
quite the leading man figure much like Clark Gable. He has the hip youth

of Bobby Darin and a hint of the smooth-throated Sam Cooke and
he is poised beyond his years. Everyone is hoping his gentle promulgation
"I'll Be Home For Christmas" comes true. He really won over the
concertgoers at every venue!

The program is much like their audience, a mix of old and new, for the
Irish Tenors appeal to all ages from the very young to the very, umm,
young at heart! With a nice range of holiday songs such as the magnificent
and powerful "How Great Thou Art" and beautifully reverent "Ave Maria"
to the irreverent, but popular, "Fairytale of New York". Finbar, Anthony
and Karl can also "bring it" with the best of them in delightful renditions
of "Rock Around The Clock" and "Jingle Bell Rock", as concertgoers
got something for everyone on their list at these IT Christmas shows.

We were ecstatic to get a little extra in our stockings as the subscribers-only
Englewood concerts had a few seats left for both shows! "How was this
possible", you might ask. The venue seats 1000 but the Arts Series people
"hold back a few tickets each performance to allow room for wheel
chairs, walkers and oxygen tanks". I can tell you there was no room left
for any extra baggage at either concert. The matinee was fabulous as the
men sounded terrific and looked incredibly well-rested for just having done
3 concerts in a row! Everyone seemed to like the "canned music", run
by their sound man, while Eric Stern sat at the piano and directed the
tenors, when he wasn't accompanying one or the other on the piano.
He very nearly danced with Karl during "I'll Be Home For Christmas" but
had to get back to the piano. The evening concert was wonderful though the
men began to look a bit tired by the end and weren't as animated. I doubt
many words were uttered on travel day out to San Fran!

Five cool concerts and a warm Florida road-trip with friends ended too quickly
but a fabulously cozy memory lingers still. As I lay me down this Christmas
Eve there won't just be sugar plums dancing in my head - and I will thank the
good Lord above and Finbar, Anthony and Karl for the lovely Christmas
keepsake. I can't hang it on a tree but it hangs in a special place in my
heart and will shine forever there.