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I used to tell my high school English students that the word "perfect" has no comparative and superlative degrees. Something is either perfect, or it isn't. That was before I began attending Anthony Kearns' solo concerts. Anthony breaks the grammar rule with every concert because each one is inevitably more perfect than the last.

And Saturday night in Lubbock was no exception. Accompanied by the inimitable Patrick Healy, Anthony was in his best form.....relaxed, smiling, and in wonderful voice. Each concert he performs shows the honing of his musical skill. In the last years his voice has become richer and fuller. Anthony and Patrick go together like apple pie and ice cream. It is impossible to imagine one without the other. The deep respect and affection they have for each other is almost palpable, and the fluidity of their musical performance together is matchless.

Opening his concert with a happy "Good Evening!", Anthony began with the sweet Irish "Gentle Maiden" and continued with "Off to Philadelphia" and "The Palatine's Daughter." Also included were "Little Grey Home in the West" and the "Kashmiri Song" with a decidedly Indian flavor. I remember this song from many decades ago as "Pale Hands I Loved Beside the Shalimar" and I was thrilled when I first heard he had added it to his repertoire because it suits his voice beautifully.

In need of a bit of rest, Anthony left his audience in the hands of Patrick Healy for a short break. Patrick is a raconteur extraordinaire and never fails to hold the attention of the audience with his hilarious stories of past musical experiences and of musicians he has known. And often he will sing his favorite songs, this time the hilarious "And Her Mother Came Too." This is a song that was featured recently in the movie "Gosford Park"............but I like Patrick's performance better! But Patrick surprised many of us by exhibiting his skill as a piano soloist, performing the very beautiful "Aeolian Harp." It seems it was a custom in England in the Victorian period to place a harp in one's garden to listen to the sound of the wind through the strings. This exquisite piano piece was a musical duplication of the sound, and Patrick performed it beautifully. Not to be forgotten was Patrick's story about a husband and wife in the early stages of senility or his explanation that in his many years as an accompanist he has become rather like a psychologist though accompanying can have its down side as it is rather like a marriage with all of the headaches and none of the advantages!

Continuing the second set, Anthony offered "Yours Is My Heart Alone", and with Patrick, "The Bold Gendarm." Though Anthony has sung this last song in concerts before, to my knowledge this is its first time in Texas, and though written by a Frenchman, this song is perfect for these two Irishmen and presents some hilarious opportunities for Anthony to act the part, whether chasing butterflies or arresting citizens who are no threat at all. The humor is perfect for the two of them and they play it to the hilt. Certainly it is not a full Kearns concert without an Irish set, and the audience was treated to "The Old House", "Star of the County Down", "Phil the Fluther", "Eileen Og", "Darlin' Girl from Clare", "As I Sit Here", and the trotting horse in "Trottin' to the Fair"......all favorites.

Continuing on a romantic note, Anthony offered his audience "My Heart and I" from the show "Old Chelsea" by Richard Tauber, a beautiful song, and continued with "My Heart's Delight" from Lehar's "Land of Smiles." Anthony charmed us in both German and English with this piece and continued in Spanish with "O Solo Mio" which brought a standing ovation, one of three in the evening, and with "With a Song in My Heart."

Again the audience was treated to a wonderful pairing of Anthony and Patrick with "We'll Gather Lilacs in the Spring" by Ivor Novello. It is a song which focuses on World War I and waiting for one's loved one to come home from the war. With Anthony in song and Patrick in the spoken word, this song is truly moving.

I have always been impressed by the giving nature of Anthony Kearns, particularly with his Music Fund, whose purpose is expressly to help young Irish musicians find their way into the world of music and to give them the chance that Anthony had some years ago. Lately he has begun to include in his concerts a song called "If I Can Help Somebody." It is a song which fits not only his voice but his person. His comment in Lubbock was apt, "If we can touch one person along Life's Way, then we have done something good." Bravo, Anthony. You ARE this song.

Not to be forgotten was one of the most beautiful renditions of "Danny Boy" I have ever heard Anthony sing..........and I have heard him sing it many times. In introducing it, he said he would not get out of Lubbock alive if he didn't sing it!

The audience received a rare treat with an encore of "Granada", another standing ovation, and the concert was over all too soon. With his often heard closing "Good night, God bless, and safe home" Anthony left the stage with Patrick, and one was left to wait for Tenor Withdrawal symptoms to set in and set one's sights on the next concert. Unfortunately I had a previous commitment and could not move on to Amarillo for the next concert the next day, but, filled with the extraordinary music of an extraordinary pair, I was delighted to have been a participant in such an excellent musical evening.

Anthony and Patrick were brought to Lubbock by Bill and Rosa Riley, residents of Lubbock. Many thanks to Bill and Rosa for all their hard work in bringing them to the Texas Panhandle. The evening was a treasure. We hope Anthony and Patrick will be back soon. Undoubtedly they will be breaking the grammar rule again, for I am sure the next concert will again be more perfect thei the last.

Helen Flagg