McCALLUM THEATRE
PALM DESERT, CA
DECEMBER 2, 3, 2011
We drove one hundred miles to see the Irish Tenors’ Saturday night
holiday concert at the McCallum Theater in Palm Desert, California.
It was well worth the trip. Finbar, Anthony, and Ronan were in great
voice and good health. Eric Stern conducted the small sized orchestra
of about twenty or twenty-five musicians. Here is the program they presented:
Instrumental medley
The Harp That Once
Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears
The Rose of Tralee
Finbar – When You Were Sweet Sixteen
Anthony – The Palatine’s Daughter
Ronan – My Grandfather’s Immigrant Eyes
Instrumental medley
Anthony – Ave Maria
Ronan – Hallelujah
Finbar – How Great Thou Art
Toora Loora Loora, an Irish Lullaby
When Irish Eyes are Smiling
Intermission
Instrumental – Christmas songs
We Three Kings
Jingle Bell Rock
Finbar – Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire
Ronan – I’ll Be Home for Christmas
Anthony – I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Instrumental – more Christmas music
Silent Night
Fairytale of New York
O Holy Night
Winter Wonderland
I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas
Dashing Through the Snow
Jingle Bells
Encore:
Sleigh Ride With You
Feliz Navidad
Danny Boy
As you can see, it was a full 2 hour concert, not including intermission.
The theater, which holds well over a thousand people, was packed.
I could see no empty seats from where I was sitting. The audience
consisted of mostly older folks, as the desert communities around
Palm Springs attract many retirees. But they were an appreciative
bunch and seemed to love the Tenors. My only nitpick about the
modern venue was the lack of any Christmas decoration onstage.
The stage was bare, except for the orchestra and microphones, the
only color provided by the changes in lighting reflected off the back
wall of the stage. Some poinsettias, at the very least, might have
made the place look a bit more festive.
The Tenors walked out all dressed alike in black suits, white shirts
and solid-colored red ties. Alas, no lapel flowers for them at this
performance. Anthony introduced Finbar first. Then he introduced
Ronan as The Troublemaker who hailed from Kilkenny, and New
York, and Boston, etc. Ronan, who is entirely bald nowadays,
countered by describing Anthony as the one who was “going so
eloquently gray”. A puzzling comment, as Anthony’s hair looked
quite black. There was much banter from Ronan throughout the
concert, much of it directed at Anthony, who serves as his
longsuffering straight man. Finbar provided some humor, too,
when introducing his solo, When You Were Sweet Sixteen. He said
that though Ireland was having economic problems, the sale of Irish
whiskey was doing quite well, and that the industry had provided
the nation with sixty extra jobs.
Ronan milked the audience for applause each time he came
out for a solo, motioning for more with his hands. He made fun
of his ears and his weight, and said he’d auditioned for the role
of Shrek on Broadway because he thought he fit the part so
well. He wears a diamond in one ear and explained how he’d
gotten his ear pierced—it came about due to the influence
of a girlfriend on a cruise, and involved the use of four ice
cubes, an orange, and a needle, which made the audience
go “Eeww.” A high stool stood next to the conductor’s music
stand for Ronan. He used it to sit down when all three Tenors
were on stage taking turns with song lyrics, so he didn’t have
to stand while Finbar or Anthony were singing. The stool also
came in handy when he almost lost his balance doing the
twist during Jingle Bell Rock, and he had it to grab onto.
He got into the twist so enthusiastically, I think, because the
audience loved watching his gyrations, and Ronan isn’t one
to disappoint. Anthony and Finbar began to twist, too,
which made everyone laugh. Also, at one point, Anthony and
Finbar jumped in the air at the end of a song, imitating Eric Stern
who often jumped off his feet while vigorously conducting the last
note of a piece.
At the end of Jingle Bell Rock, Ronan began to escort Anthony
off-stage by grabbing him around the waist. Anthony reversed
the situation by turning and pushing Ronan off stage, to make
way for Finbar’s solo. There was more fun in Santa Claus is
Coming to Town, when Anthony pointed to Ronan as being
“naughty” and Finbar as “nice.” Ronan punctuated this song
with curious high-pitched squeals. Also, Ronan messed up on
the lyrics to Sleigh Ride during the encores, to Anthony’s
amused consternation. It has always seemed to me that
Anthony is the “glue” that holds the group together, because his musicianship is so precise. When someone gets off-track, Anthony is the one to get them back on cue. And Anthony also serves as the bridge between the stately elegance of Finbar, and the nutty mischievousness of Ronan. I think, as he’s grown more mature, Anthony would wish to be stately and elegant, too, but Ronan won’t let him! It’s almost like a “bromance” on Ronan’s part, as he’s always clapping Anthony on the shoulder, or punching his arm, or tweaking his waist. Anthony puts up with it in good humor, though, and usually holds his own.
Since I haven’t said much about their excellent singing, I’ll
summarize by noting that Finbar’s How Great Thou Art got
the biggest response from the audience. Anthony’s Ave Maria
was exquisitely beautiful, and his rendition of The Palatine’s
Daughter was absolutely charming. Ronan delivered My
Grandfather’s Immigrant Eyes with great meaning and emotion.
At the finish of the concert, the audience clapped and called
for “more, more” to bring the Tenors back onstage. There
were shouts for “Danny Boy”, and of course, the Tenors
ended, as always, with that most treasured Irish song.
The concert made a great start for the holidays, and I envy
those who will be able to see their upcoming shows this season!
Lori Herter
by Lori Herter