UPPER DARBY AUDITORIUM
DREXEL HILL, PA
March 20, 2007
The last concert of the spring season. Sad for fans of the Irish Tenors,
but no doubt a reason for celebration for the Tenors who, at this point,
must surely be tired. But if tired they were, you would never have known
it from the performance.
And the theatre was perfect, at least for those in the orchestra seats,
as the somewhat dramatic tiering assured everyone of an excellent view.
It was especially nice for those of us lucky enough to be in the second and
third rows, as we had the advantage of being at eye level with the Tenors.
Those with cameras could have had a field day...if only those mikes
hadn't been there!
There's no point of going into the selections as you've heard about them in
every review this season. As anticipated...they remained the same. And
while a few new songs would have pleased the "regulars", the majority of
the audience certainly gave evidence of loving the old standards.
But it was an exhilarating evening. The voices of all three Tenors were at
their best, but it was the interaction among the three..and with Arnie...that
was to put it in a single word, delightful. The orchestra, appearing with the
Tenors for the 4th time, was superlative.
As an example...take Golden Jubilee. As Finbar was singing "troubles we've
had," Anthony raised one finger and pointed at Karl...who withdrew in horror.
There were so many moments like this.
A Meet and Greet, promised as 1 1/2 hours at a local restaurant, turned
out to be 15 or 20 minutes at the theatre, although those with tickets
could go on to the restaurant. Such a disappointment, particularly
for new fans who had hoped for a real opportunity to get to know the Tenors.
But Anthony, Finbar and Karl did the best they could in the few minutes they
had, circulating, and speaking with everyone.
Karl, in answer to a comment that he seemed more at easy since the
concert at the Mann (his first concert as an Irish Tenor), replied, with
that big smile and a twinkle in his eye, that they'd put him in front of
cameras, and then 7000 patrons!
Mattie Fox, the new manager, was heard to comment that he was working
on summer concerts.
So, another season behind us...leaving us with pleasant memories and
hope for a future season of many concerts with new selections and
Meet and Greets of the promised duration.
Gail
