MY FOREVER FRIEND TOUR
THE LAST TWO CONCERTS
PALACE THEATRE WATERBURY, CT NOVEMBER 16, 2004
PALACE THEATRE ALBANY, NY NOVEMBER 17, 2004
I think it's fitting that the last two Irish Tenor concerts both took
place in The Palace Theatre, albeit in different cities. Because palaces are
homes to royalty, and The Irish Tenors are vocal royalty, led by a princely
conductor.
The Palace Theatre in my home state of Connecticut is a newly refurbished
theatre robed in splendor. Marble and crystal were everywhere - even the
restrooms. The staircases to the mezzanine were reminiscent of the Marble
House, one of the fabulous Newport Mansions. And the theatre itself is
glorious in red velvet. On Tuesday, November 16, The Irish Tenors performed
their second-to-last concert of the 2004 season. It was a great
performance. The men were in fine voice, and although John McDermott
apologized for "singing through his nose", because he had a cold, it was
barely noticeable. He's worked so hard to assimilate himself back into the
group, that his professionalism overshadowed the slight vocal problems he
had. Again, his solo contributions were memorable, from a very moving
Legacy, and the "standing of the Veterans", to a heartfelt "The Old Man",
where you could see tears in every eye, if you looked. Anthony was in
magnificent voice, and again "To Do Your Will" made the hairs on my arms
stand up. "Grace", of course, brought down the house. (She almost always
manages to do that!) But the audience was also very appreciative of "If I Can
Help Somebody", which was most beautifully sung. Finbar once again graced
us with his marvelous "How Great Thou Art." And "Morning Has Broken" was
lovely, and is a real crowd pleaser, as was "I'll Take You Home Again,
Kathleen", which gets applause as soon as he begins to sing. But the trios
are probably the most memorable songs of the evening. "Lord of the Dance",
with its glorious harmonies, and sung as a round, was breathtaking.
"Deus Meus", sung on a darkened stage, drums keeping time with the music,
with the men singing in unison, rather than in harmony, was a memorable
vocal and stage experience. "Be Thou My Vision" was another favorite of mine,
as was "My Love". The only problem with "My Love", is the fact that we all
knew it was the end of the concert, and no one wanted to have it end.
The last concert also took place at The Palace, this time in Albany. This is also a lovely theatre, and the city of Albany was abuzz with the news that The Irish Tenors AND Dolly Parton were in town at the same time. Thinking about that, the possibility of a wonderfully enjoyable evening may have been overlooked! Think of the
marquee: The Irish Tenors with Dolly Parton! Something for everyone
......especially the Tenors!!!
It's always a treat to attend the last concert of a tour. The Tenors pull out all the stops, and have a lot of fun, while they're singing beautifully! Such was the
case on Wednesday night. The men have been having fun during the entire tour,
but this night, fun took on a greater meaning. Anthony and John were trying
so hard to distract Finbar, who put up with it as long as he could, and then just turned his back on them. Anthony and John engaging in some friendly horseplay, John walking over to Finbar and massaging his shoulders, the men making up
their own words to the songs, Anthony saying "come on, boys", as they began
their dance in "Go Lassie Go", and John just putting one foot over the other, as Finbar and Anthony did some spectacular kicks, and Anthony pretending to be gasping for air at the end, Finbar and John doing their "after you, no, after you" routine. And when John finally left the stage, Finbar said "well, age before
beauty." John just shouted out "HEY!" There were more, but I won't recount them all. But the men are such professionals, that despite all that fooling around,
they still sang marvelously, ending with a fervent "Danny Boy", which brought the house down, and left the cheering audience calling for more.
At both concerts, Arnie Roth drew the best from both orchestras . He always manages to make his performers shine. That's a sign of a good conductor. In the past, he's made not-so-good orchestras sound great, and excellent orchestras sound fabulous. And that's also the sign of a good conductor. Anthony, Finbar, and John are very lucky to have each other, and Arnie Roth. We are the luckiest ones of all. We get to enjoy all of them!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS, GUYS! THANKS FOR THE EARLY CHRISTMAS PRESENT!
Berta Calechman