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Friday, December 9, 2011

The Celtic Tenors

THE CELTIC TENORS
The Stiefel Theatre,  Salina, KS
© Lydia Lowe  12/10/2011

Daryl Simpson, Matthew Gilsenan, Colm Rogan, and James Nelson
THE CELTIC TENORS . . . Unique!  These Irish lads are quite something.  I knew next to nothing about this group when I did a quick interview with them before the show.  They had arrived late for sound check and the interview almost didn't happen.  But after talking to them before the show and then getting to hear their music?  This is a group to watch.

The Celtic Tenors covered just about every musical genre, other than rap and heavy metal, in their own unique style.  Primarily they sang with piano or guitar accompaniment and let their voices be their instruments.  In fact, near the end of the show, they sang "Danny Boy" without instruments or microphones.  The auditorium was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.   And the audience . . . could hear them just fine!  The range and volume of their voices were some of the strongest I've ever heard.

Each member of the group had a signature strength.  Daryl smiled the entire time.  He smiled through the interview, he smiled through the show, and he was still smiling at the meet and greet afterwards.  Matthew kissed all the girls.  He gave me and my colleague a kiss on the cheek after the interview, he blew a kiss to a female audience member during the show, and he was still hugging and kissing all the girls at the meet and greet afterwards.  James was just himself.  He was friendly and knowledgeable at the interview.  He was friendly throughout the show and he was still very friendly at the meet and greet afterwards.  We didn't get to meet Colm at the interview but we did get to talk to him extensively at the meet and greet.  My colleague had on a Pantera t-shirt and Colm was very taken with it.  He asked Jody, my colleague, if she had liked the show since she was heavily into metal music.  He seemed stunned and confused when she overwhelming gave the show her seal of approval.

Something quite funny happened around the intermission.  At the beginning of the show, Matthew had a beard.  After the intermission, he did not.   We were quick to notice and then eventually it was pointed out to the audience.  Apparently he had orders from his wife to shave it off.  The big joke of the evening was that at all their shows, he has a beard for the first half of the show and then at intermission he shaves it off!

It was a terrific show and these guys were lots of fun.  Their talent is tremendous.  The meet and greet after the show was the icing on the cake.  Keep up the good work, fellas.  I hope they travel back through Kansas again, very soon.

 

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