Review: Celtic Tenors Bring A Bit Of Ireland To Honeywell Center
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David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
WABASH – When The Celtic Tenors came to the Honeywell Center in Wabash Saturday, they brought a lot of Ireland with them. Whether it was their Irish accents, their stories of life in their mother country, the history of the Isle or their performance of traditional Irish song, the theater felt more like it had traveled to Ireland than they had come from it. The trio includes Matthew Gilsenan, born into a family in North Meath; James Nelson, from Sligo; and Daryl Simpson, from Omagh, Northern Ireland. The first number was “Fare Thee Well,” and the three men just walked out onto the stage and started right into it. Their musical director took to the piano, and Simpson took up the guitar. Simpson played his instrument several times throughout the night, but not in every song. Sometimes there wasn’t even a piano playing as when they sang “O Danny Boy” after the intermission a cappella. It was a very special performance of the classic Irish song and the theater was hushed for its entire performance. Of course, the tenors have a new CD coming out this fall and they sang a few tracks from it Saturday. Going in a different direction with the album – singing some contemporary songs instead of operatic and classic – they made the numbers sound classical but even better on the stage. While the Randy Newman song wasn’t too far of a stretch, their rendition of Dolly Parton’s “From Here to the Moon & Back” was stellar. It was like the song had been written for The Celtic Tenors and not country at all. Surely, Parton has heard their take on her song by now and is probably as happy with the outcome as I know the audience was Saturday. Parton wasn’t the only country singer The Celtic Tenors borrowed a song from. They also did a marvelous performance of “In My Daughter’s Eyes” by Martina McBride. Gilsenan dedicated it beforehand to anyone who has a daughter or is a daughter, and I know there were a few tears shed during its performance. Of course, they didn’t go all contemporary during Saturday’s beautiful concert. They performed an operatic number by Giuseppe Verde and at least one other Italian opera piece. My friend who attended the concert with me enjoyed their performance of a song called “Love Song” the most, but it wasn’t a cover of The Cure’s “Love Song.” Even better. They did get in several Irish folk songs, but they started the second half of the concert with Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young.” Even with their own spin on it, Dylan’s classic still felt like Dylan because of the lyrics. The one Broadway number the group performed together was “Somewhere” from “West Side Story.” It was beautifully bittersweet and was one of my top three songs of the night. Simpson sang solo on “Bring Him Home” from “Les Miserables,” and it was as good of a performance of that song as any one could hope to hear on the Broadway stage. Other highlights of the night included a performance of “Caledonia” and a Steven Foster song we really liked and whose title I should have taken down but forgot. Anyway, if you ever get a chance to see The Celtic Tenors, I would highly recommend it. They’re an amazing singing trio who will delight your ears with the sound of their voices. Plus, in between songs, they are hilarious and often make fun of each other and their Irish heritage. I loved their performance Saturday at the Ford Theater at the Honeywell Center in Wabash, and if I could see them again I would in a heartbeat. For more information about The Celtic Tenors, visit the official website at www.celtic-tenors.com/ For more information about The Honeywell Center and upcoming events, visit its website at www.honeywellcenter.org
