Monday 6th March 2006
Irish Tenors ‘warming up’ in Manchester
By JOHN WHITSON Union Leader Staff
The Irish Tenors will, of course, be the headline show Wednesday at the Palace Theatre in Manchester. But the concert will just as surely serve as a first step in the run up to St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in the city.
“This should be a spectacular concert because it’s such an intimate venue,” said Peter Ramsey, president of the Palace. “We’re lucky we got them.”
The Irish Tenors’ current tour began Friday and will end 10 days after their Manchester appearance.
John McDermott, a member of the trio who mixes his solo work around Tenors’ tours, said the buildup to St. Patrick’s Day has always been a busy time for his genre of music. It’s been made more so since the Irish Tenors exploded on the musical scene in 1998.
“Initially, it was one of those things that was waiting to happen,” said McDermott, who, as a Toronto resident is the only member of the trio to live outside Ireland. “When we did come out with it, it was fun. It was striking the nerve of Irish America.”
McDermott emphasizes America because this is home to the lion’s share of the group’s fans. “I go to Ireland for the golf,” he said.
Although he was an original member of the trio, McDermott wasn’t with the Tenors when they appeared at Meadowbrook in Gilford in 2003 and 2004. He has, however, made several solo swings through the Granite State and is happy to be coming back.
Other members
In addition to McDermott, the trio is composed of Anthony Kearns and Finbar Wright.
“I’m the Perry Como of the trio,” said McDermott. “I’m a ballad singer, a storyteller.”
McDermott said he leaves the huge range of notes — especially hitting the high ones — to Kearns, who he describes as having “four sets of lungs.”
With the success of the Irish Tenors — its Web site bills the group as second only to U2 among Irish touring acts in the United States — has come imitators. By the dozen.
McDermott speaks of being ‘tenorized’ by being lumped into the many Irish tenor singing groups performing today.
“Now you’ve got ‘tenoritis,’” he said. “The bloom is off the rose, so to speak. Because of that, it’s been a challenge for us to come up with a show that is artistic and fresh, and I think we’ve done that.”
The trio will be supported on the Palace Theatre stage by a 30-piece professional orchestra led by the conductor of the Chicago Pops.
Still strong
McDermott has been back with the group since October 2004, and he can’t discern any drop-off in the trio’s popularity and the crowd’s connection to the music.
“I don’t think it’s waning,” he said. “People are certainly looking for a bang for their buck. We have to keep the material new.”
But don’t worry, that doesn’t mean “Danny Boy” has been dropped from the playlist. “You’ll hear a rendition of it,” promised McDermott.
VIP tickets at $93.50 and include an autograph signing at the end of the evening in addition to premier. Regular tickets are $58.50. For more information, call the box office at 668-5588 or log on to palacetheatre.org.
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"The Little Yellow Bus" Tenors Tour Site! © Marie L.Collins 2003. All Rights Reserved.
"The Little Yellow Bus" Tenors Tour Site! © Marie L.Collins 2003. All Rights Reserved.