During the chaos of the past two years when all things changed, when the way we lived our lives was slowed down to standstill, everyone questioned if this era represented the end of things, rather than a temporary suspension of normality. Nowhere was this felt more starkly than in the entertainment industry when the concept of performance seemed destined to fall foul to the restrictions.
It was a time when the concept of sharing a performance seemed alien to the prevailing restrictions of the time, and we wondered if we would ever again get to enjoy the shared pleasure of a concert.
But most of us are just audience members, and maybe we could have moved on to other things. For the performers, it was a different scenario — for them, it was a question of whether what defined them would continue to be part of their lives. There were even some suggestions that our singers and songwriters and performance artists retrain for other professions. It really felt like an end of times.
Thankfully, that situation has abated somewhat and we are privileged to be able to get to live performances again, with the added bonus being that our best performers are only rarin’ to go. Mad for road.
Two of those are tenors Frank Naughton and Sean Costello, the consummate performers who have known each other for twenty years. In that time they have entertained hundreds of thousands, sheer luxury of their rich voices gracing many occasions. At the end of this month, Galway audiences will get to hear them again when their new show, Sean Costello and Frank Naughton Celebrate The Great Irish Tenors, will be staged at the Town Hall Theatre. (Tickets and date details at foot of article )
The pair enliven any space they inhabit. When they announce themselves in song, they suck any available air out of a place and send their wondrous sounds to every corner and back. They exude a confidence and a performatic swagger but even they were beginning to wonder if the post-lockdown world would allow them to do what they love.
Now, back touring for the first time since the lockdown, they admit that they too had doubts over where the the industry was going.
“It’s been a long two years and at times we wondered if we’d ever get back on the road again, but I think we’re more relieved than anything. The passage of time stops for no one, so it’s important to get back at it,.
“It defines, to an extent, who you are. We are performers, and the old saying, in my opinion, is true, if ya don’t use it, ya lose it. It’s an art form and you need to practise it,” Frank said.
Did they ever think the idea of performance as they knew it would disappear in the way the audience experienced it?
“Well, yes in a way,” said Frank. “You must remember, we were closed down completely, like so many other areas of society. I think the difference for the performing artists sector is, you rely on the feedback that only a live crowd can give you.
“It’s impossible to replicate online, don’t get me wrong, we were involved in a number of online concerts etc, and while they were somewhat rewarding in the performance sense, it just wasn’t the same, I can’t really express what a relief it is to be looking forward to performing again, instead of into an abyss of uncertainty,” he added.
“Being off the road hasn’t altered our approach or choices of music,” said Sean. “If anything it has rubber stamped it in a way, because people are craving the things they’ve missed so much during lockdowns and restrictions. I suppose we all crave the safe and the familiar, and music is an amazing component of that.”
But artists find a way to get around obstacles and Frank and Sean were no different.
The driveway concerts
“On St Patricks Day 2020, I woke early and this idea was bugging me all night. I remember being worried about Sean as he was one of the first people in Galway to have the Covid virus.
“You have to consider that we really knew nothing about the virus at that stage, so a positive test was a real worry.
“He was isolating so I knew he wasn’t going to be around if I decided to do a concert on my driveway, and it was lashing rain, and the cards seemed to be stacked against me,. Nevertheless, I told my wife Elaine, I was going to set up the sound equipment, in the pouring rain, erect some kind of cover over it, and go for it, and she started to get the word out to our locals, that’s as far as I expected it to go.
“Then we decided to stream it live on Facebook, and to say I was overwhelmed is an understatement. On my Facebook stream alone, we had over 130,000 views, not to mention all the other streams, people from all over the world, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, New York, to name but a few, and here in Ireland, contacted me.
“It was a wonderful moment of community in an otherwise scary lonely time for many people. I still receive messages today from people, so thankful for helping them through that strange time, that was the most rewarding element for Elaine and I, because we got as much out of it as everyone else, it really was very cathartic.
“We did it again last year and thankfully Sean was able to join me, it was a great event, so many people turned out and it felt, to me anyway, a far more positive stage with regard to the pandemic, a feeling of, yes, we getting there at last.
“On the whole, the driveway concerts were very rewarding in a dark moment for us all,” he added.
Honesty
“Frank and I have worked together for well over 20 years now,” said Sean. “We’re often asked how have you made it work for so long?
“Well, the answer is a very simple one. Honesty. When it’s all said and done, in any working relationship if you are honest in all your dealings and communications, then you have a great chance.
“We’ve been very lucky. We’ve been to the United States, the UK. and all over this wonderful little country of ours, doing what we love, entertaining. I mean, how lucky have we been, very, and long may it continue.”
He feels there is a responsibility on them to preserve the type of music that they love performing in the great tradition of the Irish tenor.
“We’ve always loved this kind of music, Danny Boy, I’ll Take You Home Again Kathleen, My Way, The Town I Loved So Well, what’s not to love?
“There is also a responsibility on us to try and preserve this genre. The world is a very noisy place and sometimes you have to shout to be heard, well, this is us raising our voices a little, and from our audience reaction over the years, it works,” he added.
And now, after it all, they are back on the road again.
“We’ve decided to do two concerts in Galway in the Town Hall Theatreat the end of April. It’s a wonderful venue, and with Fergal McGrath, artistic director of the theatre, and his team behind us, and with our collective shoulders to the wheel, we’re looking forward to two great nights,” said Frank.
“Sean and I will be in The National Concert Hall later in the year celebrating the life of the amazing Mario Lanza, a concert we’ve been doing for over 10 years now, and a tour of the Great Irish Tenors is currently in the works.
“We’re also working with Marty Morrissey and we’ll be joining him for his “Marty’s Party,” concerts throughout the country later this year with The Galway Tenors. It’s great to be getting back to normal, finally.”
“There’s no sense of making up for lost time as Sean and I have always just lived in the moment from a performance point of view. We love doing concerts etc, but as soon as they’re done, it’s on to the next challenge. We don’t let the grass grow under our feet as it were, and we look forward to many great evenings ahead,” he concluded.
No grass will grow long under these lads — their high energy shows will wow you all again as the tour gets underway. Be part of the experience.
Sean Costello and Frank Naughton Celebrate The Great Irish Tenors — The Town Hall Theatre, Galway. Friday April 29 and Saturday April 30 at 8p.m.
Tickets at €25 are available on www.tht.ie or 091 569777
