John Tesh’s Acoustic Christmas – A Review

by  Michael P Coleman

John Tesh’s Acoustic Christmas show, which played the Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto last night, is far greater than the sum its disparate parts. The production is a bit confounding — much like the artist himself.

On paper, the show should never have worked.

Tesh performed only a handful of holiday songs during the show — especially if you exclude “Mele Kalikimaka” and “I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas,” which we should all most assuredly do.

The artist shared the Gallo Center stage with his adult daughter who intermittently danced alongside her proud dad, and his adult son who told jokes and played ukulele. Intermittently, Tesh slid in a well meaning, well placed saxophonist player.

Tesh is an accomplished pianist, but I’ve heard countless singers who could have done a technically better version of “Silver Bells” from that stage. With a shot of Jack Daniels, this writer could have given him a run for his money.

Again, on paper, John Tesh’s Acoustic Christmas a train wreck waiting to happen. But I’ve rarely seen a better Christmas show. The evening felt as though we’d been welcomed into the Tesh family living room for hilarious stories, family photos, and music around the baby grand. The show was so intimate and personal that Tesh’s wife, actress Connie Sellecca, was missed.

Tesh said in advance that the evening would deliver as many stories as songs. He kept that promise. And with his son’s stand up comedy routine preceding the “concert,” he didn’t break for a brief intermission until after 9:00pm.

As such, Tesh lost some of his (perhaps) less patient fans, who may have expected more music. Those Gallo Center patrons missed the heart of the show.

Read MPC’s full review. John Tesh testified and preached from that Gallo Center stage. And Michael Jackson lived again during the show!