I wish every aspiring entertainer - and even some who have already made it - would attend Barry Manilow’s show. It’s there they’ll witness what it means to be an authentic, classy and consummate performer; a musician at his best! One who needs nothing more than his splendid talent, to capture an audience of fifteen hundred or fifteen thousand from the moment he enters the stage, until the moment he leaves.
Last Sunday I was again fortunate to attend Barry’s show at Paris Las Vegas. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve been there, but each and every time is as fresh and vibrant as the first time. And each time I can’t help but wonder how does he do it? After singing some of his songs hundreds, maybe thousands of times, how are they still crisp and relevant with each performance? My opinion - I know I’ve shared it before, but I’ve got to repeat it - Barry isn’t nonchalantly doing a job, dialing it in. He lives the music and takes his craft seriously, giving his all, with deep respect to each attendee, be it their first time or thousandth! It shows and it’s appreciated!
Barry’s energy is always at a level so high, I wish he’d loan some out, there are days when I could use it, but Sunday, man he was on fire, if there are stops, he pulled them all. His voice, Lord that voice… again I’m repetitive, but the mans voice keeps getting more powerful with each note he sings.
By luck I had my favorite seat. Front row, stage left, which is set back just enough. Sure, center, a few rows back is great, but to the left you have the joy of watching not just the singer, but the extraordinary pianist Barry is. Sometimes in hearing him, we forget he is indeed a musician. You’re reminded watching his hands elegantly and effortlessly float across the ivories, he is, with no doubt a maestro creating music at its finest.
Barry’s music always stirs my emotions. Often an entire song will hit me deeply, conjuring thoughts of my own life as I’ve lived and live it, but Sunday was different; lyrics, line, snippets were touching feelings I haven’t thought of in awhile.
“Can’t Smile Without You”; an unlikely song to get teary over, yet the line “you came along and just like a song you brighten my day”. That’s what his music does for me; brightens my day. Thinking of that brought on some happy tears for how grateful I am in the joy his music gives me.
“This One’s For You”. I’ve been thinking of my ex-husband lately, still wondering why twenty plus years ended as they did. There are times I miss him, you can’t share that much and not miss something, at least I can’t. But I don’t know if that feeling is mutual; communication, or lack there of, led to our demise. “I wonder every night if you just might miss me too” ripped into me like an unexpected jolt. An odd memory flashed from a day twenty three years ago, we were happy then. It made me smile, I wonder if he remembers too.
Prior to “This One’s For You” Barry states it’s dedicated to his beloved Grandpa Joe. You can see in his expression it is, but there’s a look that seems he’s thinking of all the years since that day in a “record your own voice booth”, and at the finale of the song it’s those memories and the audience before him, he’s dedicating the song to.
I love both versions of “Nature Boy”, baby Barry and grown up Barry. The closing line “the greatest thing that you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return”. Through his music, through his generosity, Barry has given and received love. Perhaps that’s why that particular song appealed to him as a young child. He knew deep down what his life was to be. The love was growing within before he recognized it.
When it’s time for a ballad, I silently hope it will be “Even Now”. They are all phenomenal, but that one, the almost final note and the one that follows, when you think the roof is going to blow off can’t be described, you’ve got to see it. One word, INCREDIBLE!
And the segment from Barry’s newest original album, “15 Minutes” which includes the title song and “Bring On Tomorrow”! Too bad we can’t hit replay at a live show; from the audience reaction I think the majority would. It feels as if any trepidation Barry might have had when first introducing these songs is gone. They’re part of him now as he takes on the persona of the young performer starting out, waiting for “15 minutes of fame”; not one who’s known 19,972,800 (terrible at math, but that’s roughly thirty eight years of famous minutes).
Belting out “15 Minutes” complete with air guitar, the character, played by Barry, has an air of confidence with an urgent beseeching, that’s touching, raw and sexy. “Bring On Tomorrow” keeps those attributes in place, adding a power-filled gentleness that will melt the toughest heart. From the audience reaction, this song has become a current hit, bringing down the house with cheers, applause and standing ovations, much like the one’s “Mandy” still evokes.
One more “how does he do it?” I’ve never attended another live show where the performer seamlessly glides from one genre to the next, not for a second losing audience attention as he and our feelings take a myriad journey through upbeat, passionate, jazzy-bluesy, fun, sensitive, nostalgia, breathtaking…. moments.
The end comes too soon, all good things end too soon in spite of the passage of actual time. As the show closes with “It’s A Miracle” and colorful streamers burst into the air, gently landing on us, there’s a party going on within the intimate elegance of the theater. We haven’t merely been to a show, we’ve shared ninety minutes with a giving host who treated his guests to the absolute best he has to offer, which is above and beyond phenomenal!
Thank you Barry, it’s always a privilege to be there and “the miracle is” truly you!