Last night's show was fantastic! Couldn't have possibly been better. (Well, if Barry had come
down into the audience to serenade each of us individually it could have been better, but other
than that...) And apparently my mp3 player must know that it was a special night, because this
morning it seems to be choosing Barry's most romantic songs to play (and it's in random mode!)
Barry opened in a jacket I've never seen before - black with orange trim. Nice looking!
I'm not sure if this is a change, but I don't recall ever seeing it before - I *think* it's
during Singin' With the Big Bands - the pattern that was displayed behind Barry was really
nice. I caught a couple of photos of it, but they didn't do it justice. A lot of gray/silver
diagonals - really, really nice.
Moonlight Serenade was very nice - the mood he presented fit in great for Valentine's Day. Love
that star background behind him.
The 50's segment has been changed a little - no Venus - he went straight into Love Is A Many
Splendored Thing. But there were still some comical moments before he finished the song in a
serious mode.
Last night's version of Are You Lonesome Tonight was exceptional. And I know I say things like
that frequently - but can I help it if Barry doesn't seem to have a limit when it comes to taking
something just a little bit further?? It was SO emotional - man, you could FEEL the longing, the
yearning in his voice and see it in his eyes. WOW!
I like the new costumes for the 60's segment. I really like what the girls are wearing, and I
think Kye's new jacket looks really classy. Based on the photos I had seen from the New York
shows, I didn't think I liked Barry's new Nehru jacket. But I do - in person, it looks much
better. And when the pink polka dots turn to blue toward the end of the segment, it really
looks great against that backdrop.
He also changed up I Made It Through the Rain a little. He changed from the white jacket to
what appeared to be a navy blue velvet one - might have been a royal purple. He started the
song sitting on a stool by the piano. Then he walked around and started playing the piano. He
did the Grandpa Joe bit - it seemed to be even more heartfelt than normal. He finished the
song with a really big, no a HUGE ending - HUGE sound. And in the background there was a photo
of Grandpa Joe and baby Barry. It was so touching.
And another "WOW" was Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again. He changed the arrangement a little, actually
a lot. Some beautiful piano work - and you could really hear the piano. It's times like this I
wish I had taken more music courses, because I lack the vocabulary to describe the things he
did. But it seemed that I was hearing changes in chords, and changes in tempo - he changed it
without changing it, if that makes any sense. So that part was very nice. And then the vocals!
He topped himself again. An incredibly strong, powerful, passionate performance. As he
finished the song, all I could do was sit there for a second and say "WOW". It was amazing.
When it was over Barry said something to the effect of, "Wow, I didn't know the song would be
so sexy".
At the end of the show, I believe as he was finishing Copa (after the platform), I looked over
at the horn section - and it looked like they were head bangin'. LOL Wish I'd looked over sooner!
