Another fantastic show! Had a friend with me who had never seen Barry perform live before. When
the Midnight Special portion of the show started, I turned to her and asked "Are you hooked yet?" -
she responded "A long time ago!" LOL! Barry *does* have that effect on people.
It was a very lively crowd. When Barry started into Somewhere in the Night, someone in the crowd
let out a "Whoop!" - he raised his eyebrows and got an expression on his face that seemed to say,
"Oh, yeah? Sexy, huh?". It happened again when he walked over to change jackets during Singin' With the Big
Bands. I managed to get photos both times.
Still love that diagonal pattern behind him while he's doing Singin' With the Big Bands. I got
a good photo of it this time.
Love his hair this week, too. It's longer than usual, but I like it this way. Like the way
his bangs fall across his forehead, too. Okay, I know this has absolutely nothing to do with
his performance and the show, but whatever... I like it!
It seems as if Moonlight Serenade is currently one of Barry's favorite songs to perform. I really
don't know if it is or isn't, but that's the feeling that comes across when you watch him
perform it live. He seems to be "finding himself" in that song - more so each time he sings it.
That's another song that I never really cared for, but I'm very much enjoying what he's doing
with it in the show.
The standout of the night was definitely Are You Lonesome Tonight. He even topped last night's
performance. At the end, it looked as if he would really start crying at any minute - I swear,
I could see the lump in his throat and see him fighting back the tears. And it seemed to take longer
than usual for him to come back out of it so that he could move on to the next song. It made
your heart ache for him. When my friend and I were discussing the show the next day, we both
just kept coming back to this particular song.
A close second was his performance of Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again. He did the chords a little
differently again, and changed the tempo up a little. But this time in the middle of the song the
band stopped playing - it was just Barry and his piano. It was beautiful! Looking back, it's as
if he invented the song all over again. There were so many interesting things in there - if you
take a step back away from the beautiful music and passionate performance, it kind of blows your
mind - he's really made it a very complex song. I think that's part of the reason why Barry is
still so popular - he doesn't leave well enough alone. His music is dynamic.
I'm still amazed at how far Barry has come with his performance of You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'.
It was never bad - but when he first included it in the show, it certainly wasn't what it is now.
Someone else wrote in a recent review that they wished the recording of Are You Lonesome Tonight
could have had the passion that the live performance does (agreed) - same kind of thing with You've
Lost That Lovin' Feelin'. When I first heard the recording, I thought that Barry had "turned
loose" more with that song than with any other studio recording he's ever done. But he's gone even
further with the live performance - it's very powerful.
It seems to me that Barry is trying to make the show a little more interactive by asking the
audience to sing along with certain songs. He's always asked us to sing along with Can't Smile
Without You and I Write the Songs - now he's asking us to sing the chorus of Can't Take My Eyes Off
You. And he seems to be watching to see if we really are singing with him. It's kind of fun.
Most of the time I'm too inhibited to sing along, but once in a while I do. I still hear a few
people singing "I love you Barry" instead of "I love you baby" on Can't Take My Eyes Off You.
The show ended with the same songs as always. But, just like the opening of the show, I don't
think that needs to be changed. Those are classic Manilow songs. They create the perfect
atmosphere - you start the show on a high and you end it on one, too. I would certainly be
very disappointed if he ever removed It's A Miracle - the show just wouldn't be the same without
it.
