What an incredible night! I had completely forgotten how it felt to be in an audience
filled with fans. The energy level was unbelievable. At times the crowd was so loud it
hurt my ears. I can only imagine what it felt like to Barry and crew.
And what a show Barry put on for us! It was definitely for *us*. I don't remember the
past fan club shows being like this. For those who attended the convention a couple of
years ago, remember how magical Midnight with Manilow felt? That's how this evening felt -
it was magical.
Barry opened with the upbeat version of Could It Be Magic. He came from the smoke to the
front of the stage - the crowd's roar was deafening. Barry just stood there taking it all
in with a huge grin on his face. He tried several times to start the song and had to stop
because of the crowd. He finally was able to move forward with the rewritten lyrics the
are just for his fans - "Heaven sent you, angels of my lifetime." He was wearing that
bright purple satin jacket with the teal satin shirt.
He recognized the BMIFC members in the audience by telling the non-fans that his fan club
members are "smart, compassionate, and kind" and then said something to the effect that
they (the non-fans) would be very pleased to get to know any of us.
Barry then went into the Daybreak/Somewhere in the Night/This One's For You medley. More
sqeals during SITN. And then he sang Why Don't We Live Together - another of my favorites!
He sang the version with the slightly changed lyrics, the same one that he did on the 2004
tour. He missed part of the second verse, then realized what he did. He started laughing
and said, "I've only been singing this song for 30 years!"
Next came Mandy/Could It Be Magic, following by Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again. It was an
excellent rendition of the latter song, a lot of feeling put into it.
On the Dew Drop side someone requested One of These Days, so he did that one. Then he did
Can't Smile Without You.
Most of the songs received standing ovations. Several times throughout the night they
turned the houselights up. Maybe Barry wanted to be able to see us all dressed in white!
Barry then went into Bandstand Boogie, followed by the 50's segment. He hammed it up
during Venus again - very funny. And I *still* missed the photo of Keely holding onto
his leg! I think the problem is I'm laughing so hard I can't hold the camera still!
Love Is A Many Splendored Thing was again very passionate. He started Not For Me To Say
and a lady on the Rock Bottom side jumped up and started saying "I love you, I love you,
I love you!" She was very animated. Barry selected her for the dance - she was obviously
in heaven (who wouldn't be??). After he finished the song, he said "Thank you for the dance"
and started to walk away, then stopped and said, "And thank you for loving me." As he turned
to leave, the woman let out a scream and Barry just laughed. When he got back to center
stage he said, "A live wire!"
Then he sang Unchained Melody. It was another beautiful rendition of it. I was sitting in
the 5th row of M3, so it was a perfect vantage point for the song. I just love looking into
his eyes while he's singing that song - you can see all of the emotion. LOL If I'm
this way during UM, what am I going to be like if he ever does Can't Help Falling in Love
during the show? They'll have to carry me out on a stretcher! LOL
Next came the Mayflower medley. He started with They Dance. That "clicked" in my head,
because when he does that he usually is going to do an extra song. But I decided that he
had already done extra things in the show, so I forgot about it. As he finished the last
song of the Mayflower medley, he yelled "Don't stop me now!" and they went into Who's Been
Sleeping in My Bed. The crowd went into a frenzy and stayed in one throughout the entire
song. I don't know why Barry keeps saying he's not good at this rock and roll stuff - he
was awesome!
After everyone calmed down (well, ok - "calm" didn't exist last night!) he moved to the
Rock Bottom side and sang one of the most tender versions of Are You Lonesome Tonight that
I've ever heard him do. This was one of the very few (if not only) time that the audience
was quiet. The ending was very emotional, you could feel the pain as he sang it.
He moved back to center stage and started I Write the Songs. This time, we got the extra
medley - we need a name for that - the IWTS medley? As he sings "And I wrote some rock
and roll" they slip into the medley. He starts with Some Kind of Friend, a really rocking
version of it. Then comes Looks Like We Made It, the more traditional version rather than
the version that he did on the 2004 tour. And then a strong rendition of Ships, followed
by Ready to Take a Chance Again, and then back into IWTS.
Barry left the stage, then came back out for Copa. Then the reprise of It's a Miracle and
they closed the show.
No way he can outdo himself tonight - there's just no way! And watch him prove me wrong!
