I really had my doubts that there would be a show tonight since he had to cancel last night. But we did!
Barry made mention of the fact that the cold/flu had been going around and that he has it. He said that Celine
had canceled her entire week of shows, but that he wasn't going to cancel (making a fist and gesture as he said
it to indicate how tough he is). At first glance you really couldn't see anything wrong, but there were a few
times that you could look into his eyes and see it - and he got up there and killed himself for us once
again. (sending a big virtual hug!)
Barry said he hoped we would bear with him if he had a problem with any of the vocals. He made his old joke about
having taken a variety of cold medicines and that he may "sound like ****, but I feel wonderful!". Ha! And
since he seemed to get a little tongue-tied on a few songs, I think he may very well have felt wonderful (some
good stuff!). But aside from that, I thought he sounded great - I really didn't notice any problems with his
vocals at all. I could hear a little something when he was just talking, but not while he was singing.
There were a couple of times that he seemed to be a little short on breath (just a tad), but certainly not during
Even Now. He hit a home run with that one, including the long note at the end.
Moonlight Serenade was beautiful - no sign of any voice problems at all during the song. For some reason the stars
behind Barry seemed even more beautiful tonight. Don't remember the name of the dance lady, don't remember where
she was from - she had a lot of family with her and she said she was with them, so not sure if she was a big fan
or not. But I have a lot of photos of them dancing, if anyone knows her.
Some of the playfulness of the 50's segment was back - in particular, Barry hamming it up during Love Is A Many
Splendored Thing. The backups were also more playful, with Keely and Melanie getting ready to pull each other's
hair out over trying to get closer to Barry. Very funny!
Barry had the audience sing along with him during Yesterday. He cut You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling out of the
60's segment, but even though I love it, I can't say that I felt as if something were missing. What was left tied
together perfectly.
The 70's segment is fantastic. It's abbreviated because Barry's trying to fit 4 decades into one show - but who's
willing to give up any of it? Right? The set is beautiful - where the 60's had a backdrop of huge polka dots, the
70's has a backdrop of huge squares. The lighting on those squares for the most part is a lovely shade of purple.
At the beginning of the segment, the screen comes down behind Barry and it displays a swirling pattern behind him
that's kind of a royal purple. If I'm remembering correctly, at another point during the segment it turns royal
blue. I stand by my right to be a little off on some of this since it's my first time to see the 70's bit and it
was hard to take it all in at once. As usual, the amount of detail that has been put into it is incredible.
The lighting was stunning - on Barry - the lighting on the backups was almost non-existent, which was a shame since
they each get their moment to shine during this segment. But, that said, the lighting was still stunning - I found
myself taking my eyes off Barry long enough to just stare it (well, for a few moments, anyway ).
The costumes for the backups are very flattering - I think they're the best I've seen so far. The girls look very
elegant in their sleek, black outfits. And Kye looks sharp in his 70's style suit. I like Barry's new jacket,
too - a maroon, gold swirly pattern - kind of like paisley. Not too crazy about the collar on it - or something -
something doesn't seem to fit him as well as his other jackets. But I still like it.
Barry has given his backups solo moments during other parts of the show. But this time it's a knock-out. This time
you can truly see what talented performers they are. I can't really say what the difference is - each solo moment
was brief - but there was something that really stood out this time. Their voices, their stage presence - I could
see each of them being a headliner on their own. I was very impressed (and I already thought they were fantastic,
so there you go...). We already knew that Monica has a strong voice, but it seemed even stronger. And Keely, and
Melanie, and Kye - WOW! - they were dynamic! Just awesome - blew me away...
Ok, now Barry's part of the 70's segment... When I first heard that he was doing The Way We Were as part of the
segment, I wasn't thinking happy thoughts. Have you ever heard songs that make you want to turn off the radio, or
even get up and walk out of the room? That's how I felt about this song. It's not that the vocals or the music
weren't beautiful on the original - it was just so depressing, mournful, sorrowful. But I forced myself to keep
an open mind because Barry has managed to change my opinion on songs over and over again (and over and over and over...).
And I was soooooooo wrong! His rendition of this song is more than beautiful - his voice was so soft, emotional,
gorgeous. He only did a small part of the song, but I could have listened to the entire thing and been in heaven. Wow!
That song opened the 70's segment perfectly - it set the tone for the "memories". After that he launched into Looks
Like We Made It, the upbeat version - and even though he was sick, it was still sexy.
Then the backups joined him for It Never Rains in Southern California. They all danced behind/to the side him as he
sang at center stage. It was very lively, bouncy and fun.
And then Barry went to the piano for You've Got a Friend. He did a fantastic job on this one, as well. His vocals
and interpretation were wondeful.
This is where my memory fails me. I know that each of the backups got solo moments, and I'm thinking that it was
during at least 2 of the songs during the 70's segment. I *believe* that the first time was during INRISC, because
I recall them dancing on either side of Barry, and I also recall it being very upbeat. This is where it really hit
me just how talented they are. I also remember them all being around the piano during You've Got a Friend. But I
could be a little off on all this - my poor old brain can only absorb so much at one time, you know!
He closed out the show with the usual songs, Mandy/CIBM, IWTS, Copa. Mandy/CIBM continues to be very passionate -
more so than at any other time during his career. There was something poignant about IWTS tonight, as well.
At the end of the show Barry thanked us for seeing him through - he told us that we were what made him able to get up
there and perform even when he didn't feel well.
During the group hug at the end, everyone scrunched up and made kissy faces. And then Kye reached over and started
stroking Barry's hair! Hilarious! I did manage to catch one shot of that, but then started laughing and had to put
the camera down.
