Barry seemed especially "up' tonight - he positively bounced out onto the stage with a
huge grin on his face. He set the mood for the entire night in the first few seconds of
the show.
This was a "streamer" night - that's going to be the term I use for nights that are so
special I have to take some streamers home with me as a souvenir. And I certainly grabbed
a handful of them tonight!
I think Barry opened in a new jacket. It was brown, looked to be velvet. It was trimmed
with darker brown. Throughout It's a Miracle, Daybreak, Somewhere in the Night (especially
this one!), and This One's For You, I couldn't even take photos. I was just taking it all
in. I may have my nights mixed up here, but early in the show he made the comment that
he's "an oldie but a goodie" - that got a laugh out of his backups.
They sang Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer again. Everyone seems to be having a lot of fun
with it, including the audience. That was the only Christmas song that we got tonight. He
skipped River, probably because of an impromptu performance of another song. Now, if we
could get Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, too, the Christmas shows would be perfect - but
I'm not going to hold my breath on that one.
One of the "take-my-breath-away" songs of the night was Are You Lonesome Tonight. I was
sitting in D-31 - that's the perfect spot for feeling as if Barry is singing straight to
you. Now that he's moved this song to center stage more of the audience can get the full
effect of it. The last couple of lines of that song tonight were amazing - there was so
much tenderness and emotion - omigosh! And then when he finished he just continued to
sit there with this pensive look on his face. I almost melted - good thing I didn't
because I would have missed the great moments that were to come!
Almost every night before he sings Are You Lonesome Tonight, Barry says that he's "about
as far away from Elvis Presley as you can get". Hey, Elvis could have taken a few
lessons from Barry.
So while I was trying to recover from Are You Lonesome Tonight, Barrry launched into Looks
Like We Made It. A girl doesn't stand a chance! Lots of screams during this song!
There was a woman in the front row wearing a wedding dress. It caught Barry's eye and he
asked about it. She said that she and her husband were there celebrating their 25th
wedding anniversary. Barry decided to make a change in the show. He went back to the
band to ask them if they remembered a certain song - I was sitting close enough to hear
him say that he wanted to do The Best of Me. Even though I really miss Unchained
Melody, I can't complain about The Best of Me! It was wonderful! We don't hear
that song often enough. I've never seen him perform it quite like that, either. He
sat on his piano to sing. It came across as totally unscripted and totally professional
at the same time. The previous two songs had already done a number on me - this one
just about finished me off!
He did a nice job with Yesterday. Can't Take My Eyes Off You seemed especially bouncy
tonight. We got some finger wiggles, too. And I love when he sits on that cube to
sing - guess that sounds kind of silly - I'm not sure why I love it so much, but I do.
Maybe sitting on that cube makes the song seem more casual and personal and it's a nice
change of pace - kind of like when he sat on the piano to sing The Best of Me. For that
matter, when he sits on the piano to sing Can't Smile Without You, too. And come to
think of it, maybe that's why I like Venus and the beginning of Love Is A Many Splendored
Thing - it mixes things up a little, presents him to the audience in a different way.
You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' was awesome. Even more screams during this one! How
someone can take breakup songs and make them sexy, I'll never figure out - but Barry
manages it just fine!
The entire 60's segment has really come together. I think it would be really interesting
to know the preparation process, how many hours of rehearsal, things like that. The
average show attendee probably wouldn't notice these things, but since I saw the show
in Chicago, then Barry's first week back in November, and now this week, I see a world
of difference - but the differences are mostly subtle things - maybe there's a slight
change in vocals, little things like that. The transition from You've Lost That Lovin'
Feelin' to What the World Needs Now is very smooth - the two songs meld perfectly.
The funny cigarette skit tonight was the funniest of all that I've seen. Judging by
the reaction of the audience, I wasn't alone in thinking that!
No changes really to the closing of the show. I did notice a couple of little
differences. When Barry mouthed "I love you" toward the backups, he added "I love
you all". And even at the end of the show, he was just as bouncy as he was when he
opened the show.
I'm sure it was my imagination, but the streamers seemed to fall forever last
night. I just remember looking up and seeing all of these colors floating down
toward me and they seemed to fall forever. Maybe it was just the crowning touch
for an extra special show.
