Manilow - The Absolute Best - Paris Las Vegas

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Paris Las Vegas - June 4, 2010

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My camera completely died toward the beginning of the show, so no up close shots of Barry. I knew the camera was on its last leg, so I took my "good" camera with me, but of course I have to use the standard lens with that to be "legal" - so there won't be any closeups from this run of shows. Hey, considering how much it was used, it lasted a long time!

It's so great to be back again! And what a wonderful show!

Barry seemed to be in a great mood. He was bouncing all over the stage all night. He had a huge grin on his face. I love watching him like that - it's contagious!

A difference in the intro? Or has it been so long since I've been here that I've forgotten? Same "French" music and painting - but then Barry's voice (and some others), with a more contemporary sound. Barry was singing, but there were no lyrics - not sure what you call that. I really liked that part - it was all Barry and it really started to build some anticipation for the show. Only lasted a short time and then it went back to the French music and the flashing paintings.

He opened with Could It Be Magic, slow version first, then the upbeat version. I had read of some differences with last week's run of shows, but this was the same opening as all of those that I've seen here at the Paris. I do really like the Manilow in lights, and I like when he walks out and you can see his silhouette against them - it's almost as striking as the way Barry entered through the smoke at Hilton. No, actually I think it's more striking - the more I look at my photos of him standing there with Manilow in lights behind, and a big spotlight also right behind him - it's really cool looking. Yeah, I know - "cool" is a dated term, and certainly not professional - but guess what? I'm not a professional writer!

Everything's Gonna Be Alright is going to end up being one of my favorite Barry songs - not my absolute favorite - It's A Miracle is my absolute favorite and that will never change. But when this new one comes out on CD, it will definitely be in all of my play lists. Somebody (don't remember who) said that's one of the new songs for his new CD. I'm terrified he's going to introduce more of those songs at the convention this year and I'm not going to be there to hear them. I'm really looking forward to more songs like this one.

Somewhere in the Night was special - just something about the way Barry "looked" at the audience at times.

Weekend in New England was beautiful. People yelled out again, as usual - Barry got a couple of cute expressions before proclaiming that he's still "got it". Well, he does...

I Want To Be Somebody's Baby was awesome - just awesome. I love the "attitude" that Barry displays as he's performing it. And there was a very cute moment as he launched into the last part of the song - he looked out at the audience and asked, "Does anyone out there want to be my baby?" I think a lot of us volunteered!

Even Now seemed to have a lot of feeling - especially at the end. Something about the ending of the song seemed different. Barry's vocals felt different - as if he's changed something. Also, the way he leaves the stage afterward, standing in the background (dark) with the curtain coming down - just something about his stance and his mannerisms made the performance more poignant.

This One's For You also had a lot of feeling. He really seemed to emphasize some parts - for instance, "things I should have said, things that you should know" - Barry really made you believe that he was saying that to someone.

The sock hop segment was cute, as always - Barry was especially cute during the portion where the backups run through several of the dances that were popular during the eras portrayed in the song. He was REALLY cute - even more so than at the other shows. I guess it went along with his bouncy mood for the night because he was really playing it up. The dueling drummers are still in the show - I think that's a great addition. Barry has managed to feature almost every member of his band down front (either here or at the Paris), except the guitar and bass player. Guess they kind of have to stay put unless they want to start imitating Eddie Van Halen and his son, Wolfie. (Would be entertaining, though! Ha!)

And I like the red suit! Would I like it if he were walking down the street in it? No - that wouldn't look so great... But in this segment, the red suit, along with the outfits the backups are wearing - it all flows together and works well. Not sure what material the suit is made out of - kind of looks a little shiny. Actually, doesn't look like it would be very comfortable - but then how many "costumes" do? But I still like it.

I enjoyed the New York City Rhythm segment, too - more of Barry having fun. Really, I think the best part of the show was watching Barry as he appeared to be having so much fun. The colors are striking during this part of the show - very bright, but also conveying the "feel" of New York City. That sounds kind of strange, saying that colors can convey the feel of a city - but somehow these do. The colors change throughout the song - at one point Ron P is in purple light, but then it turns a golden color. Joey is in more of a fuschia light. And then when everyone joins with Ron W in the middle of the stage, it looks like part of the stage is in one color, and another part is in another color. Great effects. And I would hate to have to pay their electric bill. Still haven't been in a good position to get great shots of the drummers - talk about having to anticipate shots! But I keep trying.

At this show, you definitely get the "end of the show" feeling when Mandy starts. Somehow it seems more pronounced that it did at Barry's previous venue. Maybe it's just because I'm seeing the shows nearly as often. But I've noticed that a melancholy feeling sets in as soon as he starts Mandy - and it continues through I Write the Songs. But, of course, Copacabana is now really a big production number, so it has the ability to change the mood. Most of the time the show ending is very upbeat - there have been a couple of shows where the feeling just wasn't there - but that's not the norm. The audience was a in singing mood at this week's shows - they sang along to darn near everything! They sang loudly during Copa and you could feel their energy combining with the energy of the performers at all 3 shows. When that mix happens, it really makes the ending of the show exciting.

Something that I haven't noticed at the other shows was the "stars" in the background as he closes the show. I think they were there before, but I just never noticed the effect. It was the same effect that I saw during Ships at the Hilton - that feeling that you're viewing Barry as this lone figure in a universe full of stars. It's really a neat effect - kind of striking. Only bad thing is, the show is over...

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