I managed to make it back for a couple of shows! They were last minute, but I pulled it off. Didn't think it was going to happen - the airline was delayed - for a while there it looked like I might not get here in time for the show. But everything just seemed to fall together and I made it with plenty of time.
There will be very, very few photos from this show. The usher/guard/whatever made me stop taking photos. I'm not even sure I'm going to take the camera back for my last show tonight. It's kind of humiliating to have that happen right there in front of Barry, especially when you aren't even violating the rules - and I wasn't. Oh, well...
Barry seemed to be in a great mood as he opened the show. There were a lot of smiles - heck, a lot of grins. (don't we just love those cute grins?) I wouldn't really describe him as "bouncy" at this show, but he was very animated at times - in other words, there was a lot of energy. The audience was on the tame side - but Barry didn't seem to mind that tonight. I always worry that he's going to think he's not doing a good job when he has a tame audience - but that has nothing to do with it. Civilians just aren't going to react the way fans do. There was no lack of appreciation for what Barry was doing - this audience just showed their appreciation in a more subdued way. (fine with me, this arthritis in my knees is getting worse - soon jumping up and down won't be an option for me)
Everything's Gonna Be Alright is still a fun number. And even the civilian audience seems to enjoy it. I think it's one of those songs that most people are just going to like - because it's upbeat and happy and hopeful. (of course, I know some people hate those kinds of songs - but then some people go through life trying to make themselves be unhappy, so...) At any rate, I enjoy watching Barry perform it. Can't wait until we can get a recording of it.
Several technical glitches throughout the night - first night back after a break - understandable. There were a lot of pink paper hearts on the floor in the theater. I guess they must have been left over from whatever show was in the theater before Barry came back. Those would have been cute back in the day when Barry's show ended with confetti.
Oh, and Barry looked fantastic. He's put on a little more weight - he is looking good.
No one yelled out during Weekend in New England! It was awesome! Okay, sometimes Barry is really cute when they do that, but I like to hear the song without interruption, too. I was expecting to hear a yell, though - and I think Barry must have been, too - because there was just the tiniest hint of hesitation when he got to that part in the song. But then when it didn't happen, it looked like he had a little smile on his face. His performance was more on the subdued side - not saying that he didn't put his all into it, he did - but sometimes he performs the song as a huge power ballad and sometimes it's softer. This was one of the softer performances. The ending was still very strong, and the heavy sigh at the end conveyed a lot of feeling.
We got a couple of fantastic surprises. The first was Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed. I couldn't believe it when I heard the first notes - I know I was sitting there with my mouth wide open. Ha! Barry did a fantastic job with it. Again, I think he shocked some civilians - that's always fun. I just love that song - and I love watching him do it. I think that one song made the night for all of the fans in the audience. After he finished the song, Barry walked over to get a drink of water. As he walked across the stage, he cut his eyes over to the audience (you fans know that look I'm talking about) and said, "I'm too old to be doing this, right?" The answer is, NO!!!!!!!
The band is moving - I mean, the platform the band is on moves up closer to the edge of the stage. I don't remember seeing that before. And someone who's seen more of the shows than I have said that's new. It's really cool. It was especially noticeable during Even Now - the band appears to be right behind him. The curtains in the background are a shade of blue - and it's visually very beautiful and has a great effect. I wish I could have taken photos of it!!!!
Speaking of Even Now, it was a beautiful performance. The long note at the end was one of the best. Barry did a fantastic job. He puts tons of emphasis in that last "God, I wish you knew" - just tons of emphasis. Reached up and brushed his hand through his hair the way he does when he really gets into a song.
I was on the opposite side from Nature Boy - but even from there I could see that Barry was playing the audience as baby Barry sang. It evoked a lot of laughs from the audience - so they were having a good time with it. Still love hearings Barry's vocals when he closes out the song. When the photo of young Barry comes down from the ceiling, there was a loud "Aaahhhh" from the audience.
Hey, Barry is learning those dances during the sock hop segment! Well, kind of - LOL! He's still playing with the song - and it's still fun to watch. Tonight as he played with the ends of Melanie's skirt while she twirled, the edges of the skirt hit the microphone and you could hear a fluttering sound. Not intentional I'm sure, but it was kind of fun to listen to.
The audience was very receptive to the Theme from Love Story - very. There were few ovations at this show, but a good number of people stood up for this one.
Mandy grabbed me tonight - it hasn't in a while. But tonight Barry's performance really did come across. And I'm not sure if it was just a different perspective, or if something's changed - but Barry and his piano seemed much closer to the audience than it has in the past. So, it will be interesting to see if I still feel that way tonight when I'm viewing from yet another angle.
This was another audience that sang along loudly during Copa. If I weren't there to see it in person, I would think they were displaying the lyrics behind Barry. I never saw that happen at the Hilton. Everyone is singing the entire chorus with him, every time!
And then we got another surprise. At the end of the show, Barry hesitated before he walked back to his "spot" so that the curtain could come down. He's done that before, kind of like he's playing with the audience. But this time, he said he wasn't ready to go. And he came back out front and performed One Voice for us. The audience sang along with him, but at least they did it softly. I think that one needs to be just him - after all, the song is called "One" Voice. At any rate, it was beautiful and made for a very special ending to the show.
Just one more show for me - I head for the airport immediately after the show, so no review for a few days. If I make it to the airport in time, I might try to post a few snippets before my flight.
