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Paris Las Vegas - July 17, 2011(View photo gallery here)
BB-28  Barry seemed to be on fire from the moment he walked out on stage. He looked so happy. And every song seemed to have something about it that made it different, made it special compared to all the other shows I've seen over the past two weekends. Barry blew the roof off the place in terms of emotional, expressive, communicating type performances. He always says he wants to connect with his audience. I think there's no doubt he accomplished that tonight. I usually don't take many photos during Could It Be Magic. Well, I take that back - I do try - but I rarely get anything that's good. Not sure why - could just be the excitement of seeing him. I'll never get over that - I know I won't. But tonight I had to take another try - Barry was wearing such a huge smile - he opened the show by pointing at us with a big grin on his face. So I decided to pick up the camera to see if I could capture some of that happy energy.  Daybreak continues to be performed in such a way that it feels like it's being directed at the audience rather than being about Barry. Yeah, that's it - that's what I've been trying to describe lately. In the past there have been *parts* of the song that were expressed in such a way that it could feel as if it were meant for us ("fear, not here"), but not the entire song. Tonight it really felt like the entire song was directed at the audience. Barry was very animated. The performance was both lighthearted and serious at the same time. The dancing and the facial expressions and the mannerisms all convey this "cheer up" attitude. Even Barry's opening monologue has changed slightly to reflect it. It's like Barry is being a motivational speaker! Ha! Can you imagine Barry as a motivational speaker? Speaking of mannerisms, I forgot to mention that for the first two shows this weekend we got little finger wiggles. Very subtle - not the big ones that he used to do with the upbeat version of CIBM. These were just tiny little mannerisms inserted into different songs. Still just as cute and fun - can't help but smile when I see them because they're unique to Barry. If I remember correctly, we got them during Could It Be Magic and Somewhere in the Night. We also got the hand-to-the-heart mannerism - I remember that during Can't Smile Without You and also New York City Rhythm. I like that one, too. Somewhere in the Night was just as lovely as it has been for the last several months. This is just one of those instances where everything comes together perfectly to make it one of my favorite songs to see performed live. First, there's that beautiful blue lighting... It's not all blue - there are other lights - but my eyes just keep going back to the blue. And then there's Barry's voice - his voice always sounds, well, dreamy... Yeah, it sounds dreamy during that song. His facial expressions may change from show to show - sometimes they're sweet and sometimes they're sexy and sometimes they're playful - but they always work, they always seem to fit in perfectly with whatever tone the night is going to take on. And when he gets to the part of the song where he unbuttons his jacket, we never know what we're going to get. Sometimes it's just pure power ballad, and sometimes it gets a little raunchy. But Barry almost always has a little pout that seems to emphasize his vocals and mannerisms. Tonight he didn't take a step back from the audience as he's been doing for the last several shows - that was different. He has also been keeping the slightly changed lyrics in the song, for the most part (YOU'RE music to magic to end). He usually gestures toward the audience when he does it. It's only a minor change, but it does have a more personal feel. By the way, is this a new jacket? I know the pattern is similar to the others - but what about the color? I don't even know what you call this color. I'm so bad at fashion...  I think Barry was just having fun with Looks Like We Made It tonight. He really, really, really exaggerated that opening line. And he had a huge smile on his face throughout the rest of the medley. You know, I'm especially enjoying what Barry is doing with Can't Smile Without You now. I like the big karaoke bar! Well, okay - I'll admit that it really freaked me out the night I was in the front row. And I think it will again if I'm ever sitting in the front - no, I absolutely KNOW it's going to freak me out if I ever sit there again. But from the safety of having a row of people in front of me, I really like it. It's fun listening to everyone sing along loudly with Barry. And Barry is still playing with the lyrics, making us laugh as we try to sing. I Am Your Child was so beautiful - I thought it was fantastic at the last show, but I think this performance was even more beautiful. I love the way Barry is singing it these days. It's very soft, very tender. Sometimes the song seems sweet and sometimes it seems very emotional for Barry. Tonight seemed to be more on the emotional side. Either Barry has slightly changed the way he performs the vocals at the end of the song, or it's more pronounced - but I've noticed at the last few shows that the ending notes of the song seem to be sung differently - I can't describe what he's doing, but I really like it. Barry has also really seemed to be into the music of the song lately. It's a beautiful song, I don't blame him.  Barry definitely changed up his antics during Nature Boy. He made some new comments; unfortunately, I can't remember what they were. I do recall the joke about "watch out American Idol". (can't remember if it was tonight or Saturday night, though) But he also changed his facial expressions. He didn't just sit there smiling as baby Barry sang - he changed his facial expression to match what was happening on the song. The audience seemed to love it - there was a lot of laughter. Barry's mood seemed more serious as he moved into the part of the song where adult Barry sings. He sang those final lines of the song as if they were a ballad, as if he were trying to sell the lyrics to us. This One's For You was extremely expressive. The first part of the song was all communication - he looked out at the audience and got us to all buy into the lyrics of the song. Then for the second verse, he divided his time between looking at the audience and gazing off into space. Since he already "had" us with the first verse, it was easy for him to continue the mood and make us feel what he was singing. When he stood up from the piano, the performance wasn't nearly as forceful as what I've been seeing lately, but it didn't need to be. We were already there, already where he needed us to be. The performance seemed totally sincere, totally genuine. You know, I've been trying to get a shot of when he stretches both arms toward the sky as he ends the song - I'm never happy with it. But tonight I got one I love - and it seemed to fit perfectly with the performance I had just seen.  Barry must be determined to bring the roof down on top of us with his Even Now performances. I'm not going to say he topped himself again - but he came darn close. Actually, I think I'm afraid for him to top himself - I'm afraid he's going to pass out or something! Or maybe I'm just afraid I'M going to pass out! This was one incredible performance. Barry is consistently putting everything he has into that song lately. There was emotion pouring out of Barry for every second of the song. The first part, at the piano, was just as powerful as the ending. His facial expressions, the look in his eyes - WOW! That first chorus, "how I wish you knew" - man, that was a killer. Barry sang it softly, but there was nothing soft about the effect it had. There was nothing soft about any part of his performance - he sold that song from the very beginning. (If Barry keeps selling songs this way, I'm going to have to start making a stop at the emotional ATM before I enter the showroom every night!) I finally caught a shot of that anguished look on Barry's face toward the end of Even Now, just before he turns to walk to the back of the stage. Either I forget about it, or (most of the time) I'm too mesmerized by the performance to take the shot. Well, I was still mesmerized - but with it being the last show of this trip, I didn't want to go home without some kind of photo from Even Now, so I shook myself out of my Manilow trance long enough to snap one photo. I hit it lucky this time.  Those last two long notes of Even Now were perfection. Barry really reached for the audience tonight. I don't know if it affects anyone else the same way, but sometimes it just makes me feel as if he's reaching all the way to the audience, as if we could reach out and touch his hand - actually, sometimes it makes it feel like we SHOULD reach out and take his hand. The desperation he's conveying with that makes you want to reach back. He doesn't just reach, he's looking at the audience at the same time. He's singing this killer note and you would think his eyes would be closed the way they are most of the time when he does that classic Manilow pose, head back, one arm stretched toward the sky. But that isn't what this is. Barry is looking out at the audience the entire time, his arm reaching for us, rather than toward the sky. As I mentioned in the last reviews, when the song is over, Barry looks spent for a moment. And he did tonight, but he also looked out at the audience rather than just taking a bow. I don't think I'll ever forget the look in his eyes - it was as if that song was 100% true for him. And not just for him - I think for the span of that song and a few moments after, Barry made it the truth for us. I don't think applause and a smile was adequate to thank him for that performance - of course, it's all any of us can do. You know, sometimes it appears that Barry can really be touched by an audience reaction - I hope that's true, and I hope he felt that after this performance of Even Now. I hope he could see how much we appreciated what he had just done. New York City Rhythm was just as lively as ever. I know Barry and the backups are projecting the image that should go along with that song. But if any of them every get tired of performing it, I don't think anyone will be able to see it. Everyone always looks so happy - they all look like they're having so much fun. I can't remember if this was the Saturday show or tonight's show (that's what happens when I go a couple of days without writing the review) - but at one of those two shows, Ron W. added an extra little run as he did his part of the chase around the piano - sounded something like what I had heard during Copa the other night. Hmmmm...  There was a very cute moment during the chase around the piano. At the spot where all four of the guys gather at the piano and play those last notes before they all do a high-five, Barry got pushed right off the end of the piano. He was playing air piano for a moment! And for some reason, there was more light on Barry and the backups after the song was over. I've mentioned before that they all go to the back of the stage and dance while the curtain comes down. There was enough light this time that I could get a great shot of it. Barry and Muffy have been dancing like this for the last several shows I've been at, while the others dance around them.  If it's possible, Barry was even more into Brooklyn Blues tonight than he was last night! He seemed very happy while performing the song, too. There was a big smile on his face as he played and sang. He spent a lot of time watching the audience, too. A lot of folks in the audience are kind of grooving along with him now. I realized that I was kind of moving in my seat, so I started looking around at the rest of the audience - most of them were, too. The long note at the end wasn't the longest - I didn't have time to check my email, darn it - but it was one of the most powerful. I like the way he's begun to say, "Here I go!" just before he starts singing that final note. There were a couple of funny moments during our Love Is Here To Stay. It was very entertaining - but at the same time, I kind of lost the feel of the song. All I can really remember is the funny moments. Well, that sounded bad - okay, not complaining that I lost the feel of the song - just saying... Anyway, as Barry started talking about going to France, some woman yelled out, "I love you, Barry" - VERY LOUDLY! Barry paused for a moment, then said, "Well, I love you, too. Where ARE you? It sounds like you're in the next hotel." That got a huge laugh from the audience. Then Barry continued his monologue, including the joke about french toast and french kissing. And then he started to sing the song. When he got to the line "our love is hear to stay", he gestured in the general direction the voice had come from and sang, "even though you're way over there". There was another big laugh from the audience. It was funny, and Barry's quick wit was very cute. I couldn't get back to the romantic mood of the song, but who cares? Actually, I don't think Barry could, either. I seem to remember a lot of smiles on his face throughout the song - I guess he cracks himself up! Barry did something different during the performance, though. As he gestured toward each painting (the part where the paintings change), he mentioned the name of the artist (I think that's what he was telling us - it sounded like artist names). I did finally catch a shot of Barry and the conductor that I'm actually happy with. (yeah, I know that's a hanging preposition - don't care - ain't no English major)  15 Minutes was on fire, just like everything else tonight. I'm using several photos for this song. There was such a wide range of expressions on Barry's face. The song had tons of attitude like the two previous nights, but there were other emotions, as well. (And when I say emotions, I just mean that's what I'm seeing - I have no way of knowing what Barry is feeling when he's performing a song - I just know what it looks like to ME.) I've mentioned before that Bring On Tomorrow seems to have a range of emotions, but I believe 15 Minutes had as much, if not more, tonight.
I'm going to share a few more photos taken from 15 Minutes because of the variety of expressions. I'm not sure the non-fans in the audience are grasping what's going on - but the fans certainly love to hear the song. The non-fans look a little surprised. Haven't heard anyone complain about it, though - haven't seen any scowls on faces. I think they're just really surprised because this isn't the typical Barry. It's not what they were expecting. And it's just what the fans have been wanting for a long time. The performance of the song just keeps getting better and better. The big ballads that everyone knows, that in some cases are what introduced us to Barry, are beautiful. We love them, we love to watch him perform them - they've told the story of our lives, in many cases - and we never want to see them go away. But there's also a magic when Barry is performing his own creations - it's hard to describe. I think you just have to be there to see him, to see the look in his eyes as he's performing. And I think you have to understand what it's all about - the non-fans can't understand it because they don't have the same history with Barry. But we get it - and this is a special time for not only Barry, but for us as well.
I find it interesting the way Barry tends to introduce us to different types of music. Sometimes it's with his own music, going off in a slightly different direction the way he has with 15 Minutes. Sometimes it's with people that he brings in to be the opening act when he's doing an arena show - such as Curtis Stigers and Brian Culbertson. Radio Manilow is another way that he's introducing us to new music. Who would have thought we would hear some of the songs we've heard from his playlist? I mean, a lot of what he plays is actually on my playlist, too - but certainly not all of it. And I expected to hear the show tunes and jazz tunes. But up until a few months ago, would we have expected to hear Lady Gaga on his play list? I would have never given her a chance if it hadn't been for Barry - now I've actually purchased two of her songs that I heard on Radio Manilow. And just this week I bought "I Try" by Macy Gray, "I Think God Can Explain" by Splender and "Mojo" by Peeping Tom... So, Barry really does have an influence that extends beyond his actual show. Gee, I wonder if he's ever checked out any of the artists that we've mentioned in our online posts? Yeah, I'm sure he has lots of Linkin Park and Metallica on his iPod! Ha! (he should check out the sheet music for "The Unforgiven" by Metallica - beautiful song - REALLY!) Hey! I got the air guitar shot tonight! Barry did a great pose and I caught it. (Thank you, Barry!) It was like he read our minds! Ooh, scratch that thought - that could be dangerous at times! At any rate, it was a perfect guitar pose. I was ready for him!  I tried again for that final pose that goes along with the last note of the song. I got most of it - kind of missed Barry's clenched fist. Actually, this is one of the things that I've noticed seems to change from night to night. The expression on Barry's face and the tone of the ending of the song isn't always exactly the same. Tonight Barry looked very happy. At one of the previous shows the facial expression could best be described as triumphant.  Bring On Tomorrow was beautiful. I noticed something tonight that I've never noticed before - the colors during the song. I tend to think of the song as being a fuchsia or pink color. But it's much more than that. It does have that color - but it also has a very deep blue or violet color. And then there's the color that was in the photo I posted in my last review - not sure what you call that color - kind of gold, but not quite. Then a background appears behind Barry that is like a million little lights. And that cycles through different colors - violet, then red, then gold. If you can take your eyes off Barry long enough (not easy to do!), you can see the spotlights moving constantly. At first I thought it was the lighting effects that made the ending of the song seem so "big". It wasn't until I sat further back that I realized it's really Barry that's making the song "big". The lighting does play a part, though. It brings an extra layer of "life" to the song. It probably sounds funny to say that light effects can help you feel a song, but what I'm seeing really does enhance what you're feeling. Barry is still the key - without him you just have a bunch of pretty lights. But the lighting and Barry compliment each other. The lighting seems to go perfectly with Barry's mannerisms and the music. When the music builds, when Barry's vocals build, the lights build. We've heard Barry make comments in the past about needing to pump himself up to do certain songs. That's kind of what's happening here. As he moves into the final parts of the song, Barry pumps himself up - and everything else follows. And I think that's what makes this song feel so BIG. Barry is what ties it all together. The orchestra music is big - it really does seem to envelop the entire showroom. And the lights do, too. But everything seems to be drawn back to Barry, and then he projects it all back out at us. Barry is so expressive during Bring On Tomorrow, so passionate as he sings the last part. We've heard/read the recent interviews where Barry refers to this song as a "big Barry ballad". I'm thinking this one may be the biggest of all. I've been remembering back on Barry's performances over the last several years, trying to compare other songs that he's done. The way he currently performs Even Now is huge, and it ranks right up there at the top. Barry's performance of Mandy tonight (more on that later) was pretty big. I've seen Weekend in New England and Trying To Get The Feeling Again performed to the same degree at times. But all of those have changed over the years - Barry didn't always perform them with the same amount of passion that he's putting into Bring On Tomorrow. This one is special. Oh, this is jumping off into a completely different direction, but it just popped into my head and if I don't mention it now I'll completely forget it again! I forgot to mention in my last review that I noticed yet another instrument being played. This time it was Chris playing what appeared to be a percussion instrument (which I thought was interesting since he's in the horn section). At least, I think he was playing it. I can't remember which song now, but it was one where there wasn't much light on the band - it was quite dark. I did a Google search and the instrument I found that most closely resembles it is the güiro. And, of course, I forgot to look for it in tonight's show, so I can't be sure. Hey, after that golden aura thing, I'm not sure of anything! Oh, but one thing I did find while I was searching... A few months ago I mentioned hearing a sound that was kind of like a whistle - but I didn't know what the instrument I was referring to was called. I came across it during the search - it's called a slide whistle. But like everything else, I'm not even sure I really heard that, either! Regardless of whether or not I have an overactive imagination, at least I know the names of these instruments! See, this is proof that Barry's influence extends beyond his show - he's educational, too! Russ and David are definitely playing different things each night during the dueling drums bit that opens the Bandstand segment. I could hear new beats from both of them. Barry gave us silly Barry again for Bandstand. He ran toward us tonight, then gave a little jump, pointing both fingers at us. I botched the photo, though. But I did manage to catch several other photos of things that he's been doing throughout the segment. For instance, the facial expressions when Keely slides through his legs - I snapped this one too quickly and missed Keely's part, but Barry's facial expression is priceless. And then there's this shot of Barry doing The Swim - although he made some comment about it being "drowning". Shhh... No one tell Barry about these photos... He might get his technical folks to figure out some way to disable our cameras during this part of the show! (you oughta see his facial expression from when they were doing The Fly!)
Mandy was even better than it has been the previous nights. This one made you take notice, for sure. Barry was very passionate with his performance. He looked out at the audience a couple of times as he sang, and when he did you could feel that special energy. As the song progressed, it just became more and more powerful. Barry didn't need to look out at the audience to make you feel it. The song (well, medley, really) came to life - Barry actually made it feel as if he were living the song, just as he did with some of the other songs throughout the night. As I've mentioned before, there has been a slight change in the way that Barry has been performing I Write the Songs lately. Tonight it was more than a slight change. I've mentioned how he has been gazing out at the audience as he sings. Sometimes he looks very touched. Sometimes he looks grateful. Tonight I saw something different. The expression on his face could best be described as happiness, I think. And he did more than just gaze out at the audience. He was actively looking at the audience - moving from person to person. Again, I don't know what he can or can't see - doesn't really matter. As far as we can tell, he's really looking at the audience. It made the song very personal. He didn't just concentrate on the sides or the center of the audience - he moved his gaze around in all directions. That's really what I remember most about the song - the way he was playing to the audience, making us feel as if we were a part of the song, a part of his world. Barry finished out the night by being very playful during Copa. As with every other song, he was very expressive - I would say he definitely communicated with the audience. I even had to put one of my photos as the background on my iPhone just to remind me how expressive he was! He was very funny during the first part of the song (pre-tux). Barry emphasized his accent as he told the story. He used lots of gestures. When he got to the "ah, love" part of the song, he turned toward the backups as he had done the previous weekend. But this time, instead of turning his back on us and speaking to the backups, he said, "ah, love... ah, romance..." - and then half-turned toward the audience with a gesture as if he were waving us off, and then just said, "meh..." with a tone that really indicated "ah, WHATEVER!". We were brushed off by Barry and we let him get away with it! But since he turned to the audience with this grin shortly afterward, I think you can see why we forgot all about it!  Barry's playfulness continued after he reappeared in the tux. He was all smiles - very silly during the "shirt on acid" part of the show. Seriously, his eyes sparkled like diamonds.
And, of course, it was over too soon. We tried Häagen-Dazs as a consolation - that's getting to be a bad habit of mine, actually. It helped a little. And then we had a funny encounter in the elevator with some folks - a couple and their kids. One of the kids asked me where I was from - before I could even begin to answer, the man said, "Texas. Can't you tell?" Dang straight! That was funny - although I don't think the man meant it to be funny. But even with the distractions, I think we were all missing Barry the minute the show was over. We always are.  Makes you want to blow him a kiss back, doesn't it?
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