I died and went to heaven twice during this show. It was a great show to go out on. Of course, I was missing him before I even got back to my hotel room. And that's pretty obvious by the fact that I woke up at 2:30am and began to write this review in the wee hours of the morning. (ooh, that's a song, isn't it - come to think of it, the lyrics are pretty darn appropriate!) It's Barry's fault - he kept talking to me in my dreams. Unfortunately, I can't remember what he said.
At any rate, I may not do justice to this review - but I'm trying to finish it and get it posted before I get on the plane.
This was another show full of energy and life. The audience was again deafening - the sound of the cheers and applause was so loud after the first number, I was beginning to think it was going to blow Barry right off the stage! I think we're going to have to change our terminology - it's no longer fans and non-fans. It's very obvious that the people in the audience at these last several shows I've attended are fans. They just aren't the type that know what high school he went to (well, they do now...), what CD Even Now is from (like, duh!), or even that he wrote so many of the popular commercial jingles - they aren't going to be hopping on a plane and flying around the world to see him - but they know his hits, and they know he puts on a great show, and they thoroughly enjoyed being there.
My favorite songs of the night were Weekend in New England and This One's For You - both responsible for my trips to heaven... But Everything's Gonna Be Alright was pretty great. Again, there was a mixed bag of standers and non-standers in the audience - and, as usual, the people directly behind me were non-standers. But most of the rows in front of me were also non-standers, so I was at least able to see Barry for most of the song. I keep picking up on pieces of the lyrics that I hadn't caught before - "Sure, you'll meet resistance, in anything you do" - or something like that - that's how I've been feeling when I enter the showroom lately. Can't wait for that song to be released on CD - I need to be able to listen to it every day!
Everyone stood at Barry's command for Can't Smile Without You. The audience sang loudly again - maybe not quite as loudly as the night before, but close!
Barry made a gesture during one of the songs - I'm sleep deprived and I'm sitting here eating sugar (don't tell my doctor - I'm a new diabetic, so I'm allowed to fall off the wagon occasionally, right?) - so my memory could be a little fuzzy... But I *think* it was during CSWY. I think it was at the point where Barry sings "I'm finding it hard leaving your love behind me". At any rate, he looked out into the audience, closed his right hand into a fist, and lightly pounded on his chest twice - great emphasis, actually. Got my attention, anyway...
Weekend in New England was a knock out song. At first, it appeared that Barry was going to do the entire song as a power ballad - for the first few words, he sang it loudly. But then he seemed to change his mind and dropped back to the soft, gentle Barry for most of the song. When he got to the second verse, that's where I died and went to heaven for the first time. Fourth row isn't bad if you're sitting in the right spot - and I guess I was. Because he looked right out into the audience and began to sing - you know, that perceived eye contact thing - I was sitting in just the right spot for it to feel like he was singing right to me, throughout the rest of that verse and the chorus - that MUST be what it feels like to have him *really* sing to you. Barry's voice was so tender - he paused in just the right places to really emphasize the lyrics. I absolutely died and went to heaven - he can still do that to me, after all these years. Someone did yell out "Right now!" again during the song - and Barry seemed to hesitate for a moment as if he were trying to decide whether to stop or continue - but then he stopped and made his "Still got it!" comment with a sexy growl, and laughed a little. No doubt - he's still got it!
Barry put Some Kind of Friend back into the show, sexy glasses and all. Another great performance dripping with attitude. And he's getting the rock star role down - the ending of the song really does rock. Barry is playing those sunglasses for all they're worth, too.
I Am Your Child didn't get to me as much at this show as it had at the two previous shows. But I found myself sitting there with a lot of thoughts running through my head, all spurred by the lyrics of the song. Nature Boy was beautiful. I'll never tire of the baby Barry segment.
My second "died and went to heaven" moment was during This One's For You. Same thing - sitting in the right place at the right time - I was getting lost in those blue eyes. Heavenly! It was a very heartfelt performance - it was extremely believable.
Barry really put a lot into New York City Rhythm at this show. He was huffing and puffing when he finished the song. I've noticed that Barry is playing something different during his little solo piano moment now (partially different). He's also started making a comment during the dance portion about, "Doesn't this make you want to dance?" Well, yes, it does - but some of us have two (or more!) left feet!
Even Now was again a powerhouse of a song. It was just a tad less powerful than the Saturday night now. But still very emotional. It had a huge impact on the audience. Barry was reaching for us again. You know, I actually heard someone catch their breath when he did that - like I said, he made a big impact. Barry still doesn't back off the stage the way he used to, but he did bow and back a few steps this time. What I liked about it is the way he looked up at the audience - the look in his eyes. It goes along well with the song - there's really a look of pain in his eyes. I guess it could be real pain brought on by such a powerful performance - but for the sake of the song, let's say it's pain of the heart as described in the song. Ha!
You know my photos really aren't great - I was pretty disappointed when I went through them since I really wanted a great shot or two to hold me over until next time. I don't take many photos anymore - so if I screw up a shot during a song, that's pretty much it.
Barry did a great job with Mandy again. There wasn't as much of a connection as the night before, but vocally it was just as strong. So was I Write the Songs. Barry stopped this time to say that he hoped we all had fun. The audience sang along loudly again.
Barry was pretty successful in keeping the mood upbeat and happy. I know I was grinning from ear to ear during Copacabana again. It's hard not to smile. I noticed that not only is Keely bursting out into tears during Copa, Kye is back there crying, too - and even has a huge white hankie! And then Kye waved that hankie at Barry as he leaves the stage. Very funny.
I even missed the closing shot of the show - the really tall man in front of me moved right in front of the camera as I snapped. Darn it! Not only did I miss seeing Barry's thrown kiss with my own eyes, I missed capturing a final image of it, too. Oh, well - I've been trying to visualize it ever since.
The look on Barry's face as he was waving goodbye to the audience just melted my heart. That's when I knew he hadn't been totally successful - he may have taken me right up until the last moments on a high note - but I was still feeing that tug in my heart as the curtain came down. He kind of looked like something was tugging at his heart, too. His eyes were glistening - a few tears, perhaps?
So, now... Someone tell me to use common sense and willpower to not spend money I don't have to get back here as soon as possible! Oh, I can see it now - I'll be getting comments and emails telling me to come back right away. You people are enablers! Ha! Oh, what the heck... ENABLE ME! ENABLE ME! (convincing my creditors to enable me might be a different matter, though)
"Wonder if you might miss me, too..." Dang straight, I do... (mimicking that sigh he does at the end of WINE)
