Paris Las Vegas - November 11, 2011

BB-37

You know, at the rate things are going, there's going to be a huge sing-a-long to Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" by the time we get to the December shows! I'm hearing more and more people singing along every night!

This was a very "up" show. Every song had that feel, with maybe the exception of I Am Your Child. That's a good thing. But in December, Barry is going to have his work cut out for him.

Daybreak was VERY up. I loved the way Barry performed it tonight. He wasn't actually bouncing, but there was just something that felt bouncy about the performance.

Somewhere in the Night was mostly romantic. No, wait - no it wasn't. It was partly romantic. Started out romantic. Until Barry decided to tease us. Then we heard a big WOO-HOO from somewhere back in the audience. What?!? Barry's gesture was so subtle... How the heck did anyone even see it that far back?!? Regardless, those were not "woo-hoo-able" finger wiggles... (my review, I can make up words if I want) Those were more the "ah, how cute is that" variety. At any rate, Barry apparently got some people's attention - as if he didn't have it already. And then Barry got back to the romantic aspect of the song. And then he unbuttoned his jacket and everyone forgot romance again. Wow, that's really something when a reaction like that can be created just by unbuttoning a jacket... Hmmmm... Might have something to do with the way Barry is standing... And the way he's looking at the audience... Do you suppose the lyricist of that song had a premonition of what Barry would eventually do with the line "I'll play you over and over again" - where he would be able to take the audience with the lines that followed - and how he would prove the truth in said line over and over again? Somehow I don't think Helen Reddy's version ever generated that kind of reaction!

Can't Smile Without You was a little mix of everything tonight - fast lyrics, funny lyrics. Barry makes it fun for everyone. Even the people that didn't want to stand seem to be enjoying it. When Barry first started doing this, I hated it - absolutely hated it. But Barry has managed to turn it around so that it no longer feels like a command performance - it kind of feels like a big party. And I can see that other people are feeling the same thing. There are a lot of good feelings flowing through the room. You never hear civilians screaming, "SIT DOWN!" through this one.

Russ did something different with the drums tonight - there was a (brief) slightly different beat at one point in the song. Took my attention away from the rest of the song and I never did get back to singing along. I also heard something different with the piano - I've never been able to figure out which guy is playing it when I hear different piano things. Anyway, remember back when Barry used to play the piano himself during CSWY? And sometimes he would embellish a little? Well, that's what I heard. But it definitely wasn't Barry this time since he was standing center stage with a mic in his hand!

After the song was over, Barry made a comment to the sound guy about everything being too loud in his head. Hey, I have that problem myself at times - and I don't even have those little ear monitors!

The ballad tonight was Even Now. Before the song, Barry said that he was getting over a cold and that he felt like he had a little frog in his throat. And then he made a sarcastic comment about that being "just great" when he's about to do a ballad. Honestly, though - I didn't notice any voice problems tonight at all.

This performance of Even Now was a little different than what I've been seeing. It wasn't overly emotional - still had plenty of feeling, just not the kind that drags you down into the abyss with the guy singing it. That said, I guess this performance was in line with most of the other performances tonight - a little more on the happy side. Well, ok - Even Now can't be a happy song - kind of hard to be happy when the guy is miserable about having moved on. What I mean is, sometimes Barry can rip your heart out with his performance of this song - tonight's version wasn't like that. Barry did a great job of selling the song without making us feel emotional extremes. One exception to that was toward the end, the "God I wish you knew" part. I've seen Barry perform that multiple ways. Sometimes it comes across as a desperate plea. Tonight's performance felt more like extreme frustration - to the point that it didn't feel like a performance. It looked totally real. Barry clinched his fist, his jaw was locked tight, and it looked like there were tears in his eyes. Very believable - that really reached and out grabbed you.

Like CSWY, Brooklyn Blues had a mix of performance styles. It wasn't as upbeat as it sometimes is. Barry did spend the first verse of the song connecting with the audience - he would look out into various spots, making it feel as if he were actually conversing with those people. Then for the second verse he continued that, but he also really sold the lyrics as he looked out into the audience. It came across as someone telling a story - but more personal than just some guy up on a stage telling a story. When Barry does the song this way, if you're sitting in the right spot then he can make it feel as if he's actually telling the story to "you" - not just relating a story to an entire room. I wasn't in one of those spots tonight, but I've seen this often enough that I allowed myself (actually, I had to drag myself, but whatever) to watch what was happening with the audience as well. It seriously works.

Now, that ability to see these kinds of things is going to be lost in the larger venues. As a rule, the mixed feelings about the ending of these shows was kept at bay tonight. Barry kept the songs upbeat. And, personally, I didn't want to go there, either. But I'll admit that as Barry was doing the dialogue prior to Brooklyn Blues, he happened to walk over in front of my section of the audience - and it crossed my mind. If you never got the opportunity to go to Vegas, or if you never sat in the first 3-4 rows, then you aren't going to get it - you won't understand just how close he is to the audience and how you can pick up on the most subtle things. I'm going to miss that - it's just not possible to get that feeling in a larger venue. Doesn't matter if they put up the biggest video screen in the world, you're still just watching a video screen. This has been a unique ride - definitely not something I ever thought I would experience when I first started attending Barry's shows - not even when I started attending a lot of Barry's shows.

The last verse of the song was a standard performance. Barry didn't really attempt to sell the lyrics. I think he must have been reserving his energy for that long note. He nailed it again tonight. What cold?!? His voice was perfect!

As I said before, I still felt sadness during I Am Your Child. Maybe that's not the emotion that Barry is trying to convey. Maybe there's something there that I just can't pick up on because of my own life experiences (or lack thereof). I do see a lot of people moved by Barry's performances of this song. It's very, very beautiful - his voice is beautiful. The entire presentation is beautiful - the lighting - the choice of instruments in the background. Barry is definitely selling the song, making us "feel".

Nature Boy brought the tone back up (for me, anyway). Barry seemed to use more hand gestures than he normally does - not just during the baby Barry part. In fact, he's really stopped using those during that part of the song. He lifted a finger as if he were going to "mini-conduct" tonight, but then put it back down. When big Barry took over the singing - that's when he started using gestures to emphasize the lyrics.

This One's For You wasn't as emotional as it was the last time I was here. Barry sold the song well, and I think he connected with the audience well. The performance was more like what we've seen throughout the years. For the most part, it didn't come across as being very personal to Barry this time (even though I know his dialogues always indicate that it is, it usually never feels quite so personal). That said, there's something about the "miss me, too" line that has become personal to us. After last time, when I witnessed so many people getting emotional during this song, I've spent a lot of time thinking why this one, of all the songs, is getting to us. We've always missed Barry when he leaves the stage - we've been making jokes about post-Manilow depression for years. But this is different - not the same feeling, at least not for some of us. I think I may have figured it out.

I think it goes back to this unique experience thing. Prior to Vegas, there has always been this chasm between performer and audience - they were up there, we were down here. And even though Barry occasionally played in a more intimate setting, he was never there long. But for the last seven years, he's been right there - all of the performers have been right there. And for those of us fortunate enough (or crazy enough, depending on your point of view) to have been here, it's almost like a relationship has developed. We really are going to miss THEM - not just a show. I'm sure from the performers' point of view, there's still a chasm and we're still "down here". But that's not what it's like for us. At least, that's what I've come up with. I've spent so much time having to explain myself, even defend myself (so, what else is new?) - I had to try to examine it. It was blowing my mind that This One's For You would be the one to do this to us. I would understand if it were Mandy or I Write the Songs - but this one? In the middle of show, no less?

Anyway, as Barry sang the last verse of This One's For You, he turned toward the audience and did a little of that "conversing" style of performing - where it feels more like he's talking to you instead of at you. I thought we were going to get through the entire song without any extreme emotion - but just before Barry left the stage, a split second before the spotlights went out, he seemed to get emotional again. Performance? Or real? Or both? That's the beauty of Barry Manilow - he's such a master at this, you can never really be sure. For me, it doesn't matter - I'm just enjoying the ride. If he can manage to find and pull out that particular emotion in me, then for all practical purposes, it's real.

New York City Rhythm was happy, as always. It wasn't as "up" tonight as I expected it to be, though - considering how upbeat almost everything else was. Or maybe I was distracted. I had made it my goal to try to get several good shots of everyone up on that stage before these shows come to an end. (and I failed at it miserably tonight) So, I was trying to take shots I normally don't take, kept missing them, and it pulled my attention away from the actual performance. I've had a lot of people ask me if I don't feel like I'm missing the show by taking photos - normally, no. I've seen the show enough and I know it well enough that for the most part I can anticipate where I want to try to take shots without really giving much thought to it. I wasn't doing so well with that tonight, though. Not a good photography night.

We kind of had a mini-competition between the keyboard guys tonight. Last time I was here, Joey and Ron W exchanged notes during the chase around the piano. Tonight Ron P started it off with something new. Then Joey tried to match it. Then Ron W added his 2 cents. And the winner is... Ron P! Why? Uhm... Well, because he has ties to Texas, and everything in Texas is better?? Ha! I had planned to take photos of each of the guys during their turn at the piano - I screwed that up, too!

Love Is Here To Stay was very romantic again tonight. Maybe not as much as it sometimes - but sometimes it feels like a performance. The way Barry performed the song tonight made it feel very natural. I don't remember the stroll tonight. But I'm not surprised. Normally I'm sitting pretty much in the center, but tonight I was a little further to the side, almost directly in front of Barry for the portion of the song that's immediately after the stroll. I'm not surprised I don't remember how he got from one side of the stage to the other. In fact, I'm surprised I remember anything at all!

I botched 99% of the 15 Minutes shots, too. Barry is all blurry. I tried to get a shot of Kye with his guitar - no dice - too dark. Oh, well...

15 Minutes was a fabulous performance. Very convincing. Like I said before, this performance feels real, feels like Barry believes it. The only part that deviates from that a little is the air guitar (hey, leave me alone! I love the air guitar, too!) The hand motions are a little too exaggerated to mesh with what Mike is playing - but at the same time, people sitting further back wouldn't be able to figure out what Barry was doing if the hand motions weren't somewhat exaggerated. I love the fire in Barry's eyes. Tonight I could see Barry watching the audience reaction. (man, I'm going to miss being able to do that!!) There were a lot of audience members moving in their seats. You could see a gleam in Barry's eye. He never lost the feel for the song, but it was obvious he was enjoying his view of us as much as we were enjoying our view of him.

Bring On Tomorrow was happy. Barry performed it in such a way that this character was happy - that he was at a point in his life where all of his dreams had come true. That's what it felt like. He was happy about the job AND he was happy about the girl - and everything really was going to be all right. This is kind of how Barry was performing the song shortly after he put it into the show. It's a big Barry ballad without the typical ballad feel. If you think about it, the typical Barry ballad isn't happy. It might not be depressing, but you couldn't describe it as a happy song, either. I Write the Songs has nothing in it that's sad - but it's not happy, either. So, Bring On Tomorrow really isn't your typical big Barry ballad. It's unique.

Barry put a little defiance back into the ending of Bring On Tomorrow - the "they told us we're crazy" part. There was a lot of force in the way he delivered those lines tonight. And then it was right back to tenderness with "without you it's nothing". And then back to happiness again as he sang the last chorus. Barry was all over the place with that song - I love it when does that! The ending notes were fabulous. If I had to choose a word to describe the look on Barry's face after he finished the song, it would be "triumphant".

American Bandstand was a lot of fun - well, that's not unusual. But Barry played around a lot - and that always makes it more fun for me. Barry would start making fun of the dancers, and then when we would look at him he would stop and point at the dancers as if he were saying, "Ok, I'll quit - just watch them". And then he would start making fun of them again. I need to figure out some way to have the camera pointed at him and take photos of him being silly while I'm watching the dancers! I don't think I'm that coordinated, but it's a great thought.

So, last time I commented on how Keely didn't wipe out on the slide through Barry's legs - and this time she really did wipe out!

Mandy was a very strong performance. I didn't get quite as much emotion out of it as I have the past few times, but it was still a solid performance. Barry did a great job on that long note that kind of serves as a bridge between Mandy and Could It Be Magic.

You know, at the rate things are going, there's going to be a huge sing-a-long to Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" by the time we get to the December shows! I'm hearing more and more people singing along every night!

This was a very "up" show. Every song had that feel, with maybe the exception of I Am Your Child. That's a good thing. But in December, Barry is going to have his work cut out for him.

Daybreak was VERY up. I loved the way Barry performed it tonight. He wasn't actually bouncing, but there was just something that felt bouncy about the performance.

Somewhere in the Night was mostly romantic. No, wait - no it wasn't. It was partly romantic. Started out romantic. Until Barry decided to tease us. Then we heard a big WOO-HOO from somewhere back in the audience. What?!? Barry's gesture was so subtle... How the heck did anyone even see it that far back?!? Regardless, those were not "woo-hoo-able" finger wiggles... (my review, I can make up words if I want) Those were more the "ah, how cute is that" variety. At any rate, Barry apparently got some people's attention - as if he didn't have it already. And then Barry got back to the romantic aspect of the song. And then he unbuttoned his jacket and everyone forgot romance again. Wow, that's really something when a reaction like that can be created just by unbuttoning a jacket... Hmmmm... Might have something to do with the way Barry is standing... And the way he's looking at the audience... Do you suppose the lyricist of that song had a premonition of what Barry would eventually do with the line "I'll play you over and over again" - where he would be able to take the audience with the lines that followed - and how he would prove the truth in said line over and over again? Somehow I don't think Helen Reddy's version ever generated that kind of reaction!

Can't Smile Without You was a little mix of everything tonight - fast lyrics, funny lyrics. Barry makes it fun for everyone. Even the people that didn't want to stand seem to be enjoying it. When Barry first started doing this, I hated it - absolutely hated it. But Barry has managed to turn it around so that it no longer feels like a command performance - it kind of feels like a big party. And I can see that other people are feeling the same thing. There are a lot of good feelings flowing through the room. You never hear civilians screaming, "SIT DOWN!" through this one.

Russ did something different with the drums tonight - there was a (brief) slightly different beat at one point in the song. Took my attention away from the rest of the song and I never did get back to singing along. I also heard something different with the piano - I've never been able to figure out which guy is playing it when I hear different piano things. Anyway, remember back when Barry used to play the piano himself during CSWY? And sometimes he would embellish a little? Well, that's what I heard. But it definitely wasn't Barry this time since he was standing center stage with a mic in his hand!

After the song was over, Barry made a comment to the sound guy about everything being too loud in his head. Hey, I have that problem myself at times - and I don't even have those little ear monitors!

The ballad tonight was Even Now. Before the song, Barry said that he was getting over a cold and that he felt like he had a little frog in his throat. And then he made a sarcastic comment about that being "just great" when he's about to do a ballad. Honestly, though - I didn't notice any voice problems tonight at all.

This performance of Even Now was a little different than what I've been seeing. It wasn't overly emotional - still had plenty of feeling, just not the kind that drags you down into the abyss with the guy singing it. That said, I guess this performance was in line with most of the other performances tonight - a little more on the happy side. Well, ok - Even Now can't be a happy song - kind of hard to be happy when the guy is miserable about having moved on. What I mean is, sometimes Barry can rip your heart out with his performance of this song - tonight's version wasn't like that. Barry did a great job of selling the song without making us feel emotional extremes. One exception to that was toward the end, the "God I wish you knew" part. I've seen Barry perform that multiple ways. Sometimes it comes across as a desperate plea. Tonight's performance felt more like extreme frustration - to the point that it didn't feel like a performance. It looked totally real. Barry clinched his fist, his jaw was locked tight, and it looked like there were tears in his eyes. Very believable - that really reached and out grabbed you.

Like CSWY, Brooklyn Blues had a mix of performance styles. It wasn't as upbeat as it sometimes is. Barry did spend the first verse of the song connecting with the audience - he would look out into various spots, making it feel as if he were actually conversing with those people. Then for the second verse he continued that, but he also really sold the lyrics as he looked out into the audience. It came across as someone telling a story - but more personal than just some guy up on a stage telling a story. When Barry does the song this way, if you're sitting in the right spot then he can make it feel as if he's actually telling the story to "you" - not just relating a story to an entire room. I wasn't in one of those spots tonight, but I've seen this often enough that I allowed myself (actually, I had to drag myself, but whatever) to watch what was happening with the audience as well. It seriously works.

Now, that ability to see these kinds of things is going to be lost in the larger venues. As a rule, the mixed feelings about the ending of these shows was kept at bay tonight. Barry kept the songs upbeat. And, personally, I didn't want to go there, either. But I'll admit that as Barry was doing the dialogue prior to Brooklyn Blues, he happened to walk over in front of my section of the audience - and it crossed my mind. If you never got the opportunity to go to Vegas, or if you never sat in the first 3-4 rows, then you aren't going to get it - you won't understand just how close he is to the audience and how you can pick up on the most subtle things. I'm going to miss that - it's just not possible to get that feeling in a larger venue. Doesn't matter if they put up the biggest video screen in the world, you're still just watching a video screen. This has been a unique ride - definitely not something I ever thought I would experience when I first started attending Barry's shows - not even when I started attending a lot of Barry's shows.

The last verse of the song was a standard performance. Barry didn't really attempt to sell the lyrics. I think he must have been reserving his energy for that long note. He nailed it again tonight. What cold?!? His voice was perfect!

As I said before, I still felt sadness during I Am Your Child. Maybe that's not the emotion that Barry is trying to convey. Maybe there's something there that I just can't pick up on because of my own life experiences (or lack thereof). I do see a lot of people moved by Barry's performances of this song. It's very, very beautiful - his voice is beautiful. The entire presentation is beautiful - the lighting - the choice of instruments in the background. Barry is definitely selling the song, making us "feel".

Nature Boy brought the tone back up (for me, anyway). Barry seemed to use more hand gestures than he normally does - not just during the baby Barry part. In fact, he's really stopped using those during that part of the song. He lifted a finger as if he were going to "mini-conduct" tonight, but then put it back down. When big Barry took over the singing - that's when he started using gestures to emphasize the lyrics.

This One's For You wasn't as emotional as it was the last time I was here. Barry sold the song well, and I think he connected with the audience well. The performance was more like what we've seen throughout the years. For the most part, it didn't come across as being very personal to Barry this time (even though I know his dialogues always indicate that it is, it usually never feels quite so personal). That said, there's something about the "miss me, too" line that has become personal to us. After last time, when I witnessed so many people getting emotional during this song, I've spent a lot of time thinking why this one, of all the songs, is getting to us. We've always missed Barry when he leaves the stage - we've been making jokes about post-Manilow depression for years. But this is different - not the same feeling, at least not for some of us. I think I may have figured it out.

I think it goes back to this unique experience thing. Prior to Vegas, there has always been this chasm between performer and audience - they were up there, we were down here. And even though Barry occasionally played in a more intimate setting, he was never there long. But for the last seven years, he's been right there - all of the performers have been right there. And for those of us fortunate enough (or crazy enough, depending on your point of view) to have been here, it's almost like a relationship has developed. We really are going to miss THEM - not just a show. I'm sure from the performers' point of view, there's still a chasm and we're still "down here". But that's not what it's like for us. At least, that's what I've come up with. I've spent so much time having to explain myself, even defend myself (so, what else is new?) - I had to try to examine it. It was blowing my mind that This One's For You would be the one to do this to us. I would understand if it were Mandy or I Write the Songs - but this one? In the middle of show, no less?

Anyway, as Barry sang the last verse of This One's For You, he turned toward the audience and did a little of that "conversing" style of performing - where it feels more like he's talking to you instead of at you. I thought we were going to get through the entire song without any extreme emotion - but just before Barry left the stage, a split second before the spotlights went out, he seemed to get emotional again. Performance? Or real? Or both? That's the beauty of Barry Manilow - he's such a master at this, you can never really be sure. For me, it doesn't matter - I'm just enjoying the ride. If he can manage to find and pull out that particular emotion in me, then for all practical purposes, it's real.

New York City Rhythm was happy, as always. It wasn't as "up" tonight as I expected it to be, though - considering how upbeat almost everything else was. Or maybe I was distracted. I had made it my goal to try to get several good shots of everyone up on that stage before these shows come to an end. (and I failed at it miserably tonight) So, I was trying to take shots I normally don't take, kept missing them, and it pulled my attention away from the actual performance. I've had a lot of people ask me if I don't feel like I'm missing the show by taking photos - normally, no. I've seen the show enough and I know it well enough that for the most part I can anticipate where I want to try to take shots without really giving much thought to it. I wasn't doing so well with that tonight, though. Not a good photography night.

We kind of had a mini-competition between the keyboard guys tonight. Last time I was here, Joey and Ron W exchanged notes during the chase around the piano. Tonight Ron P started it off with something new. Then Joey tried to match it. Then Ron W added his 2 cents. And the winner is... Ron P! Why? Uhm... Well, because he has ties to Texas, and everything in Texas is better?? Ha! I had planned to take photos of each of the guys during their turn at the piano - I screwed that up, too!

Love Is Here To Stay was very romantic again tonight. Maybe not as much as it sometimes - but sometimes it feels like a performance. The way Barry performed the song tonight made it feel very natural. I don't remember the stroll tonight. But I'm not surprised. Normally I'm sitting pretty much in the center, but tonight I was a little further to the side, almost directly in front of Barry for the portion of the song that's immediately after the stroll. I'm not surprised I don't remember how he got from one side of the stage to the other. In fact, I'm surprised I remember anything at all!

I botched 99% of the 15 Minutes shots, too. Barry is all blurry. I tried to get a shot of Kye with his guitar - no dice - too dark. Oh, well...

15 Minutes was a fabulous performance. Very convincing. Like I said before, this performance feels real, feels like Barry believes it. The only part that deviates from that a little is the air guitar (hey, leave me alone! I love the air guitar, too!) The hand motions are a little too exaggerated to mesh with what Mike is playing - but at the same time, people sitting further back wouldn't be able to figure out what Barry was doing if the hand motions weren't somewhat exaggerated. I love the fire in Barry's eyes. Tonight I could see Barry watching the audience reaction. (man, I'm going to miss being able to do that!!) There were a lot of audience members moving in their seats. You could see a gleam in Barry's eye. He never lost the feel for the song, but it was obvious he was enjoying his view of us as much as we were enjoying our view of him.

Bring On Tomorrow was happy. Barry performed it in such a way that this character was happy - that he was at a point in his life where all of his dreams had come true. That's what it felt like. He was happy about the job AND he was happy about the girl - and everything really was going to be all right. This is kind of how Barry was performing the song shortly after he put it into the show. It's a big Barry ballad without the typical ballad feel. If you think about it, the typical Barry ballad isn't happy. It might not be depressing, but you couldn't describe it as a happy song, either. I Write the Songs has nothing in it that's sad - but it's not happy, either. So, Bring On Tomorrow really isn't your typical big Barry ballad. It's unique.

Barry put a little defiance back into the ending of Bring On Tomorrow - the "they told us we're crazy" part. There was a lot of force in the way he delivered those lines tonight. And then it was right back to tenderness with "without you it's nothing". And then back to happiness again as he sang the last chorus. Barry was all over the place with that song - I love it when does that! The ending notes were fabulous. If I had to choose a word to describe the look on Barry's face after he finished the song, it would be "triumphant".

American Bandstand was a lot of fun - well, that's not unusual. But Barry played around a lot - and that always makes it more fun for me. Barry would start making fun of the dancers, and then when we would look at him he would stop and point at the dancers as if he were saying, "Ok, I'll quit - just watch them". And then he would start making fun of them again. I need to figure out some way to have the camera pointed at him and take photos of him being silly while I'm watching the dancers! I don't think I'm that coordinated, but it's a great thought.

So, last time I commented on how Keely didn't wipe out on the slide through Barry's legs - and this time she really did wipe out!

Mandy was a very strong performance. I didn't get quite as much emotion out of it as I have the past few times, but it was still a solid performance. Barry did a great job on that long note that kind of serves as a bridge between Mandy and Could It Be Magic.

As expected, I Write the Songs kind of had a melancholy feel. That's supposed to happen - it's the beginning of the end. Sometimes you feel it a lot - sometimes a little - tonight was somewhere in between. I heard a lot of talking and laughing in the audience behind me - not sure what was going on, but it was distracting. It's not unusual to see Barry mouth "I love you" to the backups - but as a rule, I don't see any of the backups respond back - tonight I did. Normally, when Barry stands up from the piano, that's the audience cue to rise to their feet, glow sticks in hand. But tonight a large portion of the audience (on my side) didn't stand. For the last few months, when Barry walks over to the left side of the stage (from the audience point of view - I forget what stage right and stage left really mean), he would act surprised as he turns back to face the center of the audience. He didn't do that tonight, though - because there were very few people standing. He just kind of looked at them, and then walked back to the other side of the stage. I honestly don't remember if or when they stood for the rest of the show.

And, as with some other songs, Copacabana had a mix of performance styles. There were moments of silliness, moments when it wasn't so silly. A lot of audience members started singing along with Copa right from the very beginning of the song. I don't recall if they kept that up throughout Barry's performance. If they did, I didn't notice it. But honestly, Barry had my full attention at that point - I didn't really care what the audience was doing.

When Barry came back up through the floor, he had a silly expression on his face - which I managed to catch. I love it when he does that. Love it when he gives us his "I'm fabulous" look, too. And when he wiggles his eyebrows at us. Oh, heck - I just love it! Doesn't matter what he does!

Barry had a lot of funny expressions for the rest of Copa. Not funny, as in silly. It was more like he was having the time of his life watching us react to him.

I'm still very glad that Barry has put It's A Miracle back into the show. I know I didn't like the Copa ending at first - but I did get to the point where I liked it. But IAM really does fit into this spot perfectly. I love the song, anyway - it's my favorite of all of them. And there's just something about the way Barry looks in his tux up there for that ending. And the lighting - the lighting is fabulous. I never really had any interest in the streamers coming back, but I've realized I like to look up and see them. For some reason they haven't been falling on the first few rows lately, but I can look up and watch them come down behind me.

It's still difficult to watch Barry wave goodbye - but nothing is going to change that. IAM takes you high enough to keep you from crashing when that goodbye wave starts bringing you down.

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