Paris Las Vegas - December 7, 2011

BB-30



No photos in the review this time. I botched most of them - and I'm running out of time for right now.

Barry's eyes were glistening as he opened the show - absolutely glistening. Could It Be Magic again came across as a special performance. There has been a lot more "truth" in that song lately. And Daybreak was very upbeat. It had that motivational feel to it.

Somewhere in the Night was fantastic. The lighting seemed much brighter than usual. I mean, brighter on the audience! Maybe Barry just wants to be able to see our faces as he plays us during the song! Ha! And boy, did he... He opened the song the way he normally does. But then at one point he looked out at the audience and... How do I describe this? He gave us this look - there was this look that came into his eyes. Nothing else about his facial expression changed - it was 100% his eyes. And it shook half the audience! It's amazing how something that subtle can have such an effect on us. And THAT is one of the reasons I loved these two Vegas venues so much - you would totally miss that in a larger venue. But we caught it. Heck, I don't even remember the rest of the performance! Don't remember much of Looks Like We Made It, either... Yup, he got to me!

Can't Smile Without You has turned into a very successful, huge sing-a-long. Everyone takes part now. Have I lost my mind? Or did Barry change the order of the lyrics on us? He did! Don't confuse me, Barry - I'm easily confused - especially when I'm standing there feeling all self-conscious anyway, thinking "please no one look at me, please no one look at me!". So, I'm singing along with everyone else and I do the "I feel sad when you're sad" - and then I realized that wasn't what Barry was singing - and I looked at him... And he was feeding us the lyrics to the song as he always does - but he did "glad" first, and then "sad". And I was thinking "What?!?!" Of course, I always assume I'm the one who totally screws everything up. But then it was time for the chorus again - and he did it again - this time I paid attention to see what he was going to do - and he wanted to be "glad" first. Okay, maybe he's trying to tell us something - maybe we're supposed to stay glad at these last 5 shows for him. (I'm trying, I swear I'm trying - if Santa will show up this year and promise me that this isn't ending for me, I would probably be doing a much better job of staying glad. But I'm TRYING!)

Even Now was the ballad of the night. Barry didn't really play around with us the way he sometimes does - he didn't really ask "what should I do" in the way he normally does it - didn't really seem to be directed toward the audience - this time it was more like he was saying it to himself. But, of course, the audience voiced their opinions, anyway. Interesting that Barry really seemed to be listening to the audience - or trying to listen, anyway. I couldn't distinguish any one song from the noise. Barry said something to the effect of "I can kind of hear some things." But then he sat down at the piano and said, "Okay, you're playing an A". And in the past, that has always meant Even Now. How the heck musicians can hear that is beyond me. I get how you can distinguish intervals. I get how you can recognize major chords versus minor chords - and even how to recognize which type of minor chord someone is playing. But to know whether it's an A or F or D... I don't think my ears will ever be able to do that. Of course, once these shows are over I won't have any of this musical stuff in my daily life, so I'll lose everything I managed to pick up.

At any rate, Barry gave us a fabulous performance of Even Now - really, really magnificent. He connected with the audience big time. And he connected in a way that isn't typical (for this particular song). As a rule, Barry really doesn't look out into the audience much during Even Now. He gazes out in the general direction of the audience, but usually it's straight ahead - if you're sitting in one of the perfect spots in the theater, you can get that "perceived eye contact" feeling. But tonight he redirected his gaze a little and it felt like he really was looking out into the audience. Made it all the more special.

And if that wasn't enough, the performance overall had that extra "something" tonight. Barry did a fantastic job of selling the song. It couldn't have been more believable. The ending was incredible. This was another of those nights when Barry really reached for the audience. He was so into the song. And after he finished the final note, he was still into it. Man... The look in his eyes...

You could see that Barry was still feeling the previous song as he started Brooklyn Blues. He went through the motions of talking about the great groove, but that wasn't where he really seemed to be as the song started. You could see the difference as he sang the opening verse of the song. This was another connecting song. Barry looked out into the audience, and he gestured toward the audience, selling the lyric. And he did great of it, too. By Brandon's sax solo, Barry was back to his normal groove. That long note at the end went on forever - and ever and ever... Fantastic job! Give that man a star!

I Am Your Child was very heartfelt tonight. I wouldn't describe tonight's performance so much as sad (as I have for the last several shows), but more touching. It felt like Barry was looking out into the audience and "understanding". Now, of course there's no way he knows in what ways that song may touch the audience - we each have our individual stories and it means something different to each of us. But the way Barry performed the song tonight, it made it feel as if he were speaking directly to us - made it feel as if the song had become personalized, made the song touch whatever aspects of our own lives can be reflected in those lyrics. I definitely felt something different tonight - it struck a chord with me.

Barry was cute during Nature Boy. I was still a little distracted from the previous song, though. I got back into the swing of things as baby Barry got to the end. Barry did just a tad of the mini-conducting tonight - and I still find myself wondering at the range of the notes. Barry got more serious as the song progressed. It was kind of emotional.

This One's For You was somewhat emotional, too. Not as much as it has been. I could hear some people losing it a little in the audience. Barry spent the first part of the song really connecting, then pulled back a little. There's just something about that line "wonder if you'll miss me, too" - that's the line that's getting to everyone. I feel it, too. And that's always where Barry pulls back. But, it still wasn't as emotional as what I've seen over the past couple of months. Emotion aside, the performance was great. It came across as very genuine. And while it wasn't as emotional in terms of bringing out our tears, Barry certainly did bring out plenty of feeling with the song. I felt it - I felt the sincerity behind the performance.

New York City Rhythm was very upbeat. You know, this show was designed well. I'm sure what's happening right now wasn't part of the consideration when deciding on the set list. But it's worked out well - because just as soon as we get a song that really gets to us, there's something upbeat to offset it. Barry was very cute with his Dancing With the Stars comment tonight.

We got Christmas music - yay! It was kind of a surprise. I mean, a lot of us were hoping for Christmas music. It was just a surprise the way Barry started it. He went into it so quickly. I love when he does Christmas music - it was like an early Christmas present. Especially since my 3 favorite Christmas songs by Barry were all represented in the segment!

Barry and Kye performed Santa Claus Is Coming to Town. It was like last year's performance. They have really cute choreography. Kye gets some solo singing moments. And Barry is so cute as he sings the song. He did the joke again about "good girls go to Heaven, and bad girls go to my house". And of course the audience went wild. But, drat! I keep being a good girl and getting left out! Not fair! I've been conditioned for the last 50+ years to believe that I have to be good for Santa to come see me, and now Barry is saying we have to be bad to get the best present of all!!

The rest of the backups came on stage - actually, they strolled onto the stage. The girls were wearing the white (trimmed in red) coats that they wore last year - really pretty. For that matter, all of the stage was pretty. While Barry and Kye did the opening number, the curtain behind them was down - so that's when all the Christmas "decorations" were brought out. I promise I'll do better with getting photos of all that tonight.

I'm probably getting the songs out of order - well, I know I am. But I'm just righting as it comes to me.

Barry sang part of Happy Holiday. It was kind of touching the way he gestured to the audience as he sang, "May your every wish come true." If only it could - for all of us. Where is Santa? We need to talk!

And it snowed! White confetti fell from the ceiling. It was kind of neat the way that it took so long for it all to drift down - kind of like real snow. I looked over my shoulder after Barry made the comment about "Wouldn't it be great if it really snowed?" - just a "flake" or two was drifting down my way. I reached up to grab one so I could take it home with me. But as the song continued more and more flakes drifted down. It was a neat effect.

Then Barry sang Christmas Is Just Around the Corner - all the backups sang with him. Barry was SO cute when he sang "see what I got you" - the way he pointed at the audience to emphasize it. And then when he sang "you're gonna love it" - that was just too cute. I know I must have had a big smile on my face throughout that entire song.

Keely and Kye came forward then to do Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. That's always so entertaining. Keely sticks in little comments as Barry sings. ("like Monopoly" - okay, reindeer can't play Monopoly - how would they roll the dice?!) Kye danced with the stool again this year while Barry and Keely danced - this time Kye was actually talking to the stool. And Kye did his funny Santa voice again. That's a lot of fun.

Barry sang Because It's Christmas. It was really beautiful. Barry vocals were beautiful and his performace seemed so emotional. Again, Barry really made an attempt to connect with the audience, to look AT the audience. For this song the piano is placed much further back on the stage, so Barry is much further back. And yet he still managed to make us feel as if he were singing directly to us. The lighting was very simple, but it was also impressive. It felt as if there were a lone spotlight shining down on Barry - that isn't how it really was, but that was the effect. But it wasn't a harsh light. The way the light beams spread out around Barry, starting with a point of light up in the "sky", then the beams spreading further and further out, getting softer and softer as they descended to Barry, honestly made it look like a light from the heavens shining down. Seriously.

Something I've noticed over the last 7 years is that when I see such a remarkable lighting effect, if I look for it again the next night, it's usually not there. All I can attribute that to is that on occasion everything is perfectly aligned to create a magical moment in time, a memory that will live in your heart forever. At the end, a children's choir came on stage to finish the song with Barry.

And we got River. That song always has the potential to be a tear-jerker. If you have anything buried at all in you that has to do with loss of some kind, it can really get to you. Barry did a beautiful job of performing it. Really, really beautiful. I've missed having him sit on a stool right there at the front of the stage. That always feel so intimate. He feels so "real" - not like just seeing some performer up on a stage. I know not a lot of people have had the opportunity to feel that difference. I've been blessed to have been able to be here to experience that. It started at the Hilton - as I've mentioned before, the first time it ever hit me was the first time I sat close enough to hear his boots on the stage floor - that was the moment when it no longer felt like I was seeing a show - I was still seeing performers on the stage, but they were real people. It's very easy to see the "fantasy' that's created by a performance (whether it's music or a play) - and some people are able to recognize the work and talent that's going into a performance - but that's not what I'm talking about. This is a totally different experience. At any rate, it was wonderful to be able to feel that again as Barry performed River.

Then we got back to the regularly scheduled program. :-) They picked back up the normal set list with the American Bandstand segment. Barry was cute - making fun of the dances as all the backups are featured. Keely really did wipe out tonight. Barry spreads his legs out really wide, but seriously, Keely - you can't go through sideways! I've never been able to figure out how she does it anyway. I mean, considering the angle that Kye has when he grabs her arms, I don't see how he gets enough leverage to push her through. Barry didn't make quite as much fun as they cycled through the other dances, The Swim, The Fly... But he did give us a pretty good twist. An interesting musical note - I could really hear the cymbals as David played his solo at the beginning of the segment. What's up with that? Do my ears just have a mind of their own and decide to listen for specific sounds each night?? There was also a spot during the Christmas segment where I heard the most beautiful piano in the background.

Barry changed jackets for the Mandy performance tonight. It was the most beautiful blue jacket - no idea what material really. From the audience it kind of looked like a brushed suede. And he wore a black open collar shirt. Just beautiful. And I have no photos. I hope he wears it again one night this week. Actually, I think I liked this look much better than the white jacket that he's been wearing. As Barry was taking his bows, I think he got as much applause for the jacket as he did for his performance! I don't know if he could hear it, but there were definitely murmurings in the audience that were specifically for that outfit!

And the performance of Mandy was awesome. Again, Barry connected - not so much throughout the entire song - but there were a couple of moments when he really seemed to focus in on us for a moment. Again, those eyes... I think one of my biggest memories from the entire night is going to be those moments when you could look into his eyes and see something that went beyond a performance. And I can hear the cynics now saying, "That IS the performance!" Well, who flippin' cares? In order to perform it with such effect, he has to make himself believe it. And if he can make himself believe it, then he can make us believe. And if Barry and the audience believe at the same time, then for that moment, it's real.

Barry's performance of I Write the Songs was interesting in that even though he was looking out into the audience, making it appear that he was really trying to connect, you could see that he had pulled back into himself a little. (Man, I'm going to miss being able to see those things!) Now, I've always wondered if he could see anything at all during that song because of that weird blue glow that's on him - but still, there have been many times when it "appeared" that he was with us, that he was at least seeing all the glowsticks. But tonight he seemed much more distant - and he seemed much more emotional himself.

Copacabana was upbeat, though. Barry skipped out onto the stage, doing his little Copa steps as he moved to the center. He acted out the lyrics as he sang - and was very cute while he was doing it. "Rico called her ovah..." Just too cute. Barry has started emphasizing that part, giving us the full effect of the accent. And he was just too cute as he reappeared in his tux. The look on his face was adorable. Yep, it was that "am I fabulous?" look. And yep, he's fabulous, and cute, and adorable, and handsome, and dreamy, and... Gee, I wonder if it's hard being all those things at the same time? I love the grin on Barry's face as he finishes out Copa. And when he backs up to the "shirt on acid" and makes all those funny faces. I could create a memory book filled with nothing but all the funny faces he's given us over the years - not going to - but I could!

Barry went a step further tonight in telling us that he was leaving. He not only said that he was leaving Paris, but also that he was leaving Las Vegas. But he made a comment about seeing and recognizing "friends" who have been with him through the years. And he's made that comment before. But not like this. I was actually talking to some folks after the show, and everyone agreed - this was unique. In the past, when Barry would make that comment to us (at the shows I've been at, anyway), he always followed it up with joke. I remember at the Hilton he said it - and it felt kind of touching - and then he said "I feel like I should pay for your therapy" - making a joke of it, as if we were all nuts to have spent the time and money and effort, and put up with what we sometimes have to put up with just to experience him in person. And there are certainly enough people that think we really are nuts. And I know we sometimes wonder ourselves - and wonder if that's really how we're viewed by the entire organization at times.

But tonight what Barry said came across as totally sincere. He commented on the band and backups being "family" - and then he gestured toward the audience indicating that we were family, too. And then he made the comment about recognizing friends. He said "friends" as if he meant it. He looked out into the audience as if he were looking at us, acknowledging us - not the faceless, nameless entity called "fans" - but as if he were looking at actual people, as if he were REALLY telling us that we were appreciated. It was touching.

Barry bounced out for It's A Miracle. It almost seemed as if he were trying to bring himself up as much as he was trying to bring the audience up. He was pretty successful, until right at the very end. Tonight the streamers made it all the way to the front. A bright red one fell right in front of my face. Had no problem grabbing that one!

I almost made it through the entire show without tears. I couldn't quite get through those closing moments as Barry stood there looking out at us. He took longer than usual to leave the stage. He stood there looking around the theater, slowly shifting his gaze to different sections of the audience, and then holding that gaze for a few moments at each spot.. He had a very bittersweet smile on his face - not the adorable grin - not the typical showman's smile.

His eyes were glistening again - and so were ours.

From Boston to Denver...    Music & Passion    Ultimate Manilow    The Paris    Backups/Band    Platinums    Back Home All photos and content Copyright ©Dana Holland