Barry may have been sick earlier this week, but he wasn't showing many signs of it tonight. He was bouncy again. He looked great, and he sounded fabulous. The only real sign that he was sick is that he was having trouble holding the really long notes.

Someone has a cruel sense of humor. The pre-show music built up to the point that the fans all recognize - and then we heard an announcer. Everyone thought they were going to announce that the show was being canceled - and when the announcer said, "We apologize..." - oh, gee. And then he finished "... the show will be longer than usual tonight." LOL That was mean! And to whoever thought that was funny, I'll bet Santa leaves coal in your stocking! (ok, it really was funny)

Barry was having monitor/ear plug problems tonight. I'm sure being the perfectionist that he is (or that we believe he is,anyway) it's driving him crazy that all happened during the show. But for the fans, it was priceless. They aren't mistakes to us - they're totally unscripted Barry moments where we get a glimpse of the real him. At one point he sat down on the stage and spoke to a woman in the front row while they tried to get one of the ear pieces out of his ear. Like I said, priceless.

Barry finally gave up and said he had to leave the stage to fix the problem because he would have to get undressed to do it (I'm not going there!). While he was off stage, the band played Brooklyn Blues. It was great - it gave them a chance to show us how talented they are. And then Kye did an impromptu dance for us during the song - it was also great and showed off his talents.

Anyway, Barry said that he was going to sing a lot of songs that he didn't know. And we did get some special songs later in the show.

For Moonlight Serenade they brought out one of the old-time microphones that they use during Chattanooga Choo Choo. Barry sang the beginning of the song at the mic - it was a really nice touch. I think it added to the performance. He picked someone from Fort Worth, Texas as the dance girl. Somehow he manages to select Texas girls when I'm in the audience. Maybe there are a lot of us - just proves that Texans have good taste.

The 50's segment was a hoot! Especially Barry! He really hammed it up - more so than he has in a long time. It was hilarious.

The first special song was He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother. It was a great performance. It sounded just as good as it does on the CD. Barry put a lot of feeling into it - he approached it from the perfect angle.

And the next special song is the one that I said I would love to hear again - Barry sang Keep Each Other Warm. Awesome! He forgot a few words - but who cares?!? I was thrilled to hear him sing it. He asked us to sing along with him.

Barry followed that one up with another of my favorites - Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed. Ok, at this point he could have ended the show and it wouldn't have mattered because he had already made my night perfect. And that song is proof that he can sing his new rock and roll CD!

When Barry finished Who's Been Sleeping, he said "I'm STILL a sex god!" The audience was on their feet (they were on their feet a lot!).

The next song was Even Now. It was one of his better performances of the song. The ending was especially powerful and emotional. He didn't quite manage to hold the long note, but that's okay - we understand why.

Barry sang Can't Smile Without You next. The audience stood for a good portion of the song.

We got a mini-Mayflower medley. They performed They Dance, Hot Stuff, and Signed, Sealed, Delivered. It was nice to see that again. That one also got the audience to their feet.

The 60's segment was next. The funny cigarette skit has started to lose its appeal for me for several reasons - but that's just me. And it's still funny - Barry plays it perfectly. He really could do comedy. I love hearing him sing Yesterday. And Can't Take My Eyes Off You.

The audience stood again for the 70's segment. I just can't get over how much I like those songs and that part of the show. This time I felt a little guilty because the people behind me never stood for any of the songs. I stayed seated through a portion of it.

Then it was time to start closing out the show. That's the only bad thing about hearing Mandy/CIBM and I Write the Songs - you know that it's almost at the end.

No Christmas songs. Kind of a disappointment - well, not really, because we got all those extra/special songs. But still thought there might have been a couple since it was rumored that he might be performing some in his arena songs. If so, I won't see them since I'm not seeing any of those shows until February. But no complaints! This was an awesome show!

Went to the BMIFC party - it was really nice. The room was beautiful. A lot of the staff went around to the tables to visit with us. Even Garry K. stopped by to wish us happy holidays - I think that's the first time I've ever actually spoken to him. Oh, wait - I didn't speak - he did, LOL! Anyway, it was a very nice event.

Was totally shocked to see Barry in the casino afterwards. I just looked up and there he was, walking past, surrounded by his people. I didn't try to say anything to him, I would never do that - I know my place and it's just one of many people out in the audience. It was kind of interesting though - it was a different Barry, a different presence about him.

At any rate, it turned into one of those evenings that I'll reflect on in years to come. Those who have been fans for a while usually have "Magic Manilow Moments" that they can look back on - this was one of those.

So, Saturday night is my official 100th M&P show (not counting cancellations or the M&P shows I've seen in other cities). Probably proof that I'm crazy - but we didn't need much proof for that!

Wow! Barry started tonight's show off with a bang! He was *really* up! He seemed to have some special fans in the audience - maybe he was just happy to see them. But we all got the benefit of it.

His voice this week has just been fantastic. Barry has sounded wonderful. Looked wonderful, too - but of course, it's all about the music! (yeah, right) LOL

The jacket he opened the show in tonight was to die for. His new wardrobe is gorgeous! He also put on another new jacket to do the ballad - it was black with a lot of red trim.

The ballad was I Am Your Child. When he sat down at the piano for that part of the show, he said he was going to do something off his first album. But before he started it, he said looked at Ron W. and said, "Maybe we'll try something new tonight?" There was a short discussion between them, and then Barry said, "Ok" - and then started I Am Your Child. Did we almost get to hear a new song that he's done (and hopefully written himself)?? If so, then drat! That would have been so awesome.

Barry tried to do the whistle tonight for the opening of Can't Smile Without You. It was pretty shaky - LOL! Then he made a comment about how bad it was before he started the song.

The time seemed to fly by - I couldn't believe it when he started Mandy. It felt like the show had just begun and then there we were at the end. I definitely wasn't ready for it to be over.

I know this one is a little short - I always have a hard time writing them while I'm coming down off my Barry high. Sorry!

It was another awesome show - full of memory-making moments... I made the mistake of calling home just before the show started and found out that my favorite uncle has lung cancer - but as usual, Barry can erase the rest of the world while he's on stage - and even when he leaves the stage, the world still feels a little better.

It was a lively crowd - very vocal. Barry made a comment about it being a wild crowd. He got a lot of standing ovations, and I feel very guilty for not getting up for every single one of them - he deserved it. But I must be getting old - sometimes it's really a struggle to get up out of those seats - by the time I get up, it's time to sit down again! You know, at a charity event a few weeks ago I won a raffle prize of half a dozen sessions with a famous personal trainer (here in Vegas) - I think maybe I need to take advantage of that! Barry deserves it!

And I have to say right from the start, regardless of what some other people are going to say (you know who you are!) - no, Barry does not need a haircut! He's perfect! Including the sideburns! LOL!

Oh, and I believe I said that the new 70's jacket is one of the most beautiful Barry has ever worn - well, the one he opened the show in last night is even more beautiful! It was all I could do to take my eyes off of it. It was black and sparkly - and beyond that I don't know how to describe it. At least, it appeared to be black to me. I did notice that at one point during the 70's segment, the lighting made that black jacket look purple.

Besides memory-making moments in terms of things that touch the heart, this show had some hilarious moments. First one was when Barry was talking about his latest CDs. He started off by saying that the 50's CD was his favorite, then he said, "I did a 60's CD, that one was my favorite... And my favorite CD is the 70's CD..." LOL That's my decision and I stand by it!

The ballad tonight was All the Time. It seemed especially beautiful to me tonight for some reason. After he finished, Barry went straight into Can't Smile Without You.

The guys are still playing around with New York City Rhythm, including Barry. In fact, there were a couple of songs where Barry seemed to be showing off his piano skills more than he usually does. I enjoy seeing the musicianship.

Barry did mention last night's mess up during Bandstand Boogie. Luckily there was no repeat tonight! Except that everyone was still kind of giggling about last night (including me).

The 50's segment continues to get funnier. Barry hams it up more than ever. And when Keely and Melanie were struggling to get closer to Barry, Keely slung Melanie almost all the way across the stage (pretend, of course). And as someone else mentioned, instead of trying to pick Kye up after he screams and faints, the girls started dragging him off stage.

Barry sang Brooklyn Blues again as a prelude to New York City Rhythm. One thing I keep forgetting to mention is the lighting during Brooklyn Blues. It's darker, but it sets a great mood for the song.

I Write the Songs was very beautiful again. It seemed that Barry was going solo on it longer than he did last night - but maybe not. I'm not sure of that - there's so much to soak in during this show, and some things mean more on one night than they do on another. At any rate, it was beautiful.

My favorite song of the night was Copacabana - strictly because of one of those memory-making moments.

The conga line was still there during the It's a Miracle reprise. I don't know who came up with that idea, but it's a great one.

One more night - can't wait for it to start and don't want it to end.

The word for tonight must have been "Murphy's Law" - LOL. (sorry, guys! I had to!)

Bouncy, bouncy! Barry was so bouncy! I love to see him in this kind of mood. He's "up" and it's contagious - he brings the entire audience up with him. Not so much impish tonight, but lots and lots of cute little dance steps - all night long!

The backups have new outfits - they look great. I'll have to let someone else describe them - I'm not really good at that. But next to the costumes they're wearing for the 70's segment, these are my favorites.

I'm not going to list all of the Murphy's Law moments, but I'll relay this one since it was so obvious and so funny. When it came time for Kye to slide Keely between Barry's legs (50's segment, Bandstand Boogie), it looked like he lost his balance and fell forward. He recovered, but that threw the timing off. He managed to grab Keely's hands to start pulling her through but it just fell apart from there. It ended up with Keely about halfway through, her hands on Barry's knees, she's laughing uncontrollably, and Barry is looking down at her as if he were thinking, "What the heck just happened here?"

Did I mention that Barry was priceless on Wednesday night during his Barry Avalon-ilow moment? Well, never mind last night - he outdid himself tonight. It was so funny as he played with his hair. And, of course, it just added to the moment that he was still laughing from the failed between-the-legs routine.

A funny moment during the 60's cigarette routine... The audience was very vocal tonight. Almost everything Barry did resulted in whoops and hollers and audience. When he slipped into his Nehru jacket, the audience was very loud. Barry said, "Yes, I know...I'm fantastic," then he muttered, "Please!" LOL We've been trying to tell you that for 30 years Barry!

Ballad tonight was I Am Your Child - a beautiful version of it. That segment did seem a little rushed - not that song in particular, but just the segment as a whole. He went right into Can't Smile Without You.

They did Brooklyn Blues as a lead-in to New York City Rhythm again. And the guys *really* played with the piano tonight during their solos.

The 70's segment is still just blowing me away! How could I ever have doubted it? Bad Dana, BAD! There's just such a feel-good atmosphere with that entire portion of the show. Everything from the way the songs are arranged, to the way they feature the backups, to the costumes, and even to the positions on the stage that the backups take during each portion of the segment - it's just put together so well.

The song I hated the most on the 70's CD (or thought I did) is now the one I love the most - in fact, other than If, I like The Way We Were best on the entire CD. Tonight when Barry got to the part of the song lyrics that ask if we would do it all again, the audience started yelling "yes" - and Barry chuckled.

Something that was either different or I just now noticed it... When Barry started off I Write the Songs, all I could hear was Barry and his piano - the rest of the music joined in quickly, but for a short time that's all I could hear. And it was beautiful.

The gang treated us to a nice surprise during the It's a Miracle reprise. As they closed out the song, they joined up for a short conga line dance, and then moved into a Rockettes style line dance. It was so funny!

During the group hug at the end, it looked like everyone was trying to kiss everyone tonight. Ah, to be in the middle of that lovefest!

I think the word for the night must have been "imp" - Barry seemed to be in a great mood. And it appeared that he felt good - his eyes sparkled all night.

The entire evening was filled with little "impish" moments - silly little dance steps, funny remarks, adorable facial expressions. And we won't even discuss the Cement Mixer's Convention remark! LOL Barry was priceless during the 50's segment tonight, too. (He's priceless every night, though - no matter what segment it is!)

Barry played with his piano during Can't Smile Without You Tonight. He looked over at the backups, got that impish look on his face, and then added in a little extra to the song.

And talk about playing around with the piano - New York City Rhythm was awesome tonight. Especially Joe and Ron P!

A difference tonight was that Barry put Brooklyn Blues in before New York City Rhythm - I'd never thought of it, but they go well together.

Moonlight Serenade was beautiful, as usual - although for some reason it kind of left me feeling melancholy - but not for long, Barry won't allow that!

And another difference was that when Barry was doing Singing With the Big Bands, Brandon came out from behind the curtain to play a short saxophone solo. I'll have to try to be ready for that tonight so I can take photos of it (if they do it again).

All of this playing around with the piano lately did inspire me to sit down at my own piano to see if I remembered anything from more than 10 years of piano lessons - I don't. But, as tone deaf as I am, I was able to recognize that my piano is horribly out of tune (not to mention keys sticking). It's so bad, that when I tried to play, the kittens jumped up into my lap and looked at me as if to say "Please stop making that terrible noise!" Well, in all fairness, only one kitten did that. The other 3 hid under the furniture. Don't guess I'll be changing careers any time soon.

He sang Even Now as the ballad after asking if anyone had requests. I swear I don't see how he can pick out what anyone is saying. I did hear the Harmony comment someone else mentioned, although I didn't hear him say he would cry - but all the same, it was obvious that it was sad for him. Sometimes when you're ready to give up, your biggest dreams come true - maybe that will happen to Barry.

I finally got to see the new jacket that Barry is wearing for the 70's segment. Love it! It has to be one of the most beautiful he's ever worn. Black, covered in sequins. I like the one he's wearing for the ballads, too. I can't come up with a description for that one. It looks like it's kind of silver, but then it seems to change to brown, and then something else.

Speaking of the 70's segment, I love it more every time I see it. Can't choose a favorite song out of it - I love all of them.

Was it just me, or did Barry change the tempo on Mandy tonight? It seemed faster to me. Also, he sang it differently. At first I wanted to say that he didn't sing it as emotionally, but that's not true - it *was* emotional. And then I wanted to say that he didn't work as hard at it - that's not true either. It was still emotional and passionate, but... I think the word I'm looking for may be "distraught" - he didn't perform the song as someone who is distraught - that's how the song has been coming across over the last several months. Remember how he used to introduce Keep Each Other Warm by saying that he's a hopeful romantic? That's how the Mandy/CIBM medley came across last night. There was more of a sense of longing and yearning but with a sense of hopefulness. Anyway, I think I like this way better. It was kind of nice.

And now I've got myself thinking about Keep Each Other Warm - man, I wish he'd do that one again - 'scuse me, I've got to go put that one on iTtunes!