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Ultimate Manilow-The Hits - Las Vegas Hilton - February 18, 2009(View photo gallery here)
M2-A-31
It was good to be back, even if it was only for one night.  Barry opened in the same bright red jacket that he wore for the convention shows back in December. Just beautiful. But this time, instead of the solid red tie, he wore a red tie with black stripes. This outfit was even more striking than the one last December. He looks really great in it. You would never think that the red clothing would make his blue eyes stand out so much, but it does. Love the way he's wearing his hair these days, too. No one interrupted Weekend in New England tonight. Sometimes I like to hear it all the way through without a break, so that was nice. It was a good performance, but Barry didn't seem to put as much feeling into it as he usually does. I did notice an interesting facial expression at the end of the song. He appeared to be really into the lyrics, even though the song wasn't as passionate as it can be. Now that I say that, I think that's the difference. Instead of this being a power ballad performance, Barry was more true to the lyrics.  Barry did seem to have a case of the sniffles tonight. He had a little trouble holding the long notes a couple of times. I'm sure he hates it when that happens. But we understand.  Other than that, Barry seemed to be in good spirits. Sing Sing Sing was almost silly. Bandstand Boogie was extra bouncy and "happy" tonight. And during the decades medley, after Barry impressed us with his tap dancing skills, he quietly muttered - uh - *that* word - made everyone laugh again.
Looks Like We Made It was a great performance. This seemed to be a night for "different" performances. This was one of the songs that Barry performed in a "different" way than he normally does. For one thing, it wasn't as "sexy" as he normally does it - but that's fine. I like it this way. This was another example of the performance being more true to the lyrics - it wasn't a huge performance - instead, it was just telling the story. And that's great - sometimes I just want to see the craftsman at work. Barry could just sit on a stool and use his eyes and his voice to sell any song in his catalog. Well... Almost any song... I guess Who's Been Sleeping In My Bed might lose a little - LOL! But for the most part...
Islands in the Stream was excellent. Even though it was mostly a non-fan audience, everyone seemed to love the song.  As Barry sat down and began to play Trying to Get the Feeling Again, one or two people started to clap, and then stopped. Barry said, "That's okay, you can clap." That made everyone clap. And laugh. Barry finished up the TTGTFA/Even Now medley, then went straight into New York City Rhythm. He seemed to especially enjoy performing that song. Joe and the two Ron's all did a great job as they each got their turn at the piano (Joe wins, by the way).  I Made It Through the Rain was next. It was a great performance, but again, different - softer. Then Barry sang Can't Smile Without You. This performance was the biggest "different" of the night. Barry's facial expression throughout the entire song really seemed to fit the lyrics of the song. You know, people argue about whether it's a happy song or a sad song - Barry's expression definitely seemed to fit the lyrics. Okay, he didn't have a sad expression - but he did seem to "mean" what he was saying. At the spot where Barry normally does Memory, he called an audible - LOL. He turned toward his band and said, "Guys, Somewhere". Kye scrambled to get the stool and bring it to center stage. Somewhere Down the Road was my favorite song of the night. There was more emotion in this song than in all of the others combined. Barry had tears in his eyes almost from the very beginning of the song. I love the way he sings it so softly now. Barry's performance of the song absolutely gave me chills at times - and, yes, managed to bring a tear or two. Don't know why some audiences don't seem to get into it, but I was certainly glad tonight's audience seemed to appreciate what Barry was doing. At the end of the song, when Barry waved goodbye - and then the way he gently blew a kiss - oh, my... Before Barry sang the song, he talked to us again about good songs and good lyrics and how they could be interpreted in different ways. He mentioned his dogs, and I swear there were tears in his eyes. Barry also thanked us all for coming and said that he knew it was hard with the economy like it is. SDTR was followed by Ships. Barry is still acting out the parts of the song - I think he gets better every time. I still love the set and the lighting for this song - it's a great effect. I also really like the way Barry twirls around for the key change that leads in to the final chorus.
Has anyone else noticed how Barry has seemed extra silly at the end of Copa lately? When he's doing "his step" while wearing the bright yellow jacket? And then "Ole!"? It's so cute.  For once I didn't get smacked by streamers at the end of the show. But a couple of people around me complained (nyah, nyah - missed me!). Ha! Got a cute shot of Barry just before he left the stage. He usually doesn't stop that way.  As I said, it was good to get to see at least one show. But it was certainly hard to leave knowing there would be 2 more shows and I wouldn't be seeing them.
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