Sorry for the delay in posting this. A friend grabbed me as I was leaving the show room and we ended up talking until 2:00am. I'm too old for this! Tonight if I nod off during the show, someone nudge me, ok? (don't worry - no way I could nod off during Barry) But, take everything I say with a grain of salt (except for the fact that Barry did a great job) because it's quite fuzzy right now. And, no - I don't drink - so, it's not that!
It was a great show.
Barry was still playing with the audience - deliberately. You can't convince me otherwise. His facial expressions and movement during Somewhere in the Night was a deliberate attempt to pull a reaction out of the audience. He succeeded.
He also succeeded during Looks Like We Made It. Barry's performance wasn't as strong as the night before - still a great performance, don't get me a wrong. The previous night's performance seemed geared toward evoking an emotional response, and it was very successful. This performance seemed more like a performance, I guess is the best way to say it. I didn't feel the emotion from him as much as I had the night before.
Barry gave us a taste of both worlds with Weekend in New England. He started out softly - it was very beautiful. But he ended it as a power ballad - very, very strong. I don't know about the rest of you, but those two different methods generate different feelings in me. The soft Barry makes me feel very romantic and a little mushy. The stronger Barry gives me chills. It's an interesting contrast.
Can't Smile Without You was still a happy song. Not quite as bouncy as the night before. The audience was into it, though.
No Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again/Even Now medley tonight. It seemed like it was supposed to be there, but he took it out at the last minute. Instead he went straight into New York City Rhythm.
Barry was a little more expressive with NYCR than he was the night before. He appeared to be in a New York City mood tonight. His smiles and facial expressions during the song seemed to convey that he's singing his truth. The musical chairs around the piano was cute, as always. I think there's a good-natured competition going on between the 3 guys. And tonight, we have to give the win to Joe - close call, but he jumped in there at the end and stole it.
The Mayflower segment is still in the show! I had a row of first-timers sitting next me - they all seemed to love it.
Not What You See will always be a special song. It's really kind of a deep song - it makes you think. Kind of like Shadow Man, it seems as if a lot of the fans want to make the song biographical for Barry - I can definitely see that - but I think it's biographical for all of us. I guess I'm a thinker - I'm not content to take the world at face value - there's more - life is deeper. And maybe that's why the song speaks to me so much. Barry's interpretation of the song speaks to me. Every time he sings it, the performance is a little different - as if it's reflecting his own current being at the moment.
All (or at least most) of the Mayflower songs are like that. They dig beyond the surface, if you let them. Maybe that's why some people just don't "get it" - they aren't able or willing to look for more. Or maybe they just feel threatened - it makes them uncomfortable, takes them out of their little safe zone.
The lyrics and the music of the Mayflower songs are strong on their own. But it's Barry's performance that brings them to life. Contrary to what was posted in a recent review, I think Barry is a marvelous interpreter. His songs become more than great lyrics and a beautiful musical arrangement - they take a life of their own. And I think the life that we (the audience) each see and hear is intensely personal and unique, based on our own experiences and needs. It's not all about the music - it never has been and it never will be. If it were, we wouldn't still be traveling the country (and the world!) after all of these years - it's Barry's ability to make a connection with those who are open enough to allow it. That's true with all of Barry's songs, but I think the Mayflower songs have an edge in that they're personal to Barry - and we can feel that.
How did I get off on this tangent? You know that little "editor" in your head that Barry talks about? Well, mine is still asleep over there in the bed. My mind is free this morning! Either that, or I've just totally lost it. Whatever...
Anyway, Not What You See was great. The Night That Tito Played was also wonderful. I still get the feeling that there's something slightly different about the choreography in the middle of the song, but I can't put my finger on it. Doesn't really matter. The song has a great feel to it - the choreography is fantastic - and Barry really seems to enjoy performing it.
Talk to Me was again a showstopper. Barry puts an incredible amount of emotion into it. Last night I was honestly trying to push my emotions out of the picture and just watch the show was a technical/civilian point of view. I just couldn't do it during Talk to Me. Barry pulled me right in.
Oh, a side note about the first-timers sitting next to me... I think we must have scared them. A group of friends sitting behind me were joking with me about standing during the show. Then another friend sat down in the row in front of me, and she turned around and joked, "You aren't here much, are you? I just wanted you to know that we stand during the show." And then a fan sitting to my left (who didn't know me) apparently though my friend was serious, and she patted my arm and said, "Just follow along with the fans." And I guess all of this frightened these ladies sitting to my right, because one spoke up and said, "This is our first time and we want to be able to see the show!" So, one of my friends tried to explain to her that we typically stand during certain songs, and we tend to give a lot of standing ovations. The lady didn't seem to be satisfied with that answer - and I was thinking, "uh-oh...". But the ladies actually did follow the fans, and seemed to have a blast doing it.
Somewhere Down the Road was beautiful - especially the ending. He did that so softly - it was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Moments like that are almost surreal. The audience is so quiet, Barry is in that narrow spotlight with everything pitch black around him - and then his voice, this gentle, yet strong voice coming at us out of the darkness... It's chilling. And when you add the emotion that he's been putting into the song, it really reaches in and grabs your heart.
Ships was beautiful, too. From a visual standpoint, I'm not seeing the same effect that I did earlier - where it has the appearance of Barry being alone in this vast universe. So, I'm wondering if that's going to be related to my sitting further back these two shows, or if there's been a change in lighting. I'm going to be watching for that tonight. I really like that blue spotlight that's shining behind him at the beginning of the song, though.
Vocally, Ships was superb. It still wasn't the strongest performance that I've seen - whatever motivation Barry is using for the song, it seems to have changed from what it was in April and May. Back then his emphasis seemed to be on the lyrics of the song, and the interaction between the two characters. Now it seems that the emphasis is actually on the lyrics in the chorus. That actually resonates more with me - I can relate to the story, the background behind the lyrics in the entire song - but to me it ultimately comes down to the characters recognizing that they're "ships that pass in the night" and being willing to accept that as their fate. That's the part that gets the emotional response out of me, so in a way what Barry has been doing this week has been drawing a purely gut reaction out of me. I haven't had that sense of awe that was created by the combination of the visual effects and Barry's story telling, but the song is still affecting me.
Mandy/Could It Be Magic were both very good - not as passionate as he sometimes gets, though.
Barry kept I Write the Songs in the show. He had a smile on his face, so I think he enjoys doing it. I'm thinking it must be a difficult song to do vocally - he always seems to really work at it. That's not new, he always has. I think the audience likes the song in the show - it kind of gives a sense of closure (even though it's not the ending song of the show).
The platform came down at the right time during Copa. It looks like the staircase at the back of the stage may be gone from the show. Barry gave us quite a show up there on the platform, even for those of us standing underneath it. Barry and the chain - oh, my!
Then it was time for the It's A Miracle reprise. Barry has gone back to saying, "Come back, we'll be here forever" - and saying it like he means it. So maybe that's a good omen for those of us who aren't willing to give up our addiction just yet.
I got a cute shot of Barry as the streamers started coming down - and he was trying to dodge those darn little missiles. That's how I feel all the time Barry! LOL
At this point I'm not sure if I'm going to let Barry take me wherever he wants to tonight, or if I'm going to put up those walls again. That's really a moot point - if Barry makes up his mind to take us to his world, there's no defense!
It's not going to be quite as sad when the show is over tonight (it's always a little sad) because I'm going to PNC and Mohegan next week. Please pray for no rain - the weather forecast doesn't look good at this point. I love the memories of my first PNC adventure, but I really don't want to relive that part! Last time I remember we were pooling money so that someone could bring in glow sticks for all of us. Maybe this time we need to do the same for life jackets!
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