We got Christmas songs! Nothing like jumping right into the middle of the show to start my review - right? Ha!
Barry bounced out in his bright red jacket tonight. There was absolutely no hint of the fact that he recently had surgery. He was full of energy and seemed very happy to be with us. The crowd was very happy to be with him, too - lots of love flowing around the room.
He opened with It's a Miracle - he seemed more animated than usual, moved across the stage more than he usually does. After the first "The miracle is you" lyric, Barry turned slightly toward his backups - when he did, Keely pointed at him with both hands and mouthed "YOU!". See, Barry? The backups think you're a miracle, too!
A hilarious moment during the opening medley. During Daybreak when Barry walked over to the left side stage, a lady handed him a rose. As he finished out the song, he kept swinging the rose around almost like he was conducting. But then when Barry moved from Daybreak to Somewhere in the Night, he put the rose up to his mouth instead of the microphone - the audience erupted with laughter. Barry did it deliberately, just to be cute - and then a second later, he put them both together and sang into both for a moment. It was so funny.
And I've been trying to get a good shot of the ending of This One's For You for ages - love the lighting on this one.
I've got a few awesome shots from the show - a lot of blurred shots. Had to adjust the settings on my camera because something has changed about the lighting. Looks like I'm going to have to adjust again. Got one shot that makes my heart flutter.
I have totally not been able to find the word to describe the Looks Like We Made It performance tonight. Sexy moments, yes. But a little more light hearted than usual. Actually, I liked it that way. Barry very briefly stuck his thumb in his pocket, and then yanked it out as if he didn't want to do that. (Note to Barry: looking like country folk is a good thing, at least to those of us who live in the country.) Then he came back to center stage and gave a further demonstration that the hips work - boy, do they work! Also, got a cute little pout during the song. More heart flutters. I love what he's doing with his vocals at the end of the song - totally different than what we're using to hearing - and it was really nice during this performance.
I had forgotten to mention in my previous review the funny moment during Weekend in New England - at the appropriate moment, a lot of people yelled out "Now" - actually, kind of in unison - I think they must have been practicing! Barry laughed, and sang "When can I touch you" a second time. Very cute.
But tonight, when it came to that point in the song, one woman screamed "RIGHT NOW!" - it was so loud, I suspect that Donny and Marie probably heard it while they performing at the Flamingo. Barry didn't let it break the song, but he was having a hard time keeping a straight face. He finished the chorus, and then he said, "Thank you". Another very cute moment.
As for the performance, Barry started WINE out very softly and tenderly. (yeah, more heart flutters) I love it when he does that. But he ended it very passionately - definitely power ballad. I like that, too. I like the combination of the two.
And then we got our first Christmas song. I love Santa Claus Is Coming to Town! How can one song make you feel guilty and happy at the same time? I love it - it's actually tied with Christmas Is Just Around the Corner for being my favorite of all of Barry's Christmas songs! It was a lot of fun. Loved the snow covered mountain backdrop.
Can't Smile Without You was again upbeat and happy and at times silly. (see related shot) How totally appropriate are those lyrics to our relationship with Barry. Think about it. We *are* sad when he's sad, and we *are* glad when he's glad - and when we're away from him, it definitely feels like light years away. All that just occurred to me - a new perspective on the song.
Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again was also very tender, came across as introspective, I think. As much as I loved the old way he performed it, I think I like this better - there's just more feeling to it. And Even Now - a huge amount of feeling during that song, especially as he started it off. It was another of those tender/power ballad combos - Barry finished the song with a lot of passion.
Okay, found the new girl's names - Melanie Nyema and Shay Best. Melanie looks so familiar to me, but I don't know why. Anyway, they're both really great. (Don't worry Melanie T. and Monica - we won't ever stop missing you - just like we've never stopped missing Debra Byrd.) You know, all of the backups and the band have been working hard for these upcoming shows. They deserve a lot of thanks and appreciation for all of their work. We love you guys!
Barry put another Christmas song into the show - he did The Christmas Waltz. Really beautiful - and a beautiful sentiment, too. During the instrumental, Kye and Keely waltzed across the stage. Not enough lighting for me to get a photo of them. But the entire production of the song was beautiful.
They did Brooklyn Blues - the lighting on the performers, even Barry, was not great. However, the backdrop of the Brooklyn Bridge was very prominent. Brandon again did some great sax playing. I tried to take photos, but from the angle of the audience, all you can really see is a head.
New York City Rhythm was very, very upbeat. Barry was very into the music - actually, he was very into the music all night long, throughout the show. You could see him reacting to it - sometimes to the beat of the music, sometimes to the sound of the instruments. Anyway, the keyboardists chased each other around the piano - no clear cut winners again tonight. Ron P's solo was melodic, and Joe's was innovative and Ron W's was intricate. That part of the show is so much fun. And I have no idea where Ron W. and Joe were hiding during this shot, but I swear they were there! Barry's pose at the end of the song was just adorable.
The last Christmas song of the night was River - Barry replaced Somewhere Down the Road with this one. I love River. Everyone loves River. I got another heart-fluttering photo during that song. Barry commented at the beginning that he hoped he would be able to hit the high F. He had no problem hitting it. The song was fantastic.
Barry kept Ships in - he commented about what a beautiful song it is. He continues to do a great job on it. And the lighting is still magnificent. I just don't think still photography can do it justice. I don't think a video could, either. I think this is one of those things you just have to witness for yourself.
Mandy/Could It Be Magic was quite passionate tonight. Barry put a lot of feeling into the medley. I get very few photos during that segment that I think are good - the lighting has always been a little odd for photos - it fits the song, though.
Barry again seemed very happy during I Write the Songs. His performance was almost "joyful". The song was very "big" and powerful - you get caught up in it. There's just this feeling, it's almost overwhelming - it's excitement and it's joy - it's pure emotion. Barry isn't always successful in pulling that off during the song, but he certainly was tonight.
Priceless photo of Barry deferring "the grab" to Kye last night. At first I wasn't going to take any photos during that part of the show, but then I decided to go ahead and snap some. I'm glad I did because I managed to catch that moment. It was so funny. In fact, there's a series of them, with Kye trying not to crack up laughing.
Part of the choreography during the new Copacabana is toward the end of the song - the backups weave in and out, kind of like a figure 8. It looks cool, but it's heck to try to get a photo of!
I think Barry may like this version of Copa better - at least the expressions on his face seem to say so.
These last shows at the Hilton are gold for me. I'm holding on to them for dear life, because I don't know when or if I'll see the new show at the Paris. Someone told me yesterday that it always seems to work out for me - and I have to admit, more than half of the shows I've attended just seemed to fall into my lap. Speaking of laps, I need to go find Santa so I can put in my request for Barry - uhm, I mean Barry tickets. ;-)
Do you suppose little elves make those tickets at the North Pole? Wait! That's it! The polar caps aren't melting because of global warming - it's because Barry is so hot! (yes, I know - feel free to groan - I had too much sugar at breakfast this morning...)
Barry closed the show very upbeat. He did make a comment to us that there weren't many shows left and we should all come back. He may be moving to the Paris, but it's still sad to see it end at the Hilton - it's like the end of the era. (Note to Hilton: Please have an extra stock of Kleenex in the rooms and gift shops because we're all going to be crying like babies on December 30.)
I just love this closing shot - that stance is SO Barry.
One more show for me, and then not again for a month. It's never enough, is it?
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