Fan-ilow Fan-tastic

I am happy to report that Barry Manilow in concert was all that and a bag of chips. This coming from someone who has attended probably 100 concerts over the years--so, that's a big deal.

The concert was what I'd consider "old school:" a real band, complete with a percussionist playing the tympani and actual horn players. There was no electronic madness. Thankfully, special effects weren't on the docket. It was pure and simple entertainment. Singing, dancing, some banter with the crowd, great music, fun songs... belted out by both Barry and his house full of Fan-ilows.

Now, I've got nothing against all those concert gimmicks. After all, when you pay all that money for a concert ticket, you expect something in return. Heck, Madonna oozes gimmicks. But, Barry proves you can be a showman without the melee. Plastic surgery: yes. Gimmicks: no.

There is nothing better than knowing the words to the songs so you can sing along. Even better is when the entire crowd knows the songs. It was like a giant sing-along. Usually, this would piss me off. I paid to hear the performer, not you. But, in this case, it made total sense and added to the experience.

Everyone was smiling. I did not see one crabby person in the crowd. 

Considering Barry is 72 years old, he has great stamina, a strong (yet at times graveling) voice, and amazing stage presence. He doesn't tap dance or run around or jump off drum sets but he does work the stage at a steady pace and he certainly appears to be enjoying himself.

If his looks of appreciation and humility are fake, he's a good actor. Somehow, I'm pretty sure his reactions and interactions were genuine. He actually looked like he truly enjoyed being there. This wasn't a grind. This was as much fun for him as it was for us.

(Barry, if this isn't true, please don't tell us. Let us live in our bubble of Barry.)

It's hard to find any fault with this concert. For me to say that is quite the compliment. The only thing that bothered me was the whiteness of his teeth. We were close enough to the stage that we could actually see his teeth. It was disconcerting how white his teeth were, even from a distance. Maybe I'm just jealous as my teeth are naturally rather off white.

I enjoyed his self depreciation. That too seemed genuine and designed to connect with the crowd. It's hard not to like someone who is willing to poke fun at himself. I also liked that he sang one of his songs with himself--Barry 'dueted' with himself via a video from 1975. Not everyone can do that (not everyone's been performing at his level since 1975).

I will not speak of his plastic surgery. Okay, I will. It's not as bad as Kenny Rogers but it does scream out plenty of work. I do not begrudge him one stitch of the knife or one injection of whatever. He can do as he pleases, as long as he can perform as well as he did.

The biggest surprise? Barry is little. I mean like in actual stature. Not short, but overall. I don't know why this surprised me, but it did. He looked great in a tux, complete with tails. What's not to love about a guy in a tux with tails?

It's amazing how many hits the guy has had over the years; in fact, he has so many hits that he has to sing a medley lest we be there until the cows come home....and, those would be some pretty late cows.

If you have a chance to see Barry during his final tour (and, I do believe 100% this is indeed his final tour, unlike other performers who have been on like four final tours), go. You'll smile and you'll sing and you'll have a good time. You'll tap along and you'll leave in a ridiculously, genuinely happy mood.

You know you want to Copa. Go on, admit it. You know you do. You know you know the words. You know you know the moves.

Barry knows. Barry knows that you know that music and passion ARE always in fashion.