For a man whose first No. 1 single was greater than 50 years in the past, Barry Manilow performs like he nonetheless has one thing to show.
Possibly he’s relishing that he has outlasted many of the critics who derided his grandiose love songs and old style showmanship through the years. Or possibly he’s simply displaying the followers — his “fanilows” – simply how a lot he appreciates them.
Regardless of the causes he continues to put on the sparkly jackets and belt out the hits at age 82, Manilow is extra lovable an entertainer than he ever was. The voice is burnished with rougher edges, however that candy sincerity shines by way of in each variety of his “The Last Tour” tour, which introduced him to the Oakland Enviornment for a rousing farewell to the East Bay on Friday, July 18, earlier than taking the present to the SAP Middle in San Jose on Sunday.
For about 100 minutes, Manilow gave his viewers – roughly two-thirds of the world was full – precisely what they needed: largely hits, just a few good jokes and a few good surprises. Backed by a 10-piece band (together with a three-piece horn part) and three singers, Manilow charged out with “It’s a Miracle” after which joked amid the cheering, “Not bad for a 100-year-old guy. But I still look great, don’t I?”
This was Manilow’s first Oakland look in 26 years, and if he’s true to his phrase, it will likely be his final. To paraphrase his subsequent quantity, “Somewhere in the Night,” the music, the magic will finish. Till then, he’ll play it over and over. However that’s one in every of Manilow’s nice expertise as a performer: he by no means looks like he’s simply going by way of the motions.
As a result of he cares about entertaining his viewers, he can take prosaic pop like “Daybreak” or “Can’t Smile Without You” and switch them into middle-of-the-road charmers with out breaking a sweat. He saves his larger efforts for the songs he can flip into actual barnstormers.
That’s what he does with ballads like “Looks Like We Made It,” “Even Now” “I Made It Through the Rain” and “Weekend in New England.” With every of these hits, he milks the drama like he was standing heart stage on Broadway (even when he’s sitting on the piano). There’s not only a key change, however lighting change, pounding drums, dramatic pauses and an viewers able to explode when he modulates.
And explode they do. “I’m glad you still like these songs,” he instructed the Oakland viewers. “You know, I used to love the songs that came out of the radio in the ‘70s (pause for comic effect) because most of them were mine!”
For this tour, among the greatest moments are songs which were barely reinvented, like “This One’s for You,” which takes a love tune and re-casts it as an appreciation for a relative. On this occasion, it’s for Manilow’s grandfather, who helped increase him. Or “Mandy,” the tune that launched Manilow’s profession. We first hear the tune in a 1975 clip from “Midnight Special,” after which Manilow sings the tune from behind the piano and finally ends up duetting together with his 50-years-younger self.
Essentially the most affecting quantity was a lesser-known ballad however a fan favourite, “All the Time,” which Manilow performed on the electrical keyboard and sang merely, tenderly and with no razzle-dazzle bombast. It’s a tune, Manilow defined, about misfits not being misfits round different misfits.
The brilliant and blaring present wasn’t all ballads. Manilow and his trio of spiffy singers swung by way of two completely different boogies, “Bandstand Boogie” and “Jump Shout Boogie,” and after enjoying slightly of the Chopin-inspired “Could It Be Magic” on the piano, Manilow turned the tune right into a Donna Summer season-inspired dance combine.
Because the present wore down, the concluding songs have been inevitable. The distinctive brass fanfare kicked off “I Write the Songs” (which, sarcastically, Manilow didn’t write). That segued instantly into the rousing “Copacabana (At the Copa)” (which Manilow did write). For each numbers, everybody was on their toes waving the glowsticks they’d been given on the way in which in. Speak about a pop music excessive.
Barry Manilow just isn’t solely nonetheless standing however nonetheless dancing, joking and hitting some mighty spectacular notes. His longevity is outshone solely by his enthusiasm, and although it wasn’t all the time cool to be a Manilow fan, he has confirmed repeatedly by way of the years and up ‘til now simply how a lot he deserves the title of pop music legend.
Chad Jones has been writing about Bay Space arts since 1992; theaterdogs.web
BARRY MANILOW
The Final San Jose Live performance
When: 7 p.m. July 20
The place: SAP Middle, 525 W. Santa Clara, San Jose
Tickets: $34-$183; ticketmaster.com
