1 week Ago By Markos Papadatos
On Thursday, April 10th, Grammy award-winning pop singer-songwriter Barry Manilow headlined Radio City Music Hall, for a great fan turnout. He was backed by a talented band, and three gifted background vocalists, all of which brought something unique to the show. Manilow kicked off the first half of his show with “It’s a Miracle,” where he got the audience up on their feet.
“Hi, everybody,” he said, and was greeted with a raucous response. “Hello, New York. It’s so great to be home again,” he said.
“Thank you all very much for coming to our show. Let me introduce myself properly..
. Good evening, I’m Barry Manilow, and these are my friends, some of the most talented people. We have loads of music for you tonight,” he said, and immediately broke into “I’m Your Man.
” “Not bad for an 100-year-old guy,” he said, jokingly. “Well, we’ve got a lot of music for you tonight and we have a lot of romantic music for you tonight. The gentlemen are going to thank me in the morning.
” A native of Brooklyn, Manilow segued into “Somewhere in the Night,” which he described as a “real beauty,” and rightfully so. “Thank you for coming everybody. You’re still with me after all these years,” he expressed, and he blew kissed to the audience.
He continued with “Daybreak,” which he described as his “happy little ditty” that even depressed people like the song. It was followed by “Looks Like We Made It,” which was also an exquisite and polished vocal performance, and with “This is My Town,” he paid homage to New York. The highlight song from the first half of his Radio City show was “This One’s for You,” which he dedicated to his late grandfather.
He was the first person who realized that he had musical talent. From a young age, he would bring him to Manhattan to the store where he would sing in the “Record Your Own Voice” booth. Fast forward many years later, and Manilow went from the “Record Your Own Voice” booth to Carnegie Hall, which resulted in his grandfather seeing him at the iconic Carnegie Hall and that made both of them proud.
It was a true full-circle moment, and the archived footage of Manilow and his grandfather displayed on the videoboard was able to move the audience on a raw, emotional level. Manilow himself was even touched, and he blew a kiss to the image of him and his late grandfather. He earned a standing ovation for this heartwarming performance.
With the help of his band, he performed “American Bandstand,” which was a great deal of fun. He underwent an outfit changed and returned with a blue outfit to perform “Even Now” on the piano. With the help of five musicians, he serenaded the audience to “Guillaume Tell Ouverture” with their a cappella voices, as he put the crowd into a time warp to 1829.
He subsequently joked that he wrote this tune. Back in 2006, we did a run of albums that paid tribute to songs that came out in various decades like we did with songs in the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, and the ’80s. “These four albums were filled with wonderful songs,” he noted.
Manilow had a fondness for the “songs of the ’60s,” especially since that was his generation. He was able to take the Big Apple audience back to the ’60s with yet another outfit change, and a soaring version of Frank Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” which he did justice. After a 20-minute intermission, Manilow returned to the hallowed Radio City stage for his second act.
“Welcome back to our second half, everybody,” he said. “You know our next song..
. sing along with us, 1,2,3, go,” he exclaimed and broke into the upbeat “Can’t Smile Without You,” where he got the crowd on their feet. “Hey that’s good,” he told the audience.
“We can hear you sing.” As a present to his Manhattan audience, he threw in an extra song, “Keep Each Other Warm,” and even though it wasn’t a big hit, it’s message was timely, relevant, and resonant. This earned him a standing ovation.
Manilow and the band had a great time with “Dancin’ in the Aisles” and he even included videos from TikTok with young fans dancing to it, which was incorporated as a medley with “Dancing in the Street” and “Let’s Hang On,” where he had everyone clapping along with him. “I am having a great time with all of you,” Manilow reiterated. “Are you having a good time out there?” he asked, and the answer was a resounding yes, all while people were screaming “I love you” to him throughout the whole night.
He continued with “All the Time,” and joked that he would never dream of becoming the “super megastar sex god” that he is. “I never thought I would become a hit record maker,” he said, and serenaded the audience to “Weekend in New England,” which reached the No. 1 spot on Billboard in 1977.
This performance earned him a lengthy standing ovation, which moved him. “Thank you,” he said, effusively. “Wow, you are too much.
Let’s do that one again,” he joked. “Thank you so much to my friends in New York.” He went on to perform the upbeat, disco version of “Could It Be Magic,” which was a real music treat.
“I am still a sex god,” he admitted. “Now, the sex god has to sit down on a stool.” “It’s a great crowd.
Thank you so much for coming. You guys are wonderful,” he complimented the fans. Manilow also spoke about the charitable work he is doing with The Manilow Music Project , whose mission is to empower school music programs that are underfunded by providing them with resources and musical instruments that they need to help them offer quality music education.
“All year long, we find high schools that are in need of musical instruments, and we send them brand new musical instruments. We’ve been doing this for many years, and we’ve given away $10 million worth of musical instruments, and I am so happy we can do this,” he acknowledged. Manilow serenaded the audience to “I Made It Through the Rain,” which is a song that he is really proud to have written.
Of course, the standout performance from the second half of the show was “Mandy,” which began with archived footage of him performing it in the ’70s, and then he plays it on the piano in real-time. Everybody was reciting the lyrics and chorus verbatim. “I Write the Songs” was beautiful and resonant, and it was even neater for him to watch the audience sing it back to him while they were holding their green glow sticks up in the air.
For his encore, he returned with his signature song “Copacabana (At the Copa),” which was sheer bliss, and a reprise of “It’s a Miracle,” which was incorporated with a medley of “Dancing in the Street.” Three-time Guinness world record holder and Ultra-marathon swimmer, Andy Donaldson , who was present in the audience, remarked, “I really enjoyed the Barry Manilow concert at Radio City.” “Hearing the classics was amazing, but what truly stood out was the journey he took us on through his life and music.
The stories about his Grandpa, the old footage, and the hits through the decades...
It was an incredible experience from one of the greats — and man, he’s still got it,” Donaldson explained. Overall, Barry Manilow was able to take his fans and listeners on a captivating musical journey through all of his eras. He was sublime from start to finish, and he proved to be one true song stylist that is like fine.
.. Mr.
Manilow only gets better with age and experience. Whoever has yet to see Mr. Manilow perform live is truly missing out.
His rich, velvet vocals are timeless and heavenly. He is able to defy genres and his music is able to touch a wide range of generations (from teenagers to 99). Most importantly, he was able to put smiles on the faces of his fans and listeners, at a time when smiles and levity are needed the most (especially with the current state of the world).
Along with the different outfit changes over the course of the evening, he emerged as a fashion icon as well. This sensational show is also a substantial indication that Manilow deserves to someday be inducted into the coveted Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; for anybody that has any doubts, all they need to see is a highlight reel of his singing, piano-playing, storytelling abilities, and the audience reactions at his Radio City concert. His live show at Radio City Music Hall garnered five out of five stars.
Bravo! To learn more about Barry Manilow, his music and show dates, visit his official website , and follow him on Instagram and Facebook . Markos Papadatos is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for Music News.Papadatos is a Greek-American journalist and educator that has authored over 22,000 original articles over the past 18 years.
He has interviewed some of the biggest names in music, entertainment, lifestyle, magic, and sports. He is a 16-time "Best of Long Island" winner, where for three consecutive years (2020, 2021, and 2022), he was honored as the "Best Long Island Personality" in Arts & Entertainment, an honor that has gone to Billy Joel six times..
