Manilow... One Last Concert in Houston

We drove into Houston last night to see Barry Manilow. Sigh. Big Sigh. His last concert for Houston. Another sigh. We have seen Manilow in downtown Houston and up in The Woodlands and even at the Houston Rodeo... we've been to concerts in NYC and on Long Island... and we flew out to Las Vegas one year when Barry had a long-standing show at one of the big hotels. In total, I think last night's concert was #9 for me.... and it never gets old.

Manilow's talent is pure music with some magic sprinkled into the notes. His concerts are always spectacular, always a party (especially in the front center with all of his loyal fans). We all know the routine... stand up when Barry comes on stage and stay on your feet until he sits at his piano for a ballad, then we all sit... only to jump up again when Barry gets up and walks around the stage. And we all sing along because we know all of the words because we've been singing along with Manilow since the early 1970s and the songs with each decade have become more nostalgic and even more beautiful and heart-searching.

But Barry is tired now... at 72, he's tired of the traveling and the touring, but certainly not tired of the singing and definitely not tired of his fans.  Last night was the 5th time we've seen Barry in Texas and he was so appreciative of his fans here that his eyes puddled up a bit when he talked of his upcoming retirement. And all of our eyes got misty as well. No more Manilow concerts to look forward to? Well, all good things must come to an end, and all extraordinary things will live on in your heart forever.

And without a doubt, Manilow has an extraordinary talent. He has respect for good music and perfect lyrics, and Barry's humility is beyond belief because he's the first to admit that without the 'greats' who came before him, he would not have been so inspired to continue on with their legacy and keep music as it should be: music, pure and simple. And Manilow is, simply put, a nice guy. A nice guy from Brooklyn who made it big and kept his standards and his music close to his heart, even back in the 1970s when the critics were without mercy even though his fan-base continued to grow from Day One into the mega-Manilow-mania that continues today.

Manilow has always been there for all of his fans who "get" him, and all of his Houston fans were there last night at Toyota Center, standing when Barry was standing, sitting when he was sitting, and singing every note along with Barry for what was his One Last Time in Houston.

Manilow will be missed in the concert venues, but his music will be with us forever.