I just came back to the Barry Manilow Music and Passion concert at the World’s Greatest Arena Madison Square Garden! It was a packed house! I must tell you that it was one of the most exciting concerts I have ever attended. It was fantastic!
About Barry:
Barry Manilow’s unparalleled career encompasses virtually every arena of music, including performing, composing, arranging and producing. A Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, Manilow has triumphed in every medium of entertainment. Industry charts rank him the undisputed Number One Adult Contemporary Artist of All Time with record sales exceeding 65 million world-wide. This pop icon has written hundreds of songs and performed around the globe thrilling millions of fans, winning a Grammy, two Emmys, several Tony Awards and an Oscar nomination along the way.
Manilow’s roots are in Brooklyn, New York, where music was an integral part of his life. By the age of seven, he was a budding artist taking accordion lessons and playing on a neighbor’s piano. Deciding to make music his career, he attended New York College of Music and Julliard still working in the mailroom at CBS to pay his expenses.
In 1972, Manilow met Bette Midler and became her music director, arranger and pianist. Later that year, Manilow signed with Bell Records (later Arista Records) to record his debut solo album. In 1974, the release of Mandy launched an unprecedented career and 25 consecutive Top 40 hits including Even Now, This One’s for You, Weekend in New England, I Write the Songs and Tryin’ to Get the Feeling Again. Four years later, five of Manilow’s albums were on the charts simultaneously — a record rivaled only by Frank Sinatra and Johnny Mathis.
The rest can be read at his website.
Source: Barry Manilow website 
He’s awesome! I would love to see his Las Vegas show.
Hey Susan,
Wthen is Metallica going to begin their US tour. That would be a great night of pure heavy metal at Madison Square Garden.
Yes, if you like Manilow, you’ll love Necrophagist and Dragonforce. (j/k… metal isn’t for everyone, though it should be) m/
It’s not too often I get to see a concert from a guy who was born in 1821 🙂
Best wishes,
Susan Polgar
http://www.PolgarChess.com
In my, late 30-something, circle of friends “Barry Manilow” has long been synonymous with overblown sentimentality, tackiness, and a kind of grey-enough-to-be-palatable sensibility. However Barry Manilow has always spoken to that melody-loving, dorky sentimentalist deep down inside of me.
Despite his reputation, there’s just something about his “This One’s For You” and “Mandy” and “Even Now” that just beg to be hummed.
However, “I Write the Songs” and “Copacabana” make me want to stab chopsticks in my ears.
… and one more thing.
I think what’s most appealing about Barry Manilo is his akward, Regular guy-ness. With a big nose and buggy eyes, he’s not classically good looking. His voice has got a brooklyn-edged roughness, combined with a slight nerdyness, that makes him very human. So- despite the fact his on stage personna is one of a slick, too polished, too fancy nightclub act- he always projects a friendly intimacy with his audience and even in his recordings. In his interviews, he is self-effacing and seems to understand the image he projects and the reputation he has. This shines through as well.
One thing I’ve always liked about his music is that you can actually understand the words. And they make sense. Yeah, he’s a bit too sentimental but….
A song of his that I really liked growing up is the not too popular “All the Time”. It’s a cut from the This One’s For You album and never really got the airtime. Another one is “Sunday Father” from the Ships album.
I adore Barry Manilow. Ever since Dad bought his box set for Mom on her birthday when I was 13. Him and Neil Diamond are the two I always come back to.
Sara
1)If you are good at the following,
you are more likely to be good at
chess also:
Music, especially classical music
(picture Francesca, the girl from
nat’l K-12’s giving a recital)
Tennis
Bridge
Baseball pitcher
2) Barry Manilow and Richard
Simmons, more than most, are
adored by women and (mostly) hated
by men.
Agree or disagree?
Barry is the very best!!!