Ticket 2 Ride

Barry Manilow brought his show to TMobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on August 25, 2024. Manilow is on his farewell tour and will only perform at residencies in New York and Las Vegas. At age 81, his touring days are drawing to a close.

Advertised to begin at 7pm, a comedian took the stage about 7:15pm and delivered about 20 minutes of jokes and music to warm up the crowd. Temperatures topped the century earlier in the day, along with sweltering humidity, so warming up the audience wasn’t really needed.

Manilow took the stage just before 8pm, as the red curtains parted and we saw the large ensemble of musicians and backup singers, along with three large video screens. The stage design was tasteful, but it felt like this was to be a big production.

Manilow appeared to be in good shape and fit. He moved a bit stiffly at times, but ambled freely across the stage and back and forth to his pianos during the evening. Age hasn’t slowed him much.

His voice was what I was waiting for. The sound mixing was a head-scratcher. In the 150 or so musical events I’ve attended, I’ve rarely heard the sound as muddy and overloaded with processing as it was at this concert. Granted, there were a lot of instruments and voices to blend into a sound mix, and TMobile is a huge venue, but I’ve attended many concerts there and never strained like I did to differentiate Manilow’s voice for the other components of the wall of sound. I wondered if Phil Spector had risen from the grave to handle the soundboard. Seriously, the sound was a problem. The instruments competed with the vocals, not complimented each other. That’s what I heard.

On the plus-side, Barry Manilow may not possess the smooth, powerful voice of his early years, but it was close enough to please the audience. I suspect the sound mix was designed to give his voice some protection, the echo to reinforce his voice, but he sounded like he was in a cave at times. That’s my speculation given what I heard. Funny though, when Manilow needed, he sustained some notes that were amazing, true Manilow. I heard him hit the high notes and turn up his vocal power. Whatever the sound engineer was doing, to my ears, it took away from what I heard Manilow achieve on his own. I could be wrong, but the sound mix was still muddy. There was very little low-end on the rhythm section. Enough of that.

Manilow was splendid in his attire, he changed jackets a few times as he modeled the vibe of the songs. His backup singers also matched his look, and there was nothing wrong with stylizing the performance to the music. Color was very much a part of the production design, with the lighting, clothes, and the video screens, but it was not overpowering.

As I describe later, there were a couple of times that old video clips were used to blend with a song to great effect. However, that was it. Billed as his final concert tour, why wasn’t more of his life and career represented on the screen? I’ve been to many concerts where big use of video connects the audience with moments from the performer’s past. Fans of Manilow have been with him since the 1970s, why not celebrate those memories to a greater extent? The Fanilows were out in force.

With Barry Manilow there is very little pretense, he loves to perform and he’s immensely proud of his hits. He asked if the audience liked the 70s, because he sure did. “I hope my songs live on forever in elevators and dentist waiting rooms,” he jokes at one point. He followed that up with, “As long as there are teeth, I’ve got a career.” Almost all of the setlist was prior 1980.

A showman, Manilow is self-deprecating, flamboyant, romantic, nostalgic, and quick-witted. When he was a journeyman pianist starting out, he played in a hospital and told a patient to get better. The patient quickly said, you too!

[Some of the videos below are from Kansas City, others are from other recent shows on this tour.]

“It’s A Miracle” – A great show starter, which is why he’s used this song for many years. From his second album and a top ten hit.

https://youtu.be/T-I85sHQ0Zk?si=_Gnck_4p-Fp2xf-L

“I’m Your Man” From his eleventh album.

“Somewhere in the Night” From album five, top 20 charting song.

“Daybreak” A great singalong. From his fourth album and top forty hit.

“Looks Like We Made It” Also from his fourth album, a number one chart hit.

https://youtu.be/PPnVK_lKdJM?si=tZrurL7zQzrhScm5

“Can’t Smile Without You” – The ultimate sing-along, feel good song. The crowd was ready. Album five, reached number three on the chart. He didn’t write this one, but he might as well have.

“This One’s for You” – At this point, he reflected back on his humble beginnings and of his grandfather’s unwavering support and encouragement to sing. He played part of a recording, made when he was a child, his grandfather trying to get him to sing “Happy Birthday” on the twenty-five cent recording. His grandfather would live to see Manilow headline Carnegie Hall. A very touching moment. From his fourth album and top forty hit.

“Bandstand Boogie” (Les Elgart & His Orchestra cover) – Manilow always embraced songs representing music of different eras. Light and bouncy, this was a crowd pleaser. From his third album.

“Even Now” – A true classic, Manilow can still convey the poignancy of these big ballads. The title track from album number five. Top 20 hit.

https://youtu.be/6U9_hq_e4BY?si=Rm18gpScj3jjvEkK

“Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” – (Frankie Valli cover) This was a song Manilow recorded for one of his greatest songs of the decade album series. It’s a great song, but I imagine other songs from his own catalogue might have been more pleasing.

“All the Time” – So many great songs from his fourth album.

“A Weekend in New England”
(Randy Edelman cover) – Also from his fourth album, a top ten hit.

Commercial Jingles (Band-Aid and State Farm) – Prior to having hit records, Manilow earned a living as a hired piano player and wrote songs, several of which were turned into very successful commercials. Some artists would like to forget their early work, but Manilow embraces it. The State Farm jingle is still being used.

“Could It Be Magic” (Original chorus, transitioned into Donna Summers version) – Donna Summer made a huge hit with this song. He remarked that he wasn’t sure if he liked her version, but when it became a huge hit, he loved her version.

“I Made It Through the Rain” From his seventh album, a top ten charting song.

“Mandy”/“Could It Be Magic” – On the video board, Clive Davis on The Midnight Special, from 1975, introduced a young Barry Manilow who started playing “Mandy.” On stage, the current Manilow watch himself on screen, then he moved to the piano and duetted with his younger self. The song transitioned into the last part of “Could it Be Magic.” It’s too bad the show didn’t include more moments like that.

“I Write the Songs” (Bruce Johnston cover) – Another chance for an audience singalong. A number one hit.

“Copacabana (at the Copa)” – Big and sparkling production as you’d expect, and it didn’t disappoint. Top ten song, from album number five.

“It’s a Miracle” – Intended as a quasi-encore, it was only him that left the stage before hand. A nice, upbeat bookend to the concert.

Two hours and the crowd left happy. Getting out of the venue proved to be a challenge, older people move slower and tend to meander, causing traffic jams on the concourses, while getting out of the parking lot was a breeze!

It’s funny, in the 70s, I avoided Barry Manilow and would never have imagined attending a concert. Yet, there I was clapping and cheering at the very songs I ignored. A great night indeed.