Ultimate Manilowby Katherine KellerReviews may contain information that could be considered 'spoilers'. Readers should proceed at their own risk. Promoter
Credits Grade: 6 Ralph and I went and saw Ultimate Manilow because he bid on some tickets a few months back in a charity auction. For $175 we got a pair of tickets that normally cost $400.Ultimate Manilow was held in the Las Vegas Hilton Theatre, a venue which I like because it's fairly small and even the "bad" seats offer a good view of the stage due to the angle of the floor. We were in the middle, Row K, about 2/3 of the way down. That said, the show (barely over one hour) was too polished and smooth, everything so pitch perfect that I half wondered if it was lip synced. (No it's not; you can hear Manilow's voice has changed a skoosh by the end of the show, and also, I like to think he's too classy to resort to something like that.) I have to say that, unlike Wayne Newton, Manilow's voice is still there. He's got a huge band behind him, there's lots of lights and video (including an archival clip from 1975 of him singing "Mandy"), and the elaborate stage set moves. Also, his back up singers have about 4 costume changes, so I know that part of the ticket price comes from paying union scale a large number of people. Ralph and I cracked up several times at how cheesy Ultimate Manlow was — wait, it wasn't even cheese anymore, it was Velveeta, that supremely overprocessed "cheese food product". It was an awesome show for people watching; we were amused by several of our audience members, one of whom in particular was clearly having a religious experience. But, at the end of the day, Ultimate Manlow was too smooth, too slick, and too short for my tastes. (I know Manilow's in his 60s, but c'mon, for the amount of money these tickets went for, I'd expect at least 90 minutes of show or something that shows a little variety, risk, or innovation.) We saw Cheap Trick Performs Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band at this same venue back in September, and while that was also an elaborate, carefully orchestrated show, it didn't feel as homogenized and ultra pasteurized the way that Ultimate Manilow did. I'm sure that people who are huge Barry Manilow fans and/or who just want an album perfect recitation of his greatest hits, will enjoy this, or his new show (which starts soon the Paris). While we paid only $87.50 a piece for our seats, I still feel as if I didn't get my money's worth. Written: November 29, 2009
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