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| June 2, 2008 | The Gazette (Montreal) | "'A lovely accident' Barry Manilow owes his entire career to mentor Clive Davis, who suggested his latest musical venture: covering classic songs" by Bernard Perusse |
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| Scoffers, repent: the story about Bob Dylan and Barry Manilow is true. The oft-repeated anecdote, at first, seems too good to be anything but an urban legend: Dylan stops Manilow at a party in 1988, hugs him and says "Don't stop what you're doing, man. We're all inspired by you." But Manilow, who performs at the Bell Centre Thursday night, confirmed it during a recent telephone interview. "At first I thought (Dylan) was kidding around - or drunk. Or stoned," the singer said. "But I looked at him - and I think he was sincere. I hope he was sincere. It meant a lot to me." Another surprise for dismissive critics? Well, let's just say that Shelby Lynne's ultra-cool decision to pay tribute to the magnificent Dusty Springfield on her latest album, Just a Little Lovin', didn't come out of the blue: it was her friend Manilow's idea. Manilow, it seems, is currently on a commercial roll because he, too, took a career-boosting suggestion. His producer and mentor Clive Davis came up with the concept of the singer doing cover albums featuring No. 1 hits from each decade, starting with the 1950s. The first release, The Greatest Songs of the Fifties (2006), topped the Billboard charts, while its sequel, The Greatest Songs of the Sixties, from the same year, reached No. 2. The Greatest Songs of the Seventies, issued last fall, hit No. 4. No points for guessing the title of his next album, which he said he's working on now. "The whole concept of decades is all around Clive Davis," Manilow said. "Actually, my record career is really all about Clive Davis." Davis, who discovered Manilow, suggested he record a little thing called "Brandy" in 1974. A quick title change - to "Mandy" - and a star was born. "I probably would never have gone into the commercial singles (without Davis)," Manilow said. "I never even listened to the radio. I was on my way to doing everything else but singing and making pop records. I had no desire to do it. I was a musician." Indeed, Manilow's original connections to music came from listening to and playing jazz when he was growing up in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. "I was raised by my mother and my grandmother and my grandfather," he said. "They noticed that I had music in me, but they didn't know very much about music, so they threw an accordion in my hands when I was very young. Every Jewish and Italian kid had to play the accordion. It was the law. You had to play the accordion before they allowed you to leave Brooklyn." When Manilow's mother married for the second time and stepfather Willie Murphy came into his life, everything changed. "His love was jazz," Manilow said. "He brought into my life a stack of LPs that were a stack of gold to me. These records opened the door to my life: people like Bill Evans, Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan, big band stuff, Coltrane. And then there were loads of Broadway scores, like The Most Happy Fella, Kismet and Gypsy. His taste was impeccable." Out went the accordion and in came a budget-priced spinet piano, courtesy of Murphy. In spite of the instrument's dubious sound quality, it might as well have been a Steinway. "It was the key out of poverty to me," Manilow said. "I hit the piano and listened to these jazz records and I knew where I needed to be." That key is currently unlocking arenas like the Bell Centre, where he will perform an adapted, expanded version of his Las Vegas Hilton show. The Vegas element in Manilow's shows might have conspired with his easy-listening records to provide some easy punch lines over the years. Comic writer Dave Barry famously used him as an analogy to denounce the weakness of American beer: "All the other nations are drinking Ray Charles beer, and we are drinking Barry Manilow beer," the humourist once wrote. And yet Manilow's sales - 75 million records worldwide, ranking him as Billboard's top Adult Contemporary chart artist of all time - seem to make debate a bit academic. Those sales figures also made it awkward to leave Manilow songs off The Greatest Songs of the Seventies. That is, after all, the decade that made him a chart fixture. To resolve the problem, Manilow added a special unplugged selection of his own hits. The Manilow remakes follow the 12 evergreens by the likes of Frankie Valli, the Bee Gees, the Hollies and the Carpenters that make up the album proper. "This whole career of mine is a lovely accident, and I give the credit to Clive Davis for the whole thing," Manilow said. "Of course, I had my part of it. I've made some great records and I'm very proud of all of it." Barry Manilow performs Thursday night at 8 at the Bell Centre. Tickets cost $64.50 to $149.50. Call 514-790-1245 or go to www.admission.com. |
| May 29, 2008 | The Gazette (Montreal) | "What's On: Thursday" by Bernard Perusse |
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When we recently spoke to Barry Manilow, who appears at the Bell Centre next Thursday (Tickets for his show cost $64.50 to $149.50. Call 514-790-1245 or order at www.admission.com), we decided to push our luck a bit and ask him to give us his current iPod faves. Not only did he oblige, by email, but he didn't even stop at the customary 10 selections. Here are the singer's top 13 - in which you'll notice a few surprises."Dinner at the Thompson's" Soaking Blue
"Spotlight" Jennifer Hudson
"Waltz for Debby" Bill Evans Trio
"Gimme More" Britney Spears
"World" Five for Fighting
"The Pretender" Foo Fighters
"Dindi" Frank Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim
"Here's to Life" Shirley Horn
"I Don't Want to Hear It Anymore" Shelby Lynne
"Bleed Like Me" Garbage
"Fine Line" Paul McCartney
"Fragile" Sting
"San Diego Serenade" Tom Waits
| April 30, 2008 | Playbill.com | "Can't Smile Without You, New Barry Manilow Musical, to Premiere in August in U.K." by Andrew Gans |
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| A new musical featuring the hit songs of Grammy Award winner Barry Manilow will make its world premiere this summer at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley. Entitled Can't Smile Without You, the musical will begin previews Aug. 28 at the Kent venue before embarking on a national tour that will kick off Sept. 15 at the Liverpool Empire. A West End run will follow. Based on an original idea by Bill Kenwright, the musical features a book by Tim Prager and over 30 Manilow tunes, including "Could It Be Magic," "It's a Miracle," "I Write the Songs," "Mandy," "I Made It Through the Rain," "Trying to Get the Feeling" and the title song. Can't Smile Without You, according to press notes, centers around "an aspiring young boy-band who, on a visit to New York, come across an opportunity not to be missed � auditions for the latest reality TV show to find the next pop music sensation. When the TV company offers lead singer Tony a chance to appear on the show, the other band members give him their unconditional blessing. But before Tony can realize his dream, he is caught up in a tragic sequence of events which leaves him fighting for his life. Left with no memory his dreams are all but shattered. His only hope lies in the power of the music he loves and his feelings for a girl he once knew called Mandy." The creative team also includes Keith Strachan and Kenwright (co-directors), Andy Walmsley (set and costume design), Ben Cracknel (lighting design), Carole Todd (choreography) and John Maher (musical direction). Garry Kief is executive producer. The Churchill Theatre is located on High Street in Bromley, Kent. |
| April 26, 2006 | St. Louis Post-Dispatch | "Review: Barry Manilow" by Kevin C. Johnson |
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| No amount of chilly, wind-swept rain could put a damper on Barry Manilow's Las Vegas-like concert Friday night at the new Chaifetz Arena at St. Louis University, the first concert to take place at the facility. After a barrage of techno beats and flashy light, the stage opened up and split in half, revealing a back-lit Manilow. He strode out between the stage's two halves, all feathery hair and sequins for opening song "It's a Miracle." "You've come to the right place, because I'm here to warm you up," the crooner told the large crowd. Manilow would later name-check other area venues he has played including the Muny, Fox Theatre, and the amphitheater now known as Verizon Wireless. During the 90-minute show, Manilow served up equal doses of prefabricated cheese and corn to his hungry fans. They had no problem lapping up his nostalgia-stuffed offerings. A medley with "Daybreak," "Somewhere in the Night," and "This One's for You" helped get the crowd primed for his memory lane stroll that included a few low-key production frills, tons of color, and its fair share of emotion. For "Ready to Take a Chance Again," Manilow stepped onto a small lift that carried him to the floor, where he swooped up a female fan to serenade. "That was just foreplay. This is the main course," he said as he launched into "Weekend in New England," which featured Manilow seated at a piano that rose several feet into the air. "Bandstand Boogie" was a '50s sock hop, full of garb from that era. The tone shifted dramatically for "Looks Like We Made It," "I Am Your Child," and "I Made It Through the Rain," a song he paused so he could tell a sweet story about his grandfather. That trio of tunes left some fans teary-eyed. But the mood was lifted again with the yellow smiley-faced "Can't Smile Without You" and later "New York City Rhythm" and "Could It Be Magic." He acknowledged career-restarting CDs such as "The Greatest Songs From the Sixties" and "The Greatest Songs of the Seventies." In a nice visual bit, his performance of "Mandy" was interspersed with '70s footage of his performing the same song (you could also say the vintage footage supported the rumor that Manilow suffers from plastic surgery overload). "I Write the Songs" and "Copacabana (at the Copa)" fittingly wrapped up the cozy evening. Smooth jazz artist Brian Culbertson opened the concert, technically making him the first artist to play the arena. The keyboardist/trombonist was funkier than what he's known for, and for good reason. His "Bringing Back the Funk" CD will be released Tuesday. |
| April 27, 2008 | Kansas City Star | "Review: Barry Manilow's signature blend of nostalgia and ecstasy is both entertaining and entrancing" by Timothy Finn |
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| Barry Manilow felt connected to the music and connected to the audience Saturday at the Sprint Center. Before the headliner took the stage, the public address system at the Sprint Center blared the percussive club anthem ?Right Here, Right Now? by British DJ Fatboy Slim. The song went perfectly with the several thousand glow sticks that had been distributed before the show. Saturday's show showcased Manilow's Las Vegas act. He brought a legion of assistants, including four backup singers/dancers, a large band and an orchestra that included members of the Kansas City Symphony. The show was a brisk, entertaining dash through a 35-year-old catalog of songs that have contributed to album sales that exceed 76 million worldwide ... He has added some new segments, including a vocal/a cappella rendition of "The William Tell Overture" with his backup singers and a high-speed piano relay among Manilow and his keyboardists during "New York City Rhythm." Other highlights: the feel-good anthem "Can't Smile Without You," which set all those glow sticks bobbing and swaying in every direction; the full-blown Vegas-revue rendition of "Copacabana"; and the medleys pulled from his recent tribute albums to the hits of the 1960s and 1970s. Before serving up a creamy portion of "I Made It Through the Rain," Manilow played a scratchy-relic recording of his grandfather encouraging a very young Barry to sing "Happy Birthday." It was made inside an old "record your own voice" booth on a street corner in his native New York City. His grandfather, Manilow said, was the first person to recognize his music talent and encourage him to sing. "It wasn't the singing I liked so much," he said. "It was the music. I felt connected to the music." The 7,000 or so fans in the Sprint Center on Saturday knew exactly what he was talking about. That's how most of them felt all night. Set list: It's a Miracle; Daybreak; Somewhere in the Night; This One's For You; Old Songs; Ready to Take a Chance Again; Weekend in New England; Bandstand Boogie; Looks Like We Made It; I Am Your Child; I Made It Through the Rain; I Can't Smile Without You; William Tell Overture; Brooklyn Blues; New York City Rhythm; Could It Be Magic; 1960s medley: Can't Take My Eyes Off of You, Where Did Our Love Go? What the World Needs Now Is Love; 1970s medley: Mandy, Could It Be Magic, I Write the Songs; Copacabana; Dancing in the Streets/It's a Miracle; Old Friends; Forever and a Day. |
| April 25, 2008 | MyFox St. Louis | "Barry Manilow Rocks The Arena" by Sean Conroy |
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| Oh Mandy! It was Mandy Murphy welcoming the thousands that packed the new Chaifetz Arena for the Barry Manilow concert. The man [who] writes the songs that make the whole world sing [is] back in St. Louis for the first time in six years and for the first concert in St. Louis University's new arena. And passion is the fashion for Manilow fans at the concert. So for the first concert, SLU and arena bosses are thrilled to have him kick things off. |
| April 23, 2008 | The Kansas City Star | "Barry Manilow talks about how he makes the songs his own" by Timothy Finn |
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| Barry Manilow didn't write all the songs on his recent album, "The Greatest Songs of the Seventies." But each track has something in common with the others. "They couldn't just be songs we all liked," Manilow told The Star recently. "Clive (Davis) wanted them to be so popular and well-loved that they've gone No. 1." But even more important: "They need to be very melodic. (Clive) wanted a CD filled with melody, filled with comfort, filled with memories." The "Seventies" album, released in September, was the third in a series of cover albums for Manilow. The first two mined the hit charts of the '50s and '60s. All three landed in the Top 5 of the Billboard 200 chart; the "Fifties" album hit No. 1. Manilow said there's a basic reason all three albums are popular: The songwriting and arranging are so good. "I think the craft of songwriting is dying," he said. "Now it's all about the craft of making a record. It's all about the sound of the record, then they put a song on top of it. When I write songs, I don't rely on machines. I know how to work the machines, and I love them and I respect them, but when it comes to writing, I write the way I was taught: melody first, then words, put them together, and then go to the machines." His "Seventies" album includes material from a wide variety of champions who perfected the craft: Carole King, Paul Simon, Elton John, Lennon/McCartney, Bacharach/David and the Gibb brothers. It closes with four songs Manilow made famous, including a couple he co-wrote, such as "Even Now." Covering his own material, Manilow said, made him practice another craft: arranging and rearranging songs. "If you ask what I think I do best, it's not songwriting or singing, it's arranging songs," he said. "I'm a great arranger. I really know my way around that. It's what I would have been if I hadn't lucked into this performing career. I would have been an arranger for other singers. When I produce songs for other people, like Bette (Midler), or when I worked with Rosemary Clooney ... I know how to take someone else's songs and redo them for other people and make them their own. I did the same thing for myself on my solo records. My goal was to keep the originals in mind but make them sound like they were mine. You can only do that if you're an arranger. Can you do that if you're just a singer? Maybe. Can you do that if you're a songwriter? Maybe. But you really need to be an arranger, to take someone else's song and help you make it your own. It's complicated." Is arranging a dying art, too? "Yes it is," he said. "It is. Well - you know, I really don't know. These musicians glued to their drum machines, sequencers and Pro Tools - they may be able to do something like that, maybe not the way I do it: sitting at the piano and walking around the room. Maybe they could do it on machines. But I bet you they can do it. So, no, it's not over." On the "Seventies" record Manilow faced a unique task: rearranging songs he'd made famous three decades ago, including a couple he co-wrote. "I couldn't ignore them," he said, "but it was a big challenge: to redo, 'I Write the Songs,' to redo 'Mandy,' to redo 'Copa' and the others. I thought it would be easy. I thought, 'Here's one way of doing it: I'll do unplugged renditions of all these songs ... Boy, it wasn't that easy. It took months to figure out how to redo those songs. It was really complicated. I sat at the piano when I started to do 'Mandy' and thought, 'What the heck am I going to do now? I already did this.' I wound up feeling that way for every single song. After a while, with the help of musicians and co-producers and Clive, we came up with a way of doing it, but, boy, it was a challenge." Asked whether he has ever been impressed by a straight cover or dramatic rearrangement of one of his songs, Manilow was frank: "Not many people have ever done it. But when they just cover them, they usually ruin them. Name me one, and I'll tell you whether I like it." Told that Kylie Minogue was covering "Copacabana" on her new album, he said: "She's very talented. That could be great. I always thought Ricky Martin should do 'Copacabana.'" And when Dolly Parton's name comes up, he said: "Dolly is so talented. I'm sure she could sit with her guitar, take 'Mandy' and turn it on its ass and make it her own. She could do it. She's very talented." The next logical release in the Manilow catalog, it would seem, must be a collection of "Eighties" songs. Are there enough well-crafted songs from that era, songs he deems worthy of his rearrangements? Apparently, yes. "I thought there weren't, but I was wrong," Manilow said. "I was surprised. I have about 20 songs with good melodies and interesting lyrics: Cyndi Lauper's 'Time After Time' and 'Careless Whisper,' 'Arthur's Theme,' 'Every Time You Go Away' ... I forgot songs like that were there, songs with melodies you can't forget and lyrics you'll always remember." Barry Manilow performs Saturday night at the Sprint Center. Tickets cost $49.99 to $159. Smooth jazz/funk instrumentalist Brian Culbertson opens. Show time is 8 p.m. About the show, Manilow said: "I've got 10 or 11 semi-trucks. There's a lot of stuff on stage. The show is a blown-up version of what we do in Las Vegas; it's not the same, but it has the same feel of the show we do in Las Vegas, but we can do more in these arena shows. In Vegas, we're allowed 80 or 90 minutes so people can leave and go to the casinos and throw their money away. In the arenas, we can stay on longer and do more songs." |
| April 23, 2008 | St. Louis Post-Dispatch | "Manilow's arena show will be longer and more personal" by Kevin C. Johnson |
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| When Barry Manilow brings his "Manilow: An Evening of Music and Passion" tour to the Chaifetz Arena on Friday night -- the first concert at the new venue -- he promises that the show will be even bigger and better than its Las Vegas counterpart. "It's a little different from the show we do in Vegas, which is just called 'Music and Passion,'" says the classic crooner known for "Mandy" and "I Write the Songs," among other standards. "The 'evening' part means I can go further than just the 85 minutes they allow us to do in Vegas. When we do the arena shows, I'm on my own again, and I can be up there as long as I want and I can throw more hits in." It takes 11 semi's to take his show on the road, and fans should expect a stage that moves around and stairs that come out of the floor, Manilow says. Still, "when you get down to it, it's me sitting at my piano, or standing up and singing to one person out in the audience." In a recent interview in which nine questions were squeezed into a tight nine minutes, Manilow had more to say about his tour, his hits and his series of decade-focused albums highlighting from the '50s through the '70s that have given his career a boost in recent years. Post-Dispatch: Your show has been described as a tastefully over-the-top spectacle. Is that a good description?
BM: I still think it's intimate. I can't go too far. Overproduced stuff is not my thing. But I do like a pretty set. I like fun, and I like stuff that accompanies the songs. Tastefully overproduced act? Sure. PD: Are there challenges involved with transferring the Vegas show to the road?
BM: We went back to Vegas last night after having done shows in Atlanta and Raleigh (N.C.), and all of us screwed up because we forgot we were in Vegas and not on the road. It is different, and everything is upside down. It's like juggling. You gotta remember staging from one, and the rundown for the other. PD: Which decade was easier to record? Which was most difficult?
BM: All of them have their plus'es and their minus'es. The '50s I just loved. I finally got a chance to do all those Tony Bennett and Johnny Mathis songs. I was very young when that happened but, as a musician, I knew all of them because that's what you do when you play in bars and you play in bands. That was great, working with huge orchestras and great violins and sax solos. The '60s were a whole other kind of deal. That's where I grew up, that was my generation, "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," "What the World Needs Now is Love." That was fun, too. The '70s were most difficult. I couldn't wrap myself around that kind of music. I'd been there, done that, and I had such trouble going back and doing it again. It was the most difficult album I've ever made in my life, especially trying to redo my own songs. I didn't know what I was going to do about the '80s. Isn't that when the melody leaves, when it's all about drum machines? But I was wrong. There are wonderful songs that came out of the '80s, "Careless Whisper," "Time After Time" and "Open Arms." I'm in the middle of doing that, and I'm having a good time. PD: Why was it tough redoing your own songs?
BM: I already did the definitive versions of these songs. But we got through it, and it was OK. My idea about doing my old stuff was to strip it all down and do acoustic versions of all these hits, and even that was more difficult than we thought. PD: What happens when you get to the '90s, when songwriting clearly wasn't what it used to be?
BM: I absolutely agree with you, although I felt that about the '80s. The '90s and current records, except for a very small handful, are all about rhythm. Songwriting has taken a nosedive. But time marches on. PD: Nearly everyone has a favorite Barry Manilow song. What's your favorite?
BM: Every week it changes. Every week I get a new favorite, and I don't get tired of these songs. This week it's "Could It Be Magic." "Could It Be Magic" is a beautiful piece, and a really great piece for an orchestra to play. PD: What's the secret of writing songs that stand the test of time?
BM: I just close my eyes and go. I still do. And I don't care where it lands. I try to write the most beautiful songs I'm capable of writing, and that's it. I never think of the radio or the audience. I just close my eyes and go, and whatever comes out ... sometimes they're good and sometimes they stink. PD: Is there a song where you go, "I can't believe I have to do this song again, but I know my fans love it so I have to do it"?
BM: There was one about a year ago that got stale, "Looks Like We Made It." I just couldn't find the truth in it. As a performer, you have to find the truth in what you're doing. If you can't find the truth in it, it's gonna sound like you're phoning it in, and I've never, ever done that. When I realized I was not really inside that song, I had to take it out of the show. And then, about a year later, I put my toe in the water and put it back and it was fresh again. PD: You're opening Chaifetz Arena here. How exciting is that?
BM: I've opened arenas before, and this one is pretty exciting. The folks in St. Louis seem to think it's a really wonderful arena, and everybody is looking forward to this show, whether it's about coming to my show or getting a chance to come to the arena. |
| April 23, 2008 | The Kansas City Star | Manilow through the years |
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| Late 1960s: After attending the New York School of Music and Julliard, Barry Manilow got his first job at a label by working in the mailroom at CBS. He also started writing jingles for commercials and would eventually write themes for major buyers like Dr Pepper and McDonald's. 1971: Manilow became music director, arranger and pianist for Bette Midler. 1972: Manilow's first solo album was released by Bell Records. 1974: Clive Davis, looking for artists for his new label, Arista, signed Manilow off Bell and gave him the song "Brandy" from writer Scott English. The title was changed to "Mandy" to avoid confusion with the Looking Glass hit "Brandy." Between 1975 and 1983: Manilow had 25 consecutive Top 40 hits including "Could It Be Magic," "Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again," "Ready to Take a Chance Again," "Weekend in New England," "Looks Like We Made It," "Can't Smile Without You" and "I Write the Songs," which, of course, he did not write. In 1977 "The Barry Manilow Special" on ABC drew 37 million � today's top show, "American Idol," draws in the low 20s. 2002: The National Academy of Popular Music's Songwriters Hall of Fame inducted Manilow with Ashford & Simpson, Michael Jackson, Randy Newman and Sting. 2006: Much to Stephen Colbert's comic distress, Manilow won an Emmy for his PBS special "Manilow: Music and Passion." His album "The Greatest Songs of the Fifties" debuted at No. 1, his first No. 1 album in 29 years. His only other No. 1 album was the 1977 "Live" album. |
| April 17, 2008 | The Telegraph | "[Manilow Magic] turning Chaifetz into the Copa" by Corey Stulce |
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| Bringing a taste of Las Vegas to the Gateway to the West, Barry Manilow will serve as the first concert performer at the new Chaifetz Arena on the campus of Saint Louis University on April 25. Responsible for such hits as "Copacabana," "Weekend in New England" and "Ready to Take a Chance Again," he has been wowing audiences in Vegas' Hilton Hotel over hundreds of performances during the last several years with his "Music and Passion" concerts. So, how much Vegas can Manilow bring to town with him? "I think we can do a lot," he told The Telegraph. "We can't bring the ridiculously big stage. In Vegas they build stages the size of football stadiums. We can bring enough. We've got 11 truckloads of crap that we bring all along with us, and when we put it all together it's gorgeous. There are elevators that bring the piano out of the floor and stairways for 'Copacabana.' It may not be literally Vegas, but it's beautifully produced." Manilow said the St. Louis audience would be treated to a full concert, longer than the typical Las Vegas show. "(In Vegas), they throw us off the stage between 75 and 80 minutes so people can go out and waste their money. In an arena, we can stay as long as we want," he said. More than 60 albums in, Manilow isn't done recording. Though travel and the Vegas shows are a full-time job, he is currently recording two albums simultaneously, one a follow-up to the "Greatest Songs" series, which have been best-sellers. For the '70s album, he revisited some of his previous No. 1 hits, which posed a challenge. "It was impossible. I had no idea it was going to be that difficult. It drove me nuts," he said. "I had made the first half of the album, which was all of the songs I had nothing to do with. I got into 'Bridge Over Troubled Water,' 'Sailing,' some beautiful things to sing, arrange and produce. To sit down and redo 'Mandy' or 'I Write the Songs,' I just sat down at my keyboard and said, 'now what do I do? I already did this. How am I supposed to do this differently? Or fresher?' It was a bear. I barely made the deadline, going back to the studio over and over, with a small band, a big band, with an orchestra ... I finally pulled together a rendition of these songs I was happy with." Fans of Manilow's long string of hits as well as cover versions of other favorites should not be disappointed. While a complete set list is not available, during "Music and Passion," he performs songs like "I Made it Through the Rain," "Can't Smile Without You" and does a '50s-style set with "Bandstand Boogie" and "Unchained Melody," then bounces into the '70s with "Boogie Wonderland" and "Hot Stuff." Fans or Fanilows of Barry, as they are known, are fervent as are those would rather make fun. He recently appeared as himself on an episode of Fox's "Family Guy," where the beer-swilling guys on the show are all closet Fanilows and end up swooning at a concert. "As long as they come around and say that they love me, I don't mind if they start off hating," Manilow said. He added that he's always been insulted by snide remarks but also understands why there are a lot of closet Fanilows. "What I sing and what I do is very personal. I'm there," he said. Tickets for Barry Manilow's concert at 8 p.m. on Friday, April 25, range from $9.99 for the upper level of the arena to $159 for premium seating. Visit metrotix.com, call (800) 293-5949, (314) 534-1111 or visit the Chaifetz box office to purchase tickets. The arena is located at 1 S. Compton Ave., St. Louis (the northwest corner of Market and Compton). Illinois residents are encouraged to park in the Sigma lot, which offers easy access to Highway 64/40 East. Visit thechaifetzarena.com for more information. |
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