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| June 30, 2015 | Yahoo! Finance | Bradley Whitford To Host The 35th Anniversary Broadcast Of A CAPITOL FOURTH, America's National Independence Day Celebration Live From The U.S. Capitol! |
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Celebrating 35 spectacular years on air, A CAPITOL FOURTH will kick off the country's 239th birthday with an all-star musical extravaganza hosted by Emmy and SAG Award-winning actor Bradley Whitford. The gala anniversary celebration will be headlined by music legend Barry Manilow who will open and close the concert broadcast with a special patriotic medley.
Broadcast live on PBS from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, the star spangled party will also feature performances by: the most successful country music group of all time, Alabama; Grammy nominated singer/songwriter, with over 70 million album sales, Nicole Scherzinger; five-time Grammy nominee, CMA Award winner and multi-instrumentalist Hunter Hayes; vocal powerhouse Meghan Linsey (THE VOICE); Grammy award-winning and multi-platinum selling band, fronted by the Founder of the Dance Revolution, KC and the Sunshine Band; world renowned piano virtuoso Lang Lang; and inspirational classical cross-over global star and Irish tenor Ronan Tynan; with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of top pops conductor Jack Everly. In celebration of American icon Frank Sinatra's 100th birthday, the award-winning star of film, television and the concert stage Robert Davi will pay tribute to Ol' Blue Eyes."It is a thrill and an honor to be hosting this year's CAPITOL FOURTH celebration," said Whitford. "I invite you all to join us live from the Capitol on the Fourth of July for a concert and fireworks display you'll never forget. It's gonna be a blast!" The top-rated, award-winning extravaganza puts viewers front and center for the greatest display of fireworks anywhere in the nation with twenty cameras positioned around the city, including the U.S. Capitol, the White House and the Washington Monument. Capping off the show will be a rousing rendition of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" complete with live cannon fire provided by the United States Army Presidential Salute Battery, an audience favorite and A CAPITOL FOURTH tradition. The 35th annual broadcast of A CAPITOL FOURTH airs on PBS Saturday, July 4, 2015 from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. ET before a concert audience of hundreds of thousands, millions more at home, as well as to our troops serving around the world on the American Forces Network. The program can also be heard live in stereo over NPR member stations nationwide. |
| June 19, 2015 | Huffington Post | "Barry Manilow Closes Farewell Tour in Brooklyn" by Scott Blakeman |
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| "The last time I sang in Brooklyn was at my Bar Mitzvah", said Barry Manilow at Wednesday's birthday concert at the Barclays Center, the last stop on his farewell tour. Manilow sounded and looked great, and his show was a profoundly moving and personal experience for me. As Barry played most of his hits, including "Mandy" from 1975, I saw the past forty years of my life flash before my eyes. It was actually in 1974, his first year as a solo artist, that I saw Barry perform at Mister [Kelly]'s in Chicago, the Schaefer Music Festival in Central Park, and the Bottom Line in New York. He opened his shows with "It's a Miracle" in those days, as he did on Wednesday in Brooklyn. At the Barclays Center, Barry seemed to still think it was a bit miraculous that he had been discovered by Clive Davis("I don't know what he saw in me"), who was in the audience. And when the crowd swooned during one of his romantic melodies, Manilow asked "Still?" "It's a Miracle" inspired me so much when it was released in 1974, that I listened to it for many years as a pre-comedy performance ritual. And it is one of the only songs that I dare to sing at karaoke. Later in the show, his rendition of a song from his very first album, "I Am Your Child" choked me up as the lyrics brought to mind my 97-year-old father and 88-year-old mother. "Whatever I do, you taught me to do... whatever I am, you taught me to be." From my days as a college student, to receiving invitations in the mail to join AARP, Barry Manilow has been a constant in my life. His songs conjure up memories, and inspire me to come up with pictures and moving images to go along with his music. And to this day, after more than 35 years as a comedian, I still get that same burst of adrenaline before a show when I listen to "It's a Miracle." Barry Manilow's farewell show Wednesday may have been a goodbye to huge, multi-city tours. But he gave the strong impression that his performing days were far from over. Which is music to the ears of a fellow nice Jewish boy from Brooklyn. |
| June 17, 2015 | WPIX-11
(New York) | "Barry Manilow wows at Barclays Center" by Ann Mercogliano |
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| BARCLAYS CENTER – It was Barry Manilow’s 72nd birthday, and his first time ever performing in Brooklyn. Barry Manilow ended his tour in the borough that he was born in. If this really was his last time touring, fans on Wednesday night got to be part of history. Outside Barclays Center, hundreds of fans lined up early to get to their seats. Manilow seemed to feel right at home in his home of Brooklyn. And, he made his borough proud belting out the hits, and for decades now, bringing fans to their feet. Manilow has said he is not retiring, but this is reportedly his final tour.  |
| June 17, 2015 | Boston Herald | "Last Best Show: Barry Manilow at the TD Garden" by Jed Gottlieb |
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| I’m a Deadhead. I’m a Zephead, a Phishhead, a metalhead. I’m a Beatlemaniac and a Wholigan. I've joined The Unified Scene and I will scream "Up the Irons!" I’m am not a Fanilow. Sure, I love "Copacabana." But, c’mon, who doesn’t? Beyond that... um... well, "Can’t Smile Without You" is nice. And, hmm, oh yeah, "Looks Like We Made It." And Homer sings "Mandy" on "The Simpsons" so there’s that. To write about Barry Manilow, I need help. I need Lauren Beckham Falcone. With LBF by my side, I braved the Gathering of the Fanilows at a packed TD Garden last night. It was strange and a little bit amazing. As it happened I documented the event. Here’s the blow-by-blow: Me: First thought. I didn’t know Martin Short could sing. (Rimshot!) LBF: Shut up, you are in the presence of God. (She waits, she listens.) This is a disco version of "Could It be Magic," which surpasses Harry Potter in its magicness. Forget Justin Timberlake, this is it. Me: I didn’t expect so much razzmatazz. I thought it would be more ballads. He has so much old-school Vegas glitz. He really, well, rocks is not the right word. But he has loads of energy. Oh, here’s a ballad. I don’t know it but the 10,000 people here do. LBF: I want this sung to me while I’m on my deathbed. (Sings) "Well just go on burning bright. Somewhere in the night." Me: I know this one. Good bridge. It’s got that kind of bridge that people wrote in the '40s. And I mean that as high praise. Then, wow, this breakdown has a vaudeville stripper rhythm. LBF: Don’t knock my man. He needs a boogie break from the awesomeness. (Manilow goes on singing. People are thrilled, LBF more than most. I’m digging it. That may be too strong, but I see what she likes about it. It’s Broadway and AM Gold and fun. After a half dozen songs he talks about how his crummy high school had an orchestra and that the program saved him: "Music will change your young kids' lives like it changed mine." Then he goes on to talk about a keyboard he donated to the Boston schools to start the push on a national musical instrument drive he's spearheading.) Me: Oh, I get this. He was a comic book nerd, a Dungeons & Dragons geek, but his Superman, his eight-sided die was a piano. It’s interesting to see someone with his looks and history become a guy that can play arenas. He’s a lite rock Morrissey or Lady Gaga or Freddie Mercury. LBF: Yes! That’s why he’s magic. (He kicks into "Looks Like We Made It.) LBF: This one is brilliant. It’s about regret. Two old loves meeting up. Me: Like Dan Fogelberg... LBF: Yes Jed, just like that... Ugh, Mumford and Sons, forget them, this is the stuff. (He plays "I Made It Through the Rain.") Me: I’m starting to see the roots of a lot of '80s power ballads in these songs. Big melodies and yet tender. LBF: Yeah, that and this song was played when the Iran hostages were released. Me: What? LBF: Seriously, look it up. (As the night winds down, the ballads come. And they hit again and again. And I don’t know most of them but the crowd loves them. I get why. Every song is like "Here I Go Again" but with less force and often a better bridge -- mostly because "Here I Go Again" didn’t have a bridge. Then came "Mandy.") Me: Huh, this is really a tremendous song. No, really it’s tremendous. It’s like the song Richard Marx has been trying to write his whole life. It’s the like the "Stairway of Heaven" of easy listening. Huh. LBF: Yes, that’s right. Join us. |
| June 16, 2015 | WPIX-11 (New York) | "Brooklyn native works to provide instruments, inspiration for students" by Joe Mauceri |
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| WILLIAMSBURG, Brooklyn - Music fills the halls at the schools of the Grand Street Campus in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. With the exception of exams, schools out for the students at all three schools, but a few members of the band like 11th Grader Ian Carter were still practicing Tuesday afternoon. "This band program is like a second home," said Carter. But it wasn’t always that way. Assistant Principal Mitch Schrager remembers a time not too long ago when the band had trouble recruiting students. "I’m a percussionist and I would often have to fill in because they just didn’t have enough players for the concerts," said Schrager. Most of the members of the Grand Street Campus band never pick up an instrument before high school, students like senior William Morocho. "I’d never touched an instrument and the moment I got here they taught me everything I know," said Morocho. In the fall, Morocho starts classes at the Aaron Copeland school of music at Queens College, with a double major in music education and music performance. Teacher Jeff Ball says it’s not that the kids hate music at an early age, they just don’t get the opportunity to learn. "Most of our students live below the poverty line, which means their parents often cannot afford to buy or rent them their own instruments," said Ball. "So the school owned instruments and the instruments that have been donated to the schools are 100 percent indispensable." About half of the instruments in the Grand Street Campus Band are donated. That’s helped the program grow to include almost 450 students from all three schools which now make up four bands, two jazz bands, and several drum ensembles. "The fact that they’re able to lend students instruments, to be able to take it home, to be able to practice it, people treat it like it’s their own and I really do take care of it as much as I can," said Morocho. The band’s next donation will come in the form of an upright acoustic piano from Barry Manilow himself. Manilow graduated from Eastern District High School, which used to call the Grand Street Campus home. Ball says the donation could not have come at a better time because the pianos the school has need some serious work. "They’re in very bad shape because I think they were here when Mr. Manilow went to the school," said Ball. Manilow performs at Barclays Center Wednesday night as part of his "One Last Time" tour. But Manilow and the Manilow Music Project are going out on a high note by using the tour to help improve music education throughout the city. The singer is asking fans to donate new and gently used instruments in exchange for two free tickets to his concert. Ball says he hope Manilow’s fans will follow in the singers footsteps by donating their own instruments to music programs at other city schools that desperately need the help. "Everyone of these instruments donated will equal dozens if not hundreds of students making music." In return, Morocho says the music helps make the students. "It’s an outlet. Whatever you’re feeling, if you’re sad, if you’re happy, you’re just excited, being able to put it through this horn really does mean something to me," said Morocho. "Nothing can compare to what music has brought for me." If you want to donate an instrument stop by the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center any time between noon and 6 p.m., Wednesday. Manilow’s show starts at 7:30.  |
| June 15, 2015 | Press Release
[SOURCE: CAPITAL CONCERTS] | A Capitol Fourth Celebrates 35 Years As America's National Independence Day Celebration Live From The U.S. Capitol! - Led by Pop Superstar Barry Manilow, All-Star Cast Joins PBS' A CAPITOL FOURTH Featuring Performances by Alabama, Nicole Scherzinger, Hunter Hayes, Meghan Linsey, KC and the Sunshine Band, Lang Lang, Ronan Tynan, Robert Davi and the National Symphony Orchestra |
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| WASHINGTON, June 15, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Celebrating 35 spectacular years on air, A CAPITOL FOURTH will kick off the country's 239th birthday with an all-star musical extravaganza that puts viewers front and center for the greatest display of fireworks anywhere in the nation. Music legend Barry Manilow will headline the gala anniversary celebration, opening and closing the concert broadcast with a special patriotic medley. Broadcast live on PBS from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, the star spangled party will also feature performances by: the most successful country music group of all time, Alabama; Grammy nominated singer/songwriter, with over 70 million album sales, Nicole Scherzinger; five-time Grammy nominee, CMA Award winner and multi-instrumentalist Hunter Hayes; vocal powerhouse Meghan Linsey (THE VOICE); Grammy award-winning and multi-platinum selling band, fronted by the Founder of the Dance Revolution, KC and the Sunshine Band; world renowned piano virtuoso Lang Lang; and inspirational classical cross-over global star and Irish tenor Ronan Tynan; with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of top pops conductor Jack Everly. In celebration of American icon Frank Sinatra's 100th birthday, the award-winning star of film, television and the concert stage Robert Davi will pay tribute to Ol' Blue Eyes. The 35th annual broadcast of A CAPITOL FOURTH airs on PBS Saturday, July 4, 2015 from 8:00 to 9:30 p.m. ET before a concert audience of hundreds of thousands, millions more at home, as well as to our troops serving around the world on the American Forces Network. The program can also be heard live in stereo over NPR member stations nationwide. The top-rated, award-winning extravaganza features twenty cameras positioned around the city, including the U.S. Capitol, the White House and the Washington Monument. Capping off the show will be a rousing rendition of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" complete with live cannon fire provided by the United States Army Presidential Salute Battery, an audience favorite and A CAPITOL FOURTH tradition. Also participating in the event will be the Choral Arts Society of Washington, Patrick Lundy & The Ministers of Music, the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets, the U.S. Army Ceremonial Band, Members of the Armed Forces carrying the State and Territorial Flags and the Armed Forces Color Guard provided by the Military District of Washington, D.C. The program is a co-production of Jerry Colbert of Capital Concerts and WETA, Washington, D.C. Executive producers Jerry Colbert and Michael Colbert have assembled an award-winning production team that features the top Hollywood talent behind some of television's most prestigious entertainment awards shows. This includes: Emmy award-winning producer Walter C. Miller, whose credits include the GRAMMY AWARDS and COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS; award-winning director Paul Miller whose credits include THE COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS and SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE; and veteran television writer Jon Macks whose credits include the TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO, the ACADEMY AWARDS and the EMMY AWARDS. For images and additional information, visit PBS Pressroom at www.pbs.org/pressroom. About Capital Concerts
Capital Concerts is the production force behind two of television's longest-running and highest-rated live programs commemorating America's most important holidays. THE NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT, the nation's tribute to our men and women in uniform, and A CAPITOL FOURTH, our country's biggest birthday party, have become American traditions that have consistently ranked among the highest rated programs on PBS over the past decade. The holiday specials have been honored with over 70 awards including the New York Film Festival Award, the Telly Award, the Golden Cine Award, the Videographer Award, the National Education Association Award, the Aurora Award, the Christopher Award, the Communicator's Award, the AXIEM Award, the Omni Award and the Writer's Guild of America Award. Underwriters
A CAPITOL FOURTH is made possible by grants from The Boeing Company, the National Park Service, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Department of the Army, PBS and public television stations nationwide. Air travel is provided by American Airlines. |
| June 15, 2015 | NorthJersey.com | "Review: Barry Manilow at Prudential Center" by Jay Lustig |
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| Barry Manilow is calling his current tour "One Last Time!" But it’s hard to believe we’ll never see him onstage again. He seemed to be having too good a time at his tour stop Sunday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, performing hit after hit to rapturous applause. For a perfect illustration of the word "bliss," all you had to do was look at his face when he leaned back to hold a long, final note on one of his big ballads, as the crowd went nuts. Manilow - who will end the tour Wednesday night at the Barclays Center in his hometown of Brooklyn, on his 72nd birthday – didn’t dwell on the fact that this might have been his last Jersey concert. He did, though, take a few minutes to reminisce about the many nights he has spent in the Garden State, including his frequent stops in Atlantic City and the time, in 2002, when torrential rain caused flooding at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel and his show was postponed after it had already started. "It was like Noah’s flood hit the place!" he said. He spent some time talking about other parts of his past, too, including his upbringing in what he called "a rough section of Brooklyn," and his surprise 1974 breakthrough with "Mandy." As he noted wryly, other big hits of the era included "Kung Fu Fighting" and "Boogie Oogie Oogie," so no one thought the bittersweet, introspective "Mandy" had a chance. He let his ’70s self - in a clip from television’s "Midnight Special" concert series – sing the first verse and chorus of "Mandy" during a costume change, before he sat down at his piano and finished it. Similarly, he dueted with a clip of Judy Garland on "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart," a track from his most recent album, last year’s "Dream Duets" (which also includes virtual duets with Whitney Houston, Sammy Davis Jr., Louis Armstrong, Jimmy Durante and others). During the Swing Era classic "Moonlight Serenade," he slow-danced with a volunteer from the audience. During "Brooklyn Blues," opening act Dave Koz returned to the stage to add a saxophone solo. After the song, Manilow talked about how studying music in high school changed his life and plugged his Manilow Music Project, which supports music education via donations of instruments to schools. Anthems of perseverance such as "Looks Like We Made It" and "I Made It Through the Rain" took on an extra level of resonance, with Manilow singing them at this late (and possibly last) stage of his touring career. A long medley, capped by "I Write the Songs," allowed him to squeeze more songs into the setlist than he normally does. He encored with the always-perky "Copacabana (At the Copa)" and a reprise of the feel-good "Can’t Smile Without You" (performed earlier with the lyrics scrolling by on a screen, highlighted by a bouncing ball to help people sing along). It took a little time for his voice to warm up, but he sounded better and better as the night went on. Throughout the show, he moved around the stage spryly and performed with the kind of energy you don’t expect from a 70-something icon on his farewell tour. "I never intended to be this old," he deadpanned, at one point. "When my grandfather was this old, the best he could do was bring up phlegm." If you go... WHO: Barry Manilow, Dave Koz. WHAT: Pop. WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. WHERE: Barclays Center, 620 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y.; 800-745-3000, ticketmaster.com or barclayscenter.com. HOW MUCH: $19.75 to $249.75. |
| June 15, 2015 | CBS Boston | Barry Manilow Offers Free Concert Tickets For Musical Instrument Donations |
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| Looking to score free Barry Manilow tickets while supporting Boston students? The renowned singer-songwriter is offering two free tickets to his concert at the TD Garden Tuesday to anyone willing to donate a new or gently used musical instrument to local schoolchildren. The instruments can be dropped off at the TD Garden box office between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Monday or Tuesday. The Manilow Music Project has collected instruments for kids across the country as budget cuts take their toll on school music programs. Manilow kicked off his instrument drive for Boston Public Schools by donating a new Yamaha keyboard. "I know firsthand how invaluable music education is," Manilow said in a statement. "It is a privilege for me to help bring the gift of music to these kids." "Barry Manilow’s efforts to help increase the learning and love of music in public schools is a remarkable endeavor, one that helps enrich the lives of aspiring student musicians by providing them additional access to instruments," said John P. McDonough, the Boston Public Schools interim superintendent. "We know that music enriches education, and we greatly appreciate what he is doing to share the gift of music with our Boston Public Schools students." |
| June 12, 2015 | The Tribune | Barry Manilow to perform on National Mall for Independence Day celebration July 4 |
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| WASHINGTON -- Barry Manilow will headline this year's Independence Day celebration on the National Mall, performing July 4 with the National Symphony Orchestra and other musicians. Organizers of the annual "A Capitol Fourth" celebration announced Friday that Manilow will be the featured performer. Other performers have not yet been announced. Manilow will perform a special patriotic medley he first performed nearly 30 years ago for the reopening of the Statue of Liberty. The "Capitol Fourth" concert at the U.S. Capitol leads up to the massive fireworks display on the National Mall. The event draws hundreds of thousands of visitors. It is also broadcast each year on PBS and NPR stations from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The performance will also feature the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets and U.S. Army Ceremonial Band. |
| June 11, 2015 | The Desert Sun | "Barry Manilow to celebrate birthday with benefit series" by Bruce Fessier |
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| Barry Manilow will give a gift of love for his 72nd birthday on Wednesday, which is expected to raise $500,000 for local charities. VIP tickets for "A Gift Of Love III," a five-night benefit concert series Dec. 8-9 and 11-13 at the McCallum Theatre, will go on sale at 10 a.m. Wednesday (June 17th) exclusively online at agiftoflove3.com. General admission tickets will go on sale in late summer. Manilow, a Palm Springs resident, performed five Christmas-themed concerts mixed with hits at the first Gift of Love shows at the McCallum in 2009 and 2012. Each one sold out, raising a total of $1 million for hand-selected local charities. Event planners expect the same results this time because of the uniqueness of the show. "If last time is any indication, they will all be sold out," said McCallum president and CEO Mitch Gershenfeld. "The McCallum would not normally be able to present an artist of Barry's stature, as he generally sells out arenas. While we do have artists who can sell out five performances, we have never had an artist give all of the proceeds of the concerts to local charities." "All of us who volunteer for the 'A Gift Of Love' concerts get to enjoy giving back to the valley we cherish," said Garry Kief, co-chair of the concert series with Terri Ketover and Kevin Bass. "We're grateful to Barry for giving us five great nights of Manilow music." The "Gift Of Love III" is scheduled to benefit 30 local charities, including the McCallum Theatre Institute, which provides arts education, and the Manilow Music Fund, which provides instruments for local students. It also benefits the AIDS Assistance Program, for which Manilow recently contributed $10,000 at its "Evening Under the Stars." Manilow is donating his services for these concerts. VIP Premium tickets allow the purchaser to designate which of the 30 charities they choose to benefit with their purchase. All undesignated proceeds will go into a general fund to be distributed equally among the participating charities. VIP tickets are $350 to $1,750 and include special access and benefits. A limited number of concert sponsorships also are available. General admission tickets will be sold later for $25 to $250. Detailed information about the VIP packages is available online at agiftoflove3.com. VIP tickets will not be available at the McCallum box office. The complete list of charities benefiting from "A Gift Of Love III" includes: - ACT For MS
- Advancing the Interests of Animals
- AIDS Assistance Program
- Angel View Crippled Children's Foundation
- Animal Samaritans
- Barbara Sinatra Children's Center
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Desert
- Braille Institute
- College of the Desert Foundation
- Desert AIDS Project
- Desert Cancer Foundation
- Desert Symphony
- Gary Kitchen Memorial Foundation
- Gilda's Club Desert Cities California
- Guide Dogs of the Desert
- Joslyn Senior Center
- The LGBT Community Center of the Desert
- The Living Desert
- The Manilow Music Project
- Martha's Village & Kitchen
- McCallum Theatre Institute
- Mizell Senior Center
- Neuro Vitality Center
- Paws and Hearts
- Pegasus Therapeutic Riding "All Special Needs - All Ages"
- Sanctuary Palm Springs
- Temple Isaiah Fund
- Tools for Tomorrow
- United Cerebral Palsy - Inland Empire
- The Well in the Desert
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| June 11, 2015 | NJ.com | "Best concerts this weekend: Barry Manilow" by Bobby Olivier |
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| Could this really be the end for pop hitmaker Barry Manilow? Apparently so, considering his current tour is called One Last Time. The show makes a stop in Newark this weekend. Now 71, the consummate crooner is ready for a break, and for fans who need to see him sing "Mandy" once more, this may be the last chance. Prepare for many teary eyes as Manilow sings "I Write The Songs." California saxophonist [Dave Koz] will open. When: Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Where: Prudential Center, 11 Lafayette St., Newark. How much: Tickets from $30 available here. |
| June 11, 2015 | Burlington County Times | "BARRY MANILOW" by Marty Franzen |
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| Go to a Barry Manilow concert and you, too, may become a "Fanilow." You can catch him Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center at 3601 S. Broad St. in Philadelphia or Sunday at the Prudential Center at 165 Mulberry St. in Newark. Manilow has penned some of the greatest songs of the last 40 years, including "Mandy," "Looks Like We Made It," "Can’t Smile Without You," "Could It Be Magic," "Weekend in New England," "This One’s for You" and "It’s a Miracle." And he can write tributes, too, like "Copacabana (At the Copa)" and "Bandstand Boogie." If you’re old enough, you will also remember the commercial jingles he had a hand in - "Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there," "I am stuck on a Band-Aid and Band-Aid’s stuck on me," "Get a bucket of chicken, finger-lickin’ good, get a barrel of fun." Of course, Manilow would like you to know he’s still recording new music, like last year’s "Night Songs" and "My Dream Duets." On the latter disc, he sang to recordings by deceased artists Mama Cass ("Dream a Little Dream of Me"), Andy Williams ("Moon River"), Marilyn Monroe ("I Wanna be Loved by You"), John Denver ("Sunshine on My Shoulders") and Whitney Houston ("I Believe in You and Me"). For these shows, though, Manilow will give fans what they want — plenty of hits, including "I Write the Songs," "Somewhere in the Night," "Let’s Hang On," "I Made It Through the Rain," "Ships" and most of the aforementioned songs. Show time at Wells Fargo: 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $16.75 to $246.75. Information: 800-298-4200. Show time at Prudential: 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $19.75 to $249.75. Information: 973-854-8760. |
| June 10, 2015 | NJ.com | "Barry Manilow giving concert tickets to fans who donate instruments to Newark kids" by Jessica Mazzola |
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| The man who writes the songs that make the whole world sing is also giving out the instruments to play. Legendary singer Barry Manilow is set to perform at the Prudential Center in Newark Sunday night as part of his "One Last Time" tour. The Rock announced Wednesday that the singer is donating a Yamaha keyboard to the Newark public school district as a way to kick off a "Manilow Music Project" instrument drive in the city. "I know firsthand how invaluable music education is," Manilow said in a statement about the donation drive. "It is a privilege for me to help bring the gift of music to these kids." Devils Care, the Pru's charitable foundation, has kicked in a trumpet, saxophone, clarinet, and flute, and is asking locals to contribute. Fans who drop off a new or gently used instrument at the Prudential Center box office this week will receive two tickets to Manilow's Sunday show, the arena announced Wednesday. The box office at the Prudential Center will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day leading up to the concert to collect donations. "Providing instruments to enhance the musical education of students in Newark is an important role that we embrace," Hugh Weber, president of Prudential Center, said in a statement. "We are proud to assist in helping this city's talented youth pursue their dreams." All of the instruments donated will go to the music program at Newark public schools. According to the Manilow Music Project website, Atlantic City schools are the only others in the state to have ever received donations from the project. "Newark Public Schools is working to ensure that all students have access to rigorous, sequential arts education, including instrumental music programs," said Dr. Caleb Perkins, who oversees the Newark Public School's curriculum program. "We know our students will benefit from this donation for years to come." |
| June 10, 2015 | Examiner.com | June brings warm weather and hot concerts to the Philadelphia area |
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| Anyone who grew up listening to the radio from the mid-70s to the mid-80s should be familiar with the music of Barry Manilow. Songs like "Weekend In New England," "Even Now," "Looks Like We Made It," and "Somewhere In The Night" were part of a string of twenty-five consecutive Top-40 hits Manilow had between 1975 and 1983. He has sold over 80 million albums during his four-decade career. His most recent album, last year’s "My Dream Duets," debuted at number four on the Billboard charts, making it his fifteenth Top-10 album. Just shy of his 72nd birthday, Manilow has decided to retire from touring. He will bring his farewell One Last Tour to the Wells Fargo Center on June 13. Dave Koz opens the 7:30 p.m. show. In a 2006 telephone interview, Manilow expressed his appreciation for his fans. "I’m so grateful that they’ve been with me for all these years," he said. "It’s been tough for them. It’s not easy being a Barry Manilow fan. You get a lot of [crap] for that. It’s easier for people to say that they like Bruce Springsteen or Bon Jovi, than it is for them to say they like what I do, because what I do is so personal. It’s like talking about religion – you just don’t talk about it. The kind of music that I make is yours; it’s your personal thing. You take it to your room and listen to it by yourself. You don’t talk about it. It’s easy to say you love Steely Dan, but it’s not so easy to say that you love an artist whose music has helped you through some very lonely times. I may be one of the guys that do that." |
| June 10, 2015 | Philly.com | "Manilow's Fanilows: Can't smile without him" by Jenice Armstrong |
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| Michael Cavacini doesn't look how you'd expect a diehard "Fanilow" to look. For starters, he's nowhere near middle-age. He wasn't even born back in the 1970s, when Barry Manilow was in his soft-rock superstar heyday, singing hits such as "Mandy," "Can't Smile Without You" and "I Write The Songs." Still, Cavacini, 27, will be among the throngs of screaming Manilow lovers at the Wells Fargo Center Saturday night, clutching a framed photo of himself with the music luminary, which he hopes to get autographed. When Manilow opens his One Last Time Tour, it will be Cavacini's sixth time seeing Manilow onstage. Six times? What guy in his 20s goes to see Manilow six times? "I don't think my girlfriend gets it," Cavacini said, laughing. "She says, 'Why do you like this kind of music?' I think he gets put into a bucket where he's just seen as this commercial artist, right? He's even kidded around by saying that he's the Justin Bieber of his time." I liked him, too, way back in the 1970s, even though I didn't always admit it. That wasn't exactly cool for a black girl growing up in Washington, D.C. Manilow, who was born in Brooklyn and studied at the Juilliard School of Music, didn't always get the credit for it, but his music helped define the entire decade. His song "Looks Like We Made It" was our high-school prom theme, which I loved. I also was a fan of the haunting lyrics in "Copacabana (the hottest spot north of Havana)," about star-crossed lovers who lose each other after Tony is killed in a bar fight, leaving Lola to continue loving him through her memories ...Like the way some diehards love Manilow. When Mary Flick, who lived in Gloucester, N.J., until recently, moved to Florida, the first thing she packed was all the Manilow memorabilia she'd been storing in her basement. It's now on display on shelves in her Sarasota condo. Flick, who has Manilow music on her telephone's ringtone, has seen her favorite singer 300 times and counting. She'll be here Saturday night as well, sitting front row, of course. She also plans to see him perform when he goes onstage in Newark the following day and in Brooklyn on June 17, which happens to be his birthday. "I love him to pieces," she told me. "I love him so much. You can feel every note that he puts across to the crowd. I've seen him so many times and it never gets old. He's the greatest performer and the sweetest man." Smooth-jazz saxophonist Dave Koz, who'll be Manilow's opening act, also is a Fanilow. "There's something about the way his voice and my sax blend together," Koz told me during a phone interview. "He puts a show on like no one else and has been doing it for 40 years. At the core of everything he does is this amazing musicality. That's where we connect," Koz continued. "He knows his stuff backwards and forwards... He keeps up on modern music, new artists. It's very inspiring to be around him." Why is it, then, that so many dismiss his music as schlock? "His music is ubiquitous. If you were alive during the last many years and you were near a radio, you were going to hear Barry Manilow music," Koz pointed out. "There's a certain quality to his music that is very accessible and people can relate to it and sometimes that kind of music, some people might say, 'Oh it's not that good.' The truth is, it's still here. He's still here. He's packing in arenas. If you prove that you have staying power, which he has done time and time again, even if you weren't a fan you can't help but respect the guy because of what he's done. [He's] managed to remain relevant for four decades making music. It's unheard of. So, I have the most respect you can imagine for a guy like that..." |
| June 7, 2015 | The Charlotte Observer | "Manilow says farewell to CLT with hit-filled Vegas-style show" by Courtney Devores |
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| Barry Manilow hasn't made a habit of playing Charlotte. Fans have been treated to his show only once or twice a decade, so it's no wonder they turned out in droves for his "One Last Time!" tour Saturday at Time Warner Cable Arena. Smooth jazz saxophonist Dave Koz, who is celebrating the 25th anniversary of his solo career, opened the show with a half hour set that included an instrumental rendition of "Let It Go" from "Frozen" prompted by his nieces and a medley of hits he grew up with. He talked up Manilow who took the stage half an hour later (it was probably the most punctual show I've ever been to) in a brocade red pleated jacket and black shirt and slacks. Although he was thin, admitting he lost weight on the road while tightening his belt at one point, he didn't appear to be pushing 72. His birthday is June 17. He was agile, hopping on his piano during the medley and running through light choreography with his backup singers. Backed by a band that was a mini orchestra that included flute, a busy percussionist, and three animated backup singers whose youth and enthusiasm for the material elevated the action on stage, Manilow kicked his set off with the road anthem "It's a Miracle" followed by"Could it Be Magic." The rapt crowd joined in for "Can't Smile Without You" and waved the glow sticks they'd been handed upon entry during "Jump Shout Boogie." My first memory of Manilow is the 1978 HBO concert special at the Greek Theatre, which aired in 1979. The memory is fuzzy. I was three and remember later specials from Stevie Nicks and Olivia Newton-John better, but Manilow was a star. If you were born around the same time as I was you might not realize how big a star he was and still is. The arena wasn't packed, but thousands of glow sticks swayed to "Looks Like We Made It" and each song save a couple ballads had many on their feet, singing along and dancing. My friend and I pondered why could we hear Manilow so well when he was holding his microphone at chest to stomach level? Could he be lip syncing? He held the mic that way even when addressing the crowd between songs, so it didn't seem like it. A text to my husband - a live sound engineer - confirmed that it could just be the type of microphone used or the amount of compression on his vocals. Manilow dueted posthumously, Natalie Cole-style with Judy Garland and showed a clip from his appearance singing "Mandy" on "Midnight Special" in 1975 before picking up the smash hit on piano. That led to the obligatory supersized medley that included 13 songs including "Bandstand Boogie," "New York City Rhythm," "Read 'Em and Weep." "Daybreak" and "I Write the Songs" (which oddly enough he didn't write) found Manilow backed by a local choir. He didn't tease folks with an encore, instead stepping off stage for a moment then announcing he'd forgot one before launching into "Copacabana" (of course). Some who'd sprinted for their cars when he stepped off stage were seen running back to their seats as the song started. Not only was Manilow punctual, his crowd was probably the politest I've ever encountered at a concert. The kind crowd seemed to understand the concept of shared joy and experience that takes place at a concert. I saw no beer slinging, although it was served, or seat-related beefs. Maybe the attitude is reflective of the music. Given his age and the rarity of his Carolinas performance, this is one farewell tour that means it, but Manilow left the crowd pleased he'd visited "One Last Time!" |
| June 5, 2015 | Broadway World | Barry Manilow to Perform One Last Time at Brooklyn's Barclays Center, 6/17 |
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| Legendary singer-songwriter Barry Manilow is "hitting the road" ONE LAST TIME! and hopes others will follow his philanthropic lead as he donates a Yamaha Keyboard to launch a local instrument drive during his ONE LAST TIME! Tour for the New York Department of Education. Anyone who donates a new or gently used musical instrument to the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center will receive two free tickets (valid for pre-selected seat locations) for Manilow's June 17 concert in the music legend's hometown of Brooklyn, NY. "I know firsthand how invaluable music education is," said Manilow. "It is a privilege for me to help bring the gift of music to these kids." American Express Box Office at Barclays Center will be the base for the instrument drive in Brooklyn, from now through June 17, 2015. The instrument drop off location at the Barclays Center is open between Mon-Fri 12p-6p and Sat 12p-4p. "Strong music and performing arts programs engage our students, enrich their academic education, and bring joy to families and our entire school community," said Holger Carrillo, principal of the High School for Enterprise, Business, and Technology at the Grand Street Campus, which is receiving the piano. "We thank Mr. Manilow for his generous donation, and look forward to our students using this piano for years to come." The Manilow Music Project (MMP) is part of The Manilow Fund for Health and Hope. Its primary focus is to provide musical instruments to high schools and middle schools and to provide music scholarships at universities throughout the US, Canada, and the UK. More information on the Manilow Music Project can be found at www.manilowmusicproject.org. Tickets for Manilow's ONE LAST TIME! concert are available online at Manilow.com or ticketmaster.com, in person atAmerican Express Box Office at Barclays Center, or by calling 1-800-745-3000. ONE LAST TIME! Tour is a co-production of AEG Live and STILETTO Entertainment. About Barry Manilow:
Barry Manilow's unparalleled career encompasses virtually every area of music, including performing, composing, arranging and producing. A Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, Manilow has triumphed in every medium of entertainment. With worldwide record sales exceeding 80 million, Barry Manilow is ranked as the top Adult Contemporary chart artist of all time with over 50 Top 40 hits. For more information on Barry Manilow please visit:
www.manilow.com
www.facebook.com/barrymanilow
www.twitter.com/barrymanilow
About AEG Live:
AEG Live, the live-entertainment division of Los Angeles-based AEG, is dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performance. AEG Live is comprised of touring, festival and special event divisions, seventeen regional offices and owns, operates or exclusively books thirty-five state-of-the-art venues. The current and recent concert tour roster includes artists such as Alicia Keys, Bruno Mars, Bon Jovi, Carrie Underwood, Cher, Ed Sheeran, Enrique Iglesias, George Strait, Hunter Hayes, J Cole, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Kenny Chesney, Leonard Cohen, Paul McCartney, Pitbull, Rod Stewart, The Rolling Stones, Taylor Swift, The WHO, Trey Songz and Juanes. The company is also currently producing residency shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas including Celine Dion, Shania Twain and Rod Stewart and is the exclusive promoter at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas. AEG Live is also the largest producer of music festivals in NORTH AMERICA from the critically acclaimed Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival to Stagecoach Country Music Festival and New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. www.aeglive.com |
| June 5, 2015 | The Courier-Journal | "Barry Manilow delivers the hits 'One Last Time'" by Jeffrey Lee Puckett |
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| From the very beginning of his career, Barry Manilow has seemed like a man out of time. His entire aesthetic as an entertainer is rooted in the 1940s and ‘50s, when songs were in Technicolor, and he has never wavered from a wide-eyed, eager-to-please approach. Friday night at the KFC Yum! Center, Manilow was, if anything, more old school than ever as he delivered a tight, entirely wholesome show as part of his "One Last Time!" farewell tour. Manilow is only retiring from touring, not recording, but that has to be poor consolation for his fabled Fanilows. They flocked to the Yum! Center and binged on a show that touched on at least parts of more than 30 songs, soaking up Manilow’s venerable gee-whiz, self-deprecating personality. Starting with a one-two punch of "It’s A Miracle" and "Could It Be Magic," the hits stacked up like dancing girls in a Busby Berkeley musical. Manilow briskly hummed through all of his best-known songs with an energy that may not have matched the manic intensity of his early days but was still impressive for a 71-year-old. Highlights included all of the usual chirpy ear candy, such as the unrelentingly catchy "Can’t Smile Without You," but Manilow’s ballads hit the hardest. Maybe they come across as especially poignant only in comparison to something like "Copacabana (At the Copa)," but there’s no denying the emotional heft of songs such as "Weekend In New England," "Looks Like We Made It" and even "Mandy." |
| June 5, 2015 | Examiner.com | Larger than life Barry Manilow plays Atlanta One Last Time |
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| Barry Manilow played Atlanta "One Last Time!" on Thursday night. The Gwinnett Arena played host to an almost sold-out crowd of "Fanilows", mostly middle-aged women, as Barry Manilow played for one and a half hours in his self-proclaimed last tour. As always, Manilow and his show are truly larger than life, he is very good at what he does - a classic Las Vegas-style showman! Whether it’s singing the songs that have become his standards over the last forty years or playing the piano, Barry Manilow has become an American institution to his legions of fans. And, as you might expect on a tour that has been promoted as his last, Manilow’s set list contained all of the standards and ample opportunity for him to play the piano. Manilow packed as many of his hits into the 90-minute show as possible. For the most part his voice was as strong as ever and, if it faltered on occasion, the fans were there to pick up where he left off. As well-known as his music is there was plenty of opportunity for the "fanilows" to sing along. There was also a marathon medley that consisted of snippets of several songs. With a catalog as extensive and as popular as Manilow’s, a medley as extensive as this one could be deemed necessary and it was met with enthusiastic approval by his loyal fans. Also, as you might expect from a showman like Manilow, there was plenty of Las Vegas glitz to go around. The show finished with two of his biggest hits, "Copacabana" and "Can't Smile Without You" and based upon the comments of some fans on the way out he was as good as he ever was. There is no telling if this is truly "The Last Time!" but if it is there’s no doubt that, based off his performance on Thursday night that the fans were treated to a definitive, larger than life Vegas experience. |
| June 5, 2015 | The Atlanta Journal-Constitution | "Concert review: A farewell to Barry Manilow" by Melissa Ruggieri |
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| Dear Barry, Well, I guess this is goodbye. That is, as long as you aren’t Cher, The Who, KISS or the McRib. But your "One Last Time!" tour felt like a farewell when it pulled into The Arena at Gwinnett Center Thursday night. Not that it was maudlin or anything. Quite the opposite, really, as you and your ace 10-piece band and three backup singers enthralled the mostly sold-out crowd with 100 minutes of treasured musical memories. While it made me misty-eyed to realize that after attending a couple of dozen of your concerts over the years, this was the last time I would see you do that charmingly awkward spin during "It’s a Miracle" or witness thousands of usually sane middle-aged women turn into glowstick-gripping maniacs... I get it. You’ll turn 72 on June 17, the day of your final concert in your hometown of Brooklyn. Clearly this is not a coincidence. You’ve sold 80 million records and healed 80 gazillion hearts. What more can we ask of you? You still sound hearty, holding an impossibly long note on "Even Now" and belting the opening of "One Voice" a capella. Let’s see Ed Sheeran accomplish that in 50 years! But while your voice and piano playing have hardly diminished and you looked super-snazzy in shimmery blue and later, white, jackets, it was hard to ignore the stiff gait caused by hips that have betrayed you for years. The road is no friend to anyone over 40, so who can begrudge you for choosing to leave it in a couple of weeks? Before you go, though, Barry, I have a few more things to say and a few thanks to share. Are we good with that? Cool. I’ll miss watching you perform "Brooklyn Blues," your ode to the borough that you championed long before living in Williamsburg required a six-figure salary. The Ruggieri family runs a few generations deep there, so hearing you joke that you took a "tasteful bulletproof car" to visit your old neighborhood prompted a knowing chuckle. I’m sad that I’ll never again hear you play my husband’s favorite song of yours, the soaring, swelling "Weekend in New England." I mean, I had to marry a guy who appreciated your musical mastery. For that matter, I’ve been a music critic for close to two decades. Let me just say that it isn’t easy being a music critic who openly champions your catalog. But I’ve never cared if readers disagreed with my personal musical preferences and I still don’t. Anyone who can’t find value in your fluid melodies and sublime choruses is short-sighted, if you ask me. Anyway, moving on... thank you for always mentioning the importance of music education in schools and for talking about how playing in your school orchestra shaped you as a musician. "I wouldn’t be standing on this stage if I hadn’t joined that orchestra," you said Thursday night before playing "I Am Your Child" – and also mentioning the recent story in our paper about Atlanta schools eliminating music teacher positions. You talk the talk with your Manilow Music Project and the instrument drives you shepherded in each city during this tour, including Gwinnett. I hope someone is listening. Speaking of local stuff, it was great to hear you recall about how much you enjoyed spending time in Atlanta when you and Bruce Sussman spent many weeks here two years ago crafting your musical, "Harmony," at the Alliance Theatre. "You guys were so good to us with our show and to me over the years – thank you for that," you said. How proud you must be to have finally brought that pet project to fruition. I’m grateful that you pulled out "Let’s Hang On" for this final tour. That original Jersey Boy, Frankie Valli, is certainly a unique voice in pop history, but I’m of the opinion that your version improves on the original. I also loved that you compiled 13 of your hits into one masterfully produced medley – yeah, of course we all would have liked to hear the full versions of "New York City Rhythm," "Somewhere Down the Road" and "This One’s for You," but we’d be there until your centennial birthday if you played all of your hits and jingles in maximum form. You know, most of your fans cherish your beautifully shaped songs because of the romantic ache that pulses in so many of them. Since this is our last goodbye, I’ve gotta admit – never really a "Mandy" fan. I know. Stone me now, Fanilows. "Copacabana," however, now that’s a jaunty gem that will never leave my playlist, even if a decade from now we’re listening to music by picking it out of the ether. But for me, the songs that have always resonated and soothed my soul are the ones about the dreamers and the misfits and survivors – primarily "All the Time" and "I Made it Through the Rain," both of which prompted a lump in my throat when you played them on Thursday. Here’s a quick story before I wrap up. When I was a senior in high school, I went on a mandatory spiritual retreat (Catholic school, you know) where we were supposed to talk about feelings and things that I really didn’t feel like sharing in a group environment. So I just played "I Made it Through the Rain" and let you do the talking for me. After all, you did it so much better. So thanks, Barry, for having the words for so many of us through your songs. For making us smile in the bleakest moments. And for sharing your brilliant gift with us for 40-plus years. There will never be another like you. |
| June 2, 2015 | WDRB News | Manilow Music Project drive trades instruments for free concert tickets |
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| LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Legendary singer-songwriter Barry Manilow hopes to inspire a new generation of musicians in Louisville and across the country. Manilow brings his ONE LAST TIME! to the KFC Yum! Center on Friday, June 5, 2015. And his Manilow Music Project foundation is holding in instrument drive. He's kicking off the effort by donating a Yamaha keyboard to Jefferson County Public Schools. And he has an offer to fans. Anyone who donates a new or gently used musical instrument to the KFC Yum! Center Box Office will receive two free tickets (valid for pre-selected seat locations) for Manilow's Louisville concert. Manilow says he knows how valuable music education is, and he considers it a privilege to help bring the gift of music to students. KFC Yum! Center will be the base for the instrument drive in Louisville, from now through June 5, 2015. The instrument drop off location at KFC YUM! Center is open between Mon-Fri 10a-5p. JCPS released a statement thanking Manilow and citing research that shows student engagement with music and the fine arts promotes key 21st century skills, including creativity, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking. The Manilow Music Project (MMP) is part of The Manilow Fund for Health and Hope. Its primary focus is to provide musical instruments to high schools and middle schools and to provide music scholarships at universities throughout the US, Canada, and the UK. For more information on the Manilow Music Project, go to www.manilowmusicproject.org. Tickets for Manilow's ONE LAST TIME! concert are available online at www.ticketmaster.com, in person at the KFC Yum! Center Box Office, or by calling 1-800-745-3000. About Barry Manilow: Barry Manilow's unparalleled career encompasses virtually every area of music, including performing, composing, arranging and producing. A Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, Manilow has triumphed in every medium of entertainment. With worldwide record sales exceeding 80 million, Barry Manilow is ranked as the top Adult Contemporary chart artist of all time with over 50 Top 40 hits. Manilow was nominated for a 2015 GRAMMY® for "Night Songs" in the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category. Manilow has received a nomination in each of the last five decades. For more information on Barry Manilow, go to www.manilow.com.  
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