Past Performances 1985

First Show - Debbie Trujillo (Albuquerque, New Mexico) (5/7/2012)

Barry with the moon rising behind him. WOW! I screamed my head off at my first Barry concert in January of 1985! - Celia Miller (Rio Rancho, New Mexico) (5/11/2012)

First Show - Michelle Harris (Phoenix, AZ) (7/5/2002)

Highlights (January 20): Come With Me / At The Dance / The Old Songs / It's A Miracle / Let's Hang On / The Old Songs (reprise) / How Do I Stop Loving You / Even Now / Can't Smile Without You / No Other Love / Mandy / No Other Love (reprise) / Some Sweet Day / That's Why They Call Her Sugar / Paradise Cafe / When Love Is Gone / Paradise Cafe (reprise) / When October Goes / Run To Me (with Muffy Hendrix) / Copacabana (At The Copa) / I Write The Songs / Come With Me (reprise)

My favorite concert (June 5): This was my most favorite show because I got a front row seat after spending nights in the line with my dear Barry friends and shared all the excitement together with them. Also, Barry was with friendly and talented Uncle Festive members. This time, seats were very close to the stage and we could almost reach Barry any second during the show! Barry opened the show with "Come with Me," my favorite opening song, and he sang the first part of song in Japanese! Very, very good Japanese! He must have very good ears as a musician. Also I knew that he practiced it very hard before he opened the first show in Aomori since there were some Japanese words that did not exactly go with the music. He sang over 22 songs from the oldest to the newest albums, "Copacabana" soundtrack (actually released in 1986). Loved "Sweet Heaven" with a little dance and powerful "Some Sweet Day." Also I loved songs from "Paradise Cafe," especially the duet "Blue" with Muffy which was so beautiful. Same as the 1983 Japan tour, he used lots of notes filled with Japanese greetings and introductions of his songs. His generous effort to communicate with audience in Japan was greatly appreciated. He arranged Japanese traditional song, "Sakura, Sakura," and played Japanese's instrument "Koto" very beautifully. - May Kawahara (Tokyo, Japan) (7/9/2005)

Highlights (June 6th): Overture / Come With Me / At The Dance / Can't Smile Without You / Memory / Some Kind Of Friend / In Search Of Love / Medley (No Other Love, Mandy) / Copacabana / Aye Carumba! / Sweet Heaven / Paradise Cafe / Blue / Read 'Em And Weep / It's A Miracle / Daybreak / Somewhere In The Night / Ready To Take A Chance Again / Could It Be Magic / I Write The Songs / Sakura, Sakura / You're Lookin' Hot Tonight

Favorite Show - Takaki Harada (Tokyo, Japan) (1/23/99)

First Show: It was his second Japan tour! - Junko Yoshida (Tokyo, Japan) (4/7/2000)

The local fan club had gotten together with the local radio station to put up a billboard welcoming Barry to Cedar Rapids. Barry was so touched that he invited us backstage after the concert. He wanted to know our opinions of the show and our lives rather than elaborating on his own ventures. Pictures were taken and gratitude was shown by all. - Wanda Feyerabend (of Iowa) (11/21/2009)

First Show - Donna Dunovsky (Westmont, IL) (1/18/2002)

First Show - Miriam Berg (Woodstock, IL) (4/5/2002)

First Show - Cindy (of Grand Rapids, MI) (8/19/2004)

First/Favorite Show: [What I liked about this show was the] excitement of Barry and his band. - Richard Boyd Wainscott (Paducah, KY) (4/9/2002)

The most memorable day of my life... well, other than, maybe my wedding day! I got to go onstage and sing "Can't Smile Without You" with Barry. His blue eyes are gorgeous! And when he hopped on the piano and put his arms around me, I melted. Thanks, Barry, for an absolutely awesome experience!! - Norma Kinsel (Springfield, IL) (7/24/2008)

First Show (July 12) - Jack Brown (Tulsa, OK) (7/19/99)

Favorite Show: Barry has such a presence. He is a showman. His concerts are so different than anyone else's that I've been to. He makes you feel so good when you're there with him, like he is singing to you only. - Mimi Hellmann (Salisbury, NC) (3/13/2000)

First Show - Sandi Paxton (of Ohio) (11/26/2000, 1/9/2012)

My first time traveling to see Barry in concert. This is where I began to cry when Barry would sing "I Made It Through the Rain." It all started on the Sunday before the concerts. My friend Marina and I had returned to watch videos after attending Mass at St. Michael's Cathedral. [When] "I Made It Through the Rain" came on, I was singing along and literally lost it during the chorus and I started to cry. I didn't think anything more of it, until we went to Barry's concert the next night. When he sang that song later in the show, the same thing happened, and I could not stop crying. The night after that, he sang it again, and it happened all over again! I have been to four more concerts since then, and each and every time Barry sings "I Made It Through the Rain", I still cry, because that song is so special for me. - Karen Radecki (Pittsburgh, PA) (9/7/2002)

First Show (July 22) - Kathie Mott (Chickasha, OK) (2/5/2004)

First Show - Sheila Angus (Burlington, Ontario, Canada) (7/9/2009)

July 22: It was at Barry's concert during the Second Great BMIFC Convention in Toronto. Suzanne Summers sat right behind me. I was with my local fan club girls, Cathe, Susan, and Sunny. We were laughing, singing and just having fun. The next night I went to the concert again with my parents. Barry waved at us as we drove out of the parking lot. - Suellen Vance (Columbus, Ohio) (5/25/2011)

Highlights (July 23): Overture (Could It Be Magic, One Voice, Tryin' To Get The Feeling Again, You're Looking Hot Tonight, I Write The Songs, Sweet Heaven) / Come With Me / At The Dance / Can't Smile Without You / Tryin' To Get The Feeling Again / Some Kind Of Friend / In Search Of Love / No Other Love / Mandy / Some Sweet Day / Copacabana (At The Copa) / Aye Caramba! / Sweet Heaven (I'm In Love Again) / Paradise Cafe / Big City Blues (with James Jolis) / Blue (with Muffy Hendrix) / Paradise Cafe (reprise) / All The Time / Read 'Em And Weep / It's A Miracle / I Made It Through The Rain / It's A Long Way Up / Who Needs To Dream (from "Copacabana") / I Write The Songs / It's A Long Way Up (reprise) / Let's Hang On (encore) / It's A Long Way Up (play out) / You're Looking Hot Tonight

First Show: I have loved Barry since I was a child (That wasn't the most popular thing to do in grade school... I got a lot of jabs! I was even an official member of the BMIFC!) - Rachel K. (Amsterdam, NY) (12/21/2008)

July 25: My family loves your music. We brought my mom to see Barry. This was her firswt experience at a live concert. She loved Barry and the show. We left the concert feeling just a little bit closer to Barry and liking him that much more. Mom talked about that concert for years afterward, how special it was for her to attend. She is deceased now, but Barry, she treasured that evening with you! - Corinne (of New York) (4/21/2012)

First Show: My brother had to come with us. - Amy (of New York) (6/4/2012)

First Show - Lisa (of Maine) (4/27/2000)

I just retired from 32 years of teaching music in Augusta, Maine. Barry was a major influence on me growing up in Whitefield, Maine. Being a piano and trumpet player, his music was always in my head. I have all his albums and printed music. One year, Barry's second concert in Portland, Maine, all my buddies got to perform with him on stage and I had to watch it. I was so upset I didn't get the call to play. I am a professional trumpet player now. Maybe someday, my dream will come true... to perform with Barry! He is the biggest reason I went into music. My son also is working on his masters in music composition. Maybe he someday will get to work with you, Barry! - Dwight Tibbetts (Windsor, Maine) (9/28/2012)

First Show: Simply put, a fan's first concert is always the most memorable. I fell in love with "Come With Me" and "It's A Long Way Up". Barry came out 5 times to the chorus for encores of that song. I was 14. The entire show was incredible for me as a teenager. - Christopher Swantek (Dupont, PA) (12/20/2000, 4/24/2009)

First Show (July 30): Wonderful Memories - Beautiful Summer Night - I brought my parents and my college sweetheart. We double dated! My mom loved Barry and was thrilled to see him LIVE. She taught me how to slow dance before my senior prom in 1981 to Barry's "I Don't Want To Walk Without You." Although my mom passed away in 1997, I will always cherish our shared enjoyment of Barry's music. I just purchased "Ultimate Manilow" and wistfully it's 1985 all over again. - Bob Williams (Roxbury, NJ) (2/23/2002)

First Show - Dino Santonastaso (Bayonne, NJ) (3/8/2011)

First Show - Donna (of New Hampshire) (10/26/2000)

I have been a Barry fan since I was little. In the mid-80's I was a member of your fan club. It was pleasure to have seen you in Worcester. - Michael Larson (Worcester, MA) (3/10/2002)

First Show - Jackie Patterson (of Massachusetts) (9/25/2003)

August 13: My mom and I had floor seats about 15 rows back, and when Barry came back out for the encore, he sang "You're Lookin' Hot Tonight," and pointed at me as I was standing on my chair clapping! - Lisa (of Pembroke, NH) (1/5/2008)

August 24: Barry began the second half with "Aye Carumba" from Copacabana and then said he had a "Lucky Strike Extra" for us. A screen came down and he premiered the film clip of "Who Needs To Dream" from Copacabana the movie. When he came back on stage he talked about how he had made his solo performing debut opening the second half of Bette's show right here at Merriweather and pointed off stage to the spot where he had thrown up before he came out on stage that first time. - Dawn Dieter (Baltimore, MD) (2/13/2004)

First Show - Penny White (Jacksonville, FL) (6/26/2004)

First Show - Kai Jacques (Carson City, NV) (3/14/99)

Favorite Show (September 4): I was seated front row, right side of stage. I was able to see Barry enter and leave the stage close-up! - Kathie Mott (Chickasha, OK) (2/5/2004)

First Show - Sally (of Cheshire, CT) (4/25/2002)

Favorite Show: This concert was one of the last things my mother and I did together. - Pam Taylor (Latrobe, PA) (4/5/2003)

First Show - Barb Kilheffer (Harrisburg, PA) (8/8/2009)

First Show - Paulette (of Beacon, NY) (8/1/2002)

Highlights (October 20 - late show): Overture / I'm Your Man / At The Dance / Can't Smile Without You (with Edna Manilow) / This One's For You / In Search Of Love / Some Sweet Day / Copacabana (At The Copa) / Aye Caramba! / Sweet Heaven (I'm In Love Again) + encore / It's A Miracle / I Made It Through The Rain

Barry nearly undressed on stage and the place went wild! - Alicia Goolsby (Griffin, GA) (11/22/99)

First Show - Lisa Leix (Atlanta, GA) (12/31/2000)

I had second row seats and the one thing I remember most was that the first five rows were all members of GA and NC/SC clubs. We all had 35 mm cameras in our hands. Before the show a "civilian" came by and wanted to know if we were members of a camera club. As Barry would sing each song, you could hear the camera clicks as they would go from one end of the aisle to the other. I often wonder if Barry could hear them from the stage? - Kathy Davis Eaton (8/11/97)

Favorite Show - Irene Van Gunst (Maywood, NJ) (11/5/98)

First Show: I love watching and listening to Barry. He makes his audience feel right at home and does a good mix of tunes from the old and new days. He shares parts of his past and present with the audience, and you feel as though he is your friend and not just an entertainer. - Teri Zucker (Brooklyn, NY) (5/6/2000)

First Show: I was 12 years old. This concert left an everlasting impression on me. I truly adore him! - Monique Vetrano (Queens, NY) (5/1/2002)

First Show - Janet Ernst (Wharton, NJ) (8/5/2002)

Favorite Show: I cannot put it into words!! - Rebecca McAninch (Marysville, OH) (7/26/2004)

First Show - LauraAnn Millard (New York City, NY) (7/30/2009)

Highlights: Overture / New York City Rhythm / I'm Your Man / Can't Smile Without You / Weekend In New England / Love Me Just A Little Bit / Some Kind Of Friend / Some Sweet Day / Copacabana Medley (Copacabana, Aye Caramba!, Sweet Heaven) / Who Needs To Dream / I Made It Through The Rain / It's A Long Way Up / It's Just Another New Year's Eve (dixie-land style!) / Auld Lang Syne / It's A Long Way Up (Reprise)

[ Manilow TV/Archives Episode #62 aired December 2014 ]