Or: Looks Like We Made It ...
And we did. We made it to a Barry Manilow Concert. Apparently, given the title of this tour, One Last Time, we were just in the nick of time.
When Carol first joined me and we discovered more about each other, I learned that Barry Manilow was important to her. He had, through his music and his humanity, played a big part in her life. Consequently, I promised her that, should it be possible, if he were ever in our vicinity I would get her to his concert.
At the time, I was speaking in a condition of total and blissful ignorance. I had thought that Manilow was one of those by-passed stars they have appearing at the local Casinos in the area. No big deal and relatively, for a concert, inexpensive.
Hahahaha, I was wrong. Barry may not be trending with the under-50 set, but he is HOT STUFF and still a big draw for a certain segment of America's population. Specifically, the over-50, white female population. With this demographic he is, and this is a bit of an understatement, the cat's pajamas.
No, he's the real deal, y'all. And he is still a big draw. Just not to the general public.
He announced his One Last Time! Tour in November, 2014. After performing more than 400 concerts at the Las Vegas Hilton and Paris Las Vegas from 2005 to 2011, Manilow has limited his concert appearances. The One Last Time! Tour is a major undertaking and, as Manilow said, "It is my way of thanking everyone for their years of support, one last time."
So, once I learned that he would be appearing in Portland, I got us two tickets to his concert. When I can, I try to be a man of my word.
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| Internet |
And here they are. Finally. There was a long story here and one that left me frustrated and angry.
I just don't understand the Groupon stuff. I really, really don't. I have had a hard time getting my stuff each and every time I've used the Groupon site. Hahaha, all three times. I realize a large part of it is my lack of tech expertise and my inability to easily navigate my way around and through the Groupon site. Plus, I ain't too smart. Regardless, this particular time it was exceedingly frustrating.
When I paid for the 'G-Passes', I expected to get me some 'G-Passes'.
I didn't.
I sent a bunch of e-mails to them the past few weeks expressing my concern and, nothing. I didn't know if I'd get the doggone tickets until the day before the concert.
That's cutting it too close, thank-you very much.
And firing up my daily dose of angst was this enigmatic message from Groupon. Note the date that the tickets were to be made available.
What the ... !?!?!
But, as so often happens, things worked out. I was fretting up until the day before the concert and then, viola, we got our tickets and I was finally able to print them out. Finally.
And we got some relatively good seats, too. There we are!! In Section 113, Row G, Seats 9 and 10.
OK, that problem was solved and now to get to the doggone thing. And for that, I fired up the Ol' Mini and we headed out, all smiles and giggles. For a while. Then there was misery.
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| CB The calm before the traffic jam. I'm still smiling. |
Hahaha, we left at 1330 and the road was open and smooth until 1500 when we hit the traffic. We'd been on the road for an hour and a half when we hit Tigard. From Tigard to the IKEA, where we parked the mini, is only 19 freakin' miles but, and pay attention here, it took us TWO STINKING HOURS!!!
Two stinking hours, people!!
#seriously?
Suffice it to say, I was not in a great mood by the time we pulled into the parking lot at the Portland IKEA. And the funny thing is, I opted to drive the extra 10 miles from the MODA to the IKEA because I didn't want to drive in the downtown traffic.
Hahahaha, wrong!!
But we finally got to the IKEA at 1700 and parked. It was a short walk over to the Cascades TriMet Station. And I needed to take a short walk to get my BP back to something resembling normal.
And from there, it was a short, albeit hot, ride down to the Moda Center, home of the NBA's Trail Blazers.
Fun Facts: The original name for this arena was the 'Rose Garden'. The name was chosen both to reflect Portland's reputation as the Rose City and to reflect the importance to basketball heritage of Boston Garden and Madison Square Garden arenas. When the name was selected, the reminder of the former Coliseum grounds were given the name 'Rose Quarter'.
In 2007, the Trail Blazers announced they were seeking a corporate partner to grant naming rights for the facility, with the goal of a new name for the '08 - '09 season. In August 2013, the Trail Blazers announced a 10-year deal with Moda Health, an Oregon-based health insurance provider, to rename the arena Moda Center.
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| CB We are too cool for words!! |
And here we were. OK, here's another issue I have with the good folks at Groupon. We arrived a little bit before 1730 because the tickets had said the doors opened one hour before the show started. OK, then, on our tickets they say on "Thursday, 28 May, 2015, at 6:30 p.m."
So we arrived at 1730 and learned that, oops, the doors wouldn't open until 1830 and the show an hour later.
This, on top of the traffic, made Jackie a very unhappy boy.
But I got over it because it was Carol's day and this was for Carol because, well, I am not a Barry Manilow fan but, boy howdy, she is!!
It was the first time to the Moda Center for both of us.
And we wasted no time in finding an opportunity to get ourselves a reflected window self.
#wereshameless
But, recognizing that standing outside in the blazing heat of the torrid Portland sun wasn't ideal, we quickly retired to the restaurant across the way from the entry to the Moda Center.
Hello, Dr. Jack's.
And, because there were sooooo many geriatrics there, we had to share a table. We found one occupied by Ken and Terry and had a great conversation with them as we whiled away the time until the doors opened.
Both of them are in IT. Neither of them had planned on it but time and circumstances conspired to get them there. We talked about a lot and I had the chance to relate my sad story of wrangling the traffic jam they laughingly call Portland. They live just a bit outside Portland and commute to their jobs in the city daily but they did commensurate with my trial that day. Hahaha, I was still feeling the frustration of dealing with the ridiculous traffic of Portland.
We had a good time with Ken and Terry. Oh, like us, they were there for the One Last Time! show. Hahaha, Ken even admitted that he knew the words to most of Barry's songs.
Soon enough the doors opened and so we said Adios to Ken and Terry and made our way on over to the Moda. Here's Dr. Jack's restaurant.
Uh, way over-priced.
'Nuff said.
And we got into line. One nice thing about a Barry Manilow Concert is that all, each and everyone, of the folks attending were well-mannered people. Hahaha, no problems with this crowd, Buddy.
Everyone was patient and well-mannered. And there were quite a few of them, too.
Barry!! Barry!! Barry!!
And, even though we were in a fast moving line, we were still able to get a selfie from the window. Hahahaha, we're too cool.
And the inside of the Moda Center. OK, I suppose security is set up to match the kind of crowd they will have to deal with. This security was way simple. Women had to open their handbags for a perfunctory inspection and guys, well, without a bag, we just waltzed right on in.
The inside of the Center.
And we made it to our seats in plenty of time. Hahaha, we were way early. But, we were there.
And in our whole row only one seat was occupied so far. The one right next to Carol.
Hahaha, we got to meet Kim, from Portland. She wanted to go to the Barry Manilow Concert and had no one to go with so she came alone. Hahaha, she's a brave woman. Who really likes Barry.
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| CB |
She is associated with some kind of pet rescue and she, personally, has six dachshunds. And of those six, two of them are not ambulatory and need assistance. She is a much better person than I.
Much better.
But she was there to enjoy some Barry and she and Carol hit it off immediately. Right after they got finished texting.
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| CB We're ready!! C'Mon, Barry!! |
Then finally, the lights went down ...
... and the show started with the opening act, Dave Koz.
Dave is a smooth jazz musician. Bottom line for me is that he was LOUD!
He was very loud.
And I'm not a fan of jazz ... smooth or otherwise.
But Carol enjoyed him.
And he did put on a good show.
But I'm not a fan ... of jazz ... or loud noise.
Soon enough, Dave was done and the lights were lowered and ...
... it was time for an intermission before Barry came out. And just the right time to break out the ol' phone and get back in touch because, who knows what you might have missed during the 35 minutes of Dave's show.
Oh, and get a picture, too.
Hahaha, and I am not sparing us from this observation.
Fortunately, I didn't have anyone interested in what I was doing right at that exact moment that I had to text.
But, soon enough, the lights went down again and we heard the dramatic music and the excitement became almost palpable.
The girls were ready!!
And there he was!!
The star of the show ...
Barry Manilow!!
And, doggone it, I enjoyed his show.
He'll be 72 next month, but he can still put on a good show.
One of the high-lights of the evening for me. He had us all stand up and sing-along with him for the song Can't Smile Without You.
We were really rocking it!! Everyone was singing.
Fun Facts: You can call him soft rock or romantic pop, but Barry Manilow was the King of the Ballad in the 70s. He started off with a little musical melodrama called, 'Mandy,' which was released 40 years ago this year. The song's title was originally 'Brandy.' The song's title was changed to avoid any confusion with 'Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" by Looking Glass which was released in 1972.
Fun Facts: The man who 'writes the songs' didn't write this one. Scott English and Richard Kerr co-wrote the tune. English recorded his own version of the song, then known as 'Brandy,' which hit the U.K. charts in 1971. According to an interview he did, English wasn't thrilled with Manilow's take on his song. "In the beginning, I hated it,' English said. He objected to how Manilow changed the song and made it 'real poppy' sounding. But the 'checks started coming in' for the song and English told Manilow that 'I ended up loving you buying me houses. '
Another Fun Fact: Manilow didn't write 'I Write the Songs' either. The credit for that soft rock ditty goes to Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys.
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| CB One happy girl!! |
Fun Facts: Before 'Mandy' Manilow was Bette Midler's piano man.
Manilow worked as a pianist at the Continental Baths, a gay bathhouse in New York City in the early 1970s. There he began performing with her and quickly became her musical director. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Manilow explained that 'I learned from Bette how to perform, how to do a show. I had no idea. I never even paid attention to performance.'
More Fun Facts: He's not just the King of the Ballad, Manilow was also the master of the commercial jingle. He wrote the music for several big ad campaigns of the 70s. You have Barry to thank for 'I Am Stuck on Band-aids' and 'Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm Is There.' In fact, he wrote an entire song for 'Like a Good Neighbor,' but the company only ended up using part of it. Manilow also recorded a number of other popular jingles and used to do a medley of his advertising hits during his concerts.
Used to. He didn't do that tonight.
For an old man, he put on one heck of a good show.
Then he took a short break and was out again with a different jacket.
But he was still working it and the girls in the audience were still loving it.
More Fun Facts: Manilow never wanted to be a pop music sensation. He had his sights set on the Great White Way, not the music charts. As he told the Washington Post, he was greatly influenced by his stepfather's musical tastes. His stepfather introduced him to jazz and the songs of Broadway. 'Pop stuff made no imprint on me,' he said. 'I just wasn't impressed by four chords. Elvis didn't do it for me. But jazz and broadway tunes had such substance and such intelligence and such soul that it was something I could connect to.' Manilow credits Clive Davis with making him a success in pop music. 'If I hadn't had Clive Davis guiding me along I really don't know what kind of pop career I would have had,' he told The Hollywood Reporter.
The show was great. I found myself enjoying it more than I thought I would.
Hahaha, the guy is good
More Fun Facts: In 1978, five of his albums were on the best-seller charts simultaneously, a feat equalled only by Herb Alpert, The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen and Johnny Mathis.
He recorded a string of Billboard hit singles and multi-platinum albums that have resulted in his being named Radio & Records' No. 1 adult contemporary artist.
Although not a favorite of music critics, several well-known entertainers have praised Manilow, including Sinatra, who was quoted in the 70s saying, 'He's next.' In 1988, Bob Dylan stopped Manilow at a party, hugged him and said, 'Don't stop what you're doing, man. We're all inspired by you.'
The guy is good. Then he hit his finale, Copacabana. Again, a lot of fun for everyone in the audience.
Fun Facts: As well as producing and arranging albums for others, Manilow has written songs for musicals, films and commercials. And, yes, he did write the lyrics for the epic, 'You Deserve A Break Today,' jingle for McDonald's.
All of his Fanilow's were more than happy with the performance. I know Carol was. And I enjoyed it, too.
Oh, and we saw some T-Shirts where they had 'Maninerds' emblazoned across the front.
Hahaha, craziness.
And, boy, did these old folks want to get on the road after the concert.
We waited around for a while till the crowds thinned out and then headed back to the TriMet for the ride back to the Mini.
I had been worried about the ride back on the public transport. It was a concern because I had the big camera with me and it was something that is obvious.
I needn't have worried. There were so many old people there I was lost in the crowd.
And, so, with a final look at the Moda Center and my very first Big-Time Concert, I bade a sincere farewell.
I say this is my first Big-Time Concert because I've been to one concert before this. Julia Nunes gave a concert in Seattle that I went to several years ago. But it was held in a small club with maybe a 150 or so people. So, while it was a concert, it wasn't a Big-Time Concert. Like this.
And the late-night crowd riding the rails in Portland.
And finally, back to the Mini, still safely waiting for us at the IKEA.
I admit I had some worries that they'd tow the Ol 'Girl but, thankfully, they didn't. No, all I really had to worry about was the 3 hour drive back to the casa.
There must be something cursed about my driving in Portland. When we were driving back, I expected to drive back on the freeways but ... Garmin had some different ideas.
I don't know why, but the stupid Garmin took me onto a surface road and then here and there through the downtown before it finally put me back onto the freeway.
Very frustrating.
But it was a good time.
Aside from getting there and getting back, it was a lot of fun. Manilow is, even at the age of 71 (he'll be 72 next month) a great performer. He really rocked and put on an energetic and entertaining show.
A good day and a good concert.
Life is good.
Hooah!!
P.S. When we got up this morning (5/31/15), we were both surprised to see that this blog had over 28 hits!! Wow, that's never happened before. I did some research and found that the blog had been linked on a Barry Manilow Fanzine site and that was where we were getting all the hits.
Hahahaha, keen fun!! This is the first time this has ever happened.
Here's the page!!
