Saturday, July 14, 2012

Barry Manilow Tradition- Roadtrip


Surprise! I’m back. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you may have noticed that there hasn’t been much to read lately. More than one person may have gotten the idea that I ended this blog. As you can see, I have not ended my Manilow blog. My writing slacked off for many reasons but the main reason I let this blog go so long is I felt the blog was going down a road I didn’t want to go down. Too much negativity. So I took a few steps back; waiting until I felt the time was right to come back. Now is that time. Why is this proper time to start writing my Manilow blog again? Because I am going to a Barry concert in a few weeks.


In years past if Barry had been on the road like he is this summer, I would have been trying to work out going to as many shows as possible. That part of my life seems to be over. It’s been more than a few years since I’ve seen Barry perform. To tell the truth, I wasn’t sure I’d go to a show on this tour. Believe it or not there are other things more important to me now. In October my husband and I will become grandparents for the first time. Our grandson will be born in city about eight hours away from our home. That is one event we will not miss. So we weren’t sure we’d do any large trips this summer. After some discussion, we made the decision to change a closer to home get away we had planned into a trip to see Barry in Nashville.


Why Nashville? First off, it will provide a chance to see some family. Oddly enough my son who lives in Nashville will be out on tour and won’t be home but the other son is coming for the show. My daughter-in-law will be seeing her first Manilow show. It will be interesting to hear her take on the concert after hearing about the family’s Manilow adventures for so long. Another reason is that the only other tour stop near us is Atlanta. Nothing wrong with Atlanta. I’ve seen George Harrison, Elvis, Copa, and even Barry in Atlanta. I spent last New Year’s Eve there at a Gaither concert. But this is an outside concert in Atlanta at the end of July.


I’m a southern, older, and I hope, wiser. I have no desire to sit outside for anything in Atlanta in the height of summer. A Braves game in the early 1990s taught me that unforgettable lesson. It’s not like I haven’t ever gone to see Barry outside. Shed tours were all he did in the summer back in the day. Mud Island in the middle of the Mississippi River in Memphis comes to mind right off the bat. The temperature and humidity was in the nineties. I am so over that. Now I like comfort, which in this case is air conditioning. Wimpy maybe, but that’s fine with me. Splurged on something else too.
I broke bad and purchased good seats. If we’re going that far might as well do it up right. Maybe the hubby will get some great pictures. The reviews on this tour have been great. I am looking forward to the show. I’m not expecting the kind of show I saw in the 1980s and 1990s. Not only am I older but Barry is too. Disappointment is not an option, as I have read from older fans like me. Barry is something rare these day – a performer. He puts on a show. I have no doubts I will be entertained. Check back here in a couple of weeks, around the first of August. I plan to write a review. What else can I say but roadtrip!!



*Anyone else going to the Nashville show?