Tony, Tony, Tony!

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So, I may have to redo that Facebook quiz on the "Top Five Concerts I've Ever Seen," because Tony Bennett just killed at the Flynn last night. Was there anybody else in the sold-out house? Because it felt like he was singing just for me.

My musical tastes are pretty eclectic. I suppress a smirk when someone takes pains to explain a rock reference to me, thinking the classical music girl doesn't know her Fuel from a fugue. Well, maybe it's better that my rebel-without-a-clue phase is a well-guarded secret.

Hearing the Great Crooners is another secret love. I guess I fell for their music--the old American songbook standards--in college, where we were immersed in Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and the Gershwins. A cappella singing groups belted out their tunes on practically every street corner, and a dozen film societies constantly screened old movie musicals. Fred and Ginger in Top Hat (1935) beat a long night in the library every time.

Over the years, I've been lucky enough to catch live performances by some of the greats--Frank Sinatra, Mel Tormé--and other amazing singers you wouldn't exactly classify as "crooners," such as Ray Charles, Harry Belafonte and B.B. King. When I found out I was going to be able to see Tony Bennett last night, I couldn't wait to share the awesome news with my friends. Their reactions ranged from "Who?" to "That old guy?" and "Why are you so damn excited?" Only my dad expressed enthusiasm. His chipper reply to my text: "Enjoy the show, and let me know how it goes!" (Dad, 69, is getting into texting lately.)

Well, the vast majority of the Flynn crowd appeared to be my dad's age--and up. But I didn't care. I also didn't care that my last-minute press pass meant that I had to stand at the back of the house for the whole show. Bennett blew me away. Just a month shy of his 83rd birthday, he is one of the most energetic, engaging and enthusiastic performers I've ever seen. He's been doing this for 60 years, folks! And he still seemed delighted--privileged, even--to be singing for us. 

Tony's daughter, Antonia--a budding jazz singer herself--opened the concert with three numbers, backed by her dad's musicians. Her cool, breathy rendition of "The Nearness of You" set the evening's magical tone. These old standards captivate you. They take you back to a simpler time. Maybe it's a time that never existed. But, damn...it's one that should have!

"The old songs are better than the new songs," Tony said as he introduced the 1926 Gershwin tune, "Who Cares."  "It's amazing how relevant it is," he added with a smile and shake of his head. And the audience laughed at the opening lines: "Let it rain and thunder!/Let a million firms go under!/I'm not concerned with/The stocks and bonds that I've been burned with...Who cares what the public chatters? Love's the only thing that matters!"

And over the course of about two dozen numbers, Bennett proved his case about how great the old standards really are. Bennett brought out the sweet simplicity of the lyrics, for example, on the Kurt Weill/Ogden Nash tune, "Speak Low," with a soft, introspective rendition. "Love is a spark, lost in the dark, too soon, too soon." Uptempo numbers were vigorous, with Tony shaking his groove thing quite delightfully as his musicians displayed their virtuosic chops on their frequent featured solos. (Sadly, there were NO program notes giving us their names and bios.) I've heard Porter's "I Got Rhythm" a million times, and I'm sure Bennett and company have played it a zillion. But they launched into the number with such gleeful abandon (and at such a breakneck tempo!) that it made me feel like I was hearing it for the first time.

With every song, Bennett connected with the crowd. Several times, he brought the house lights up at the end of a number so he could acknowledge the audience, and applaud back at his fans. Standing O's were frequent, but I've never seen a performer who responded to them quite the way he did. Not a glint of ego in his eye. Even after six decades of performing, he seemed genuinely filled with gratitude, joy and humility to be up on stage, doing what he loved. Maybe that's why so many contemporary artists have been hooking up with Bennett in recent years for duets and other projects. He sang a beautiful version of "For Once in My Life" last night, a song that had been a solo hit back in the late '60s for both him and Stevie Wonder. In 2006, their duo version won a Grammy.

One quiet number was the most moving for me. Just the guitarist accompanied Tony for most of Jerome Kern's "The Way You Look Tonight," a tender love song. Even in the large hall, across the sea of people, the words sailed straight to me: "Some day, when I'm awfully low/When the world is cold/I will feel a glow..." For the seniors in the crowd, these lyrics may have made them look back. But for me, a hopeless romantic in an era when romance seems truly dead and hopeless...well, Tony: Thanks for the private concert. And for the reminder to hope.

Comments

[dan bolles]

A few personal thoughts on the show:

1. To the yahoo who found it prudent to heckle the opening act after her first song: really, pal? You didn't make the connection that Antonia Bennett might just be, oh, I don't know, somehow related to Tony? Granted, she's not exactly on the same level as dear ol' dad (even the 82-year old version). But come on. I guess it's true what they say: Money ($95-150 tix) really can't buy class.

Props to the Flynn crowd for soundly booing that fella down though. And for the extended ovation following Antonia's second number.

2. My life's greatest dream was always to play left field for the Sox. Dream 1a: to be a crooner. Really. Sinatra (and to a lesser extent Dino) has long been a personal idol and I've often thought I was born about 30 years too late. To be able to witness arguably the last living link to that era of popular music was truly special. And I think I enjoyed listening to Tony's storytelling interludes almost more than the music.

3. More singers need to perform at the Flynn sans amplification. Tony's entirely un-miked rendition of "Fly Me to the Moon" (wasn't taking notes for this one, so apologies if I got the tune wrong) was one of the coolest moments I have ever experienced at the Flynn. More than any other point in the evening, I got a sense of just how much the man has left in those octogenarian pipes. (In case you're wondering, it's a lot.)

4. One thing I gotta get off my chest: I understand the need/desire for Quad organizers to introduce shows/pimp some other quad events. But seriously, Jay Craven? You made me long for the days of the Vaudeville cane. People already shelled out beaucoup bucks to see Bennett. If they wanted an infomercial, they could have stayed home and watched TV. There's a lot of stuff going on. We get it. In fact, that's why we're here. Take a page from the BDJF playbook and keep it short and sweet.

PS- to Craven's accomplice: Never demand silence from your crowd. And whatever you do, don't "shhh!" them. Ever. It's a rule.

[dan bolles]

Oh. And nice post, Lisa. Welcome to Blurt!

[Lisa Crean]

It was "Fly Me to the Moon," Dan--a signature Sinatra tune, and thanks for writing about it. I was afraid my first Blurt was getting a little long-winded. That was really another lump-in-the-throat moment. I could hear Tony clearly...and I was standing behind the last row of seats. In my research earlier in the day, I had read that he likes to do that: sing a number unmiked at every concert. Just amazing.

When I hear some contemporary pop & rock singers who are lauded for having "big" voices, I cringe at their technique (*COUGH* Celine Dion *COUGH* Christina Aguilera *COUGH*). They way they abuse their vocal chords, they ain't gonna have those so-called big voices for very long.

The incredible quality of Tony's voice--at 82!--last night proved: You take care of your pipes, and they'll take care of you.

PS: I would have loved to be a crooner too...with perhaps a bit of hoofer thrown in for good measure. The best of both worlds really was Fred Astaire. He certainly didn't have a big or especially pretty voice, but he sure could interpret a song. And every time a large, smooth, shiny surface appeared in one of his movies, you knew what was about to happen...

[pamela polston]

I'd have been happy to be Ginger Rogers. Like they say, she did everything Fred did, but backwards and in heels!

Seconds on all the gushing from both of you. Tony is a class act all the way. What a doll.

[Lisa Crean]

"Backwards and in heels..." One of my fave images of all time! Makes me want to watch an old movie this afternoon instead of working. I think I have some Fred and Ginger in the DVR somewhere...

Getting psyched for Bettye LaVette & Buddy Guy tonight. And what is that yellow orb I see outside my window, in that blue thing called...what is it now, the sky, I think? Does that mean the concert will actually happen outside? [Crossing fingers now...]

[John]

What a wonderful concert it must have been! Tony still performing (and well) at 83 gives this not quite septogenarian hope. And wonderful coverage in SEVEN DAYS, as always. Excellent writing, and to the point. BRAVO!