So, I guess you can see by my title that I am UNIMPRESSED with Barry Manilow. That man is OFF my list and I’m not sure how I feel about the albums I own.
I did have a fun time in Las Vegas. Las Vegas is not my problem, and Blair and I did a lot of fun things, most of which I can share pictures of.
So, we went to see Barry Manilow in the Paris Hotel. Rented a car, stayed in a hotel, bought tickets. Terrible seats, but hey, it was a small theatre and we figured, we are IN the theatre, so that counts, right? When we arrived at the Paris theatre and presented our tickets to the nice usher lady, she said, “Wow, these are terrible seats.” I said, “Well, you have 7 kids and see what kind of seats YOU can afford.” She was like, 7 kids???? Wow!” Then she said, “Let me see what I can do…” She consulted her seating chart/list thing and asked to see our tickets again. We handed them over and she scribbled out our seat numbers and wrote in NEW seat numbers…much MUCH closer. NINTH row! Center! These seats rocked! We were so excited! The show began about 7:40pm and Barry Manilow jogged out onto the stage and began singing. Very nice! We were all clapping and singing and having a nice time. He sang 3 or 4 songs, joked with the audience and things are going very well. After the 4th song, I think, a piano moves out onto the stage and Barry Manilow sits at the keys. He says, “I’ve been getting a cold and I think I may have bronchitis, which is making it difficult to hit the high notes, so, I think I’m done. You can get your money back if you want.” Then, He gets up and LEAVES.
What?
I said, HE LEAVES. As in LEAVES the STAGE AND DOESN’T COME BACK. The curtains went up, the lights came on and we were ushered out of the theatre. THE END.
I will share the rest of the Las Vegas trip, which was fun, later. It was a nice trip. Nice to see Leslie and her family, fun on the strip, fun in the hotels, and fun at Hoover Dam.
NOT FUN AT BARRY MANILOW’S CONCERT. I do have a few pictures of that tho…Thankfully photos were allowed and Blair had the presence of mind to take some before we were all ejected out by Barry Manilow’s odd behavior, which more than a few people are going to see some letters from me over. Sheesh.
you gotta give the poor man a break, he’s pushing 70 years old.
so true! I guess I hope I’m in that good of shape when I’m 70!:)
I was at that show and it was obvious he was ill from the opening song. He wasn’t even attempted the high notes and I mentioned to my companion that something seemed off. He was sick, you idiot and if you think he cancels a show without good cause, think again. You got, or will get, your money back so quit blaming a 68 yr old man for not wanting to sing when he couldn’t even breathe. And you totally misquoted him.
I think, Sharon, that she was unimpressed with the WAY he cancelled his show.
That is the very thing, Nedra:) You hit the nail on the head. I guess I’m glad I got to hear at least 3 or 4 songs…for free….:)
In reply to comments I cannot approve due to profanity implied: I can appreciate that Barry may not be as spry or as healthy as he once was, I can understand a person being ill. That does not make me feel happier about missing a concert that I was very much looking forward to, and getting my money back does not change the fact that I did not get to see him in concert. So he was sick. Ok, well, I was disappointed, very much so. Does he ‘win’ extra sympathy because he’s old? or famous? The people sitting next to me came from Alaska to see him. It was upsetting. And as far as misquoting him, so sorry there were no recording devices allowed. I am unable to remember every single word he said.
Oh Maren! I’m so sorry…what a bite!!! My first Manilow concert experience was kinda of similar. My roomies and I drove down from Salt Lake one July. The travel agent at ZCMI told us we didn’t need advanced tickets. (HA!) We got into Vegas at 3:00 a.m. and went to reconnoiter the Riviera (where he was appearing). We found the theater…and lo and behold, there was a line of women sitting on the floor, stretching out into the casino. I asked….was informed that he’d been sick…for three days. These ladies were waiting for “cancellation” tickets, because the first nighters got second night tickets, second nighters got third night tickets and so on. These women had been in Vegas for a week, waiting to get in to see him…….WTH????? So, of course, we didn’t have a CHANCE IN HADES of getting to see him the next night. We saw Mac Davis instead (who did the same concert he’d done at BYU three months before, that I’d seen three months before at BYU). No to mention not being able to get into our hotel room for another TWELVE HOURS, or the bucket of KFC that slowly went bad in the back seat of the car in the 98 degree heat, nor the underwear that I’d neglected to pack…LOL. (At least you had fun with Blair!)
BTW…Manilow does really (or, wait, I should say DID) put on a good concert…when he’s not sick.
If Manilow is getting too sick to perform because is he getting older, it may be time to retire, instead of disappointing crowds of people. By the way, if you have pictures, then LET’S SEE THEM!
Dude Maren, that totally blows. Ok so people get sick. We all get that. But people traveled to see this guy, have been excited about it for months. For someone to just say “Get your money back” and walk away is downright rude. We have all had days where we are sick, but at work – and we have to work anyways. How nice would it be to just say “Hey. I am sick. See ya.” and walk away from your job? But he can do it? Why? Because he’s a celebrity? That’s not cool. That is arrogant and rude. Ok, so he is too sick to sing? No voice? Ok. Offer people their money back. Then stay on stage and interact with your fans somehow. Without fans, he would have nothing and it is sad that he seems to have forgotten that his fans made him who he is. He should have noy walked away like he did, he could have offered money back, stayed on stage and did some sort of meet and greet or something. What he did was rude. Being sick isnt an excuse to be rude. I am sorry Maren. That totally blows.
The thing is..I once stayed in the same Hotel as Manilow in Toledo, Ohio. it was reported that the man had a 104 degree temperature so I was assuming that the concert might be cancelled because of it but it wasn’t..he went on and gave a great show…even sick. he’s not a person that likes to cancel so when he does he’s usually pretty sick. could he have handled it better? yes, I’m sure he could have but when you’re sick you don’t always think too clearly and he probably just wanted to go crawl into bed and rest. who can blame him. sorry for your misfortunes but he really does put on a great show so i’d give him another chance in the future.
I’ve heard it’s a great show, hopefully I can make it out another time:) Thanks for your comments, feel free to look around the site……I’m not always so inflammatory!:)
I hope that you got your money back! I’m sorry. At least you got to see him sing 4 songs for free! (I hope)
While I appreciate your disappointment – I would like to ask…
Have you ever gone to work/turned up for an event etc and realized it was a mistake because you feel like crap or have personal stuff going on but you figured you MUST/SHOULD make the effort?
Although I totally get that Barry is seen as a “living legend” by many out there, he’s just a regular man, who get’s regular colds/sickness/personal stuff just like the rest of us. He gets pissed, sad and happy just like the rest of us. He is HUMAN just like the rest of us.
Barry, whatever you think of him, will be kicking himself harder than anybody for letting his fans/paying customers down and I can promise you that decision to walk off the stage was not one he made lightly.
Sometimes, the show shouldn’t go on at all – but try telling that to a showman who prides himself of giving the best of himself in arenas all over the World as well as in recent residencies in Las Vegas.
I really hope you get to see a full show of his some day.
me too!:) I am a big fan, and I guess that’s why I’m so disappointed…I guess I better start planning my second trip ever to Vegas;)
Another lady is also expressing her disappointment at the way the cancellation was handled. She even replied to a Tweet by Dayna Roselli, morning news anchor at KLAS-TV in Las Vegas, saying a Paris staff member told her he cancels 40% of his shows. (which is total bovine manure BTW). You can read her Tweets here:
http://twitter.com/ProductX1
About your canceled show, Maren, I have no problem with anyone canceling if they feel so ill they don’t think they can complete the show. Mr. Manilow seems to suffer from chronic bronchitis as he’s canceled several shows over the past dozen or so years because of it. If you can’t breathe, you can’t sing. He has been seen smoking in the last couple of years, which isn’t the best thing for a singer with a bronchitis problem. But a couple of people Tweeted that he was seen not long ago with a vapor cigarette, so perhaps he’s trying to quit, if he hasn’t already. I hope he gets well soon for his album promotional stuff. I think he’s on QVC this coming Thursday.
Anyway, it says on most tickets there’s no guarantee the show will go on. So if someone chooses to spend thousands of dollars and travel long distances, or even from other countries, on the chance the show might be canceled, that’s not Mr. Manilow’s problem. That’s the customer’s problem for choosing to gamble that he won’t get sick, or have technical difficulties, or suffer from “unforeseen circumstances.” Performers cancel all the time for various reasons. That’s why the warning is on the tickets.
But it seems as if the problem here is HOW it was canceled. Two different people have said he left with no “I’m sorry,” or “I apologize,” which would have negated most of this negative chatter on the Internet. I also don’t see anything posted on his Facebook page. I’m sure he hated to cancel, but a little remorse would go a long way in soothing disappointed people. Instead, the silence is deafening, as has been the case in the past. I wonder if the “Marc” who replied above might be his Personal Assistant, and his words are supposed to take care of the problem. Who knows?
Anyway, I’m sorry you were so disappointed. Been there, done that. Hope you have better luck if you try to see him again.
Thanks for your comments. You’ve hit the nail on the head for me, I’m sure he must have been ill, I mean, why else would he walk out? But it sure seemed callous. I’m NOT saying Barry Manilow is callous, I’m saying, in this one instance, the way he left the stage, only mentioning our money…not our time, or other considerations, seemed callous. That being said, I didn’t throw away his albums and consider myself ‘warned’ about the nature of these kinds of shows:)
Hi Marc,
I have to agree with everything you said. My friends and I were in Vegas this past weekend to see all three of Barry’s shows. We even had 2 very close friends fly in from Australia to join us. This trip has been in the planning since January. Friday nights show was wonderful, plus Barry gave us “Bring On Tomorrow”, which was beautiful and brought us to tears seeing it performed live. Needless to say we were all looking forward to Saturday and Sunday’s shows. When Barry started the show on Saturday night it seemed to be business as usual. He was energetic and happy, then he started to sing. We were sitting in the front row and we all looked at each other knowing that he was having a problem hitting some of the notes…at first we thought he had just changed some of the arrangements, but soon we realized he was snuggling to give us his best. I have seen Barry’s show many times and I know he isn’t happy unless he gives us 100% or better. Barry is a perfectionist when it comes to his music and we all respect him for that. Why would a performer want to do a show if he or she wasn’t able to do just that. That what sets Barry apart from so many others. He really cares. That’s why he has had the success and longevity he has worked so hard to achieve.
When he sat down at the piano and started to talk to us, he mentioned that his bronchitis was bothering him we knew something was about to happen. We could tell he was struggling with a very hard decision that he had to make right then. I have never seen him look so sad and defeated as I did when he made the announcement that he was unable to continue the show. Of course we were all disappointed, but we knew Barry would not give his audience LESS that what they had paid for. I feel bad for all of us who were at the show hoping to see him work his magic, but as you said, Barry is human, and we shouldn’t expect something from him that he was unable to do right then. I respect his decision, I know it was a very difficult one to make … I hope he is feeling better now.
Joyce
“Candles burnin’, glasses are chilled
And soon she’ll be by
Hope and pray she’ll say
That she’s willin’ to give us another try
And if all those plans I’ve made
Don’t melt the lady’s heart
I’ll put on the old 45’s
And maybe the old songs will bring back the old times
Maybe the old lines will sound new
Maybe she’ll lay her head on my shoulder
Maybe old feelings will come through
Maybe we’ll start to cry and wonder why
We ever walked away
Maybe the old songs will bring back the old times
And make her want to stay”~Barry Manilow
Sorry the dude was sick, but the way I see it, you got part of a concert, and pictures (so I hear…) and you always have the old times with Barry, who is probably better recorded anyway. I, for one, cannot abide you giving up the Barry love. Its part of who you are, babe.
Oh I’m not giving him up forever…maybe just this week!:)
Hello Dude Maren, I’m sure you will be rueing the day you actually wrote something negative about Mr. Barry Manilow. Now you shall be hit after hit after hit by his fans and more than likely none will be all too positive so I thought I would invite you to see the world of Manilow fans if you are interested. See above website. :O)
Regarding your posting about Manilow leaving the show early I must commend him on actually showing up. You see Dude Maren, he does stuff like this a lot. Get’s sick, cancels out on shows, he even dumped the entire Australian tour (unforeseen circumstances they say). There are some people still waiting for shows (Oct. 2011) they will have waited 2 years. San Diago Sacramento. Others down right cancelled to accomodate other shows. I could go on and on. Recently he went to the United Kingdom. Got there sick, but the shows did go on. After all, how can one cancel out when they waited 11 months for the show. If you were part of this fandom you’d know don’t bank on the show happening and buy a ticket day of. It’s not too hard to get a ticket in Vegas and as in your case you got good seats. Must have been a few choice down front empty. Anyway going to Vegas for the main reason of seeing Manilow is not wise. If he’s there good, if not then you have another agenda to follow.
I agree with Jeannette how he handled the circumstances was rude. Barry wants to woo what his fans call civillians . This isn’t the way to handle things.
Personally I just wish the man would retire. I’m hoping 15 minutes is just that. Take that final bow and just go about life being Barry Manilow and not MANILOW.
MANILOW sucks but I’m hoping Barry Manilow might be a kind of a nice guy still.
I suppose I’m still a fan…you don’t give something like this up after 25 years!:) Thanks for the website, and your comments:)
I’ll forever love this guy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6BePHgXWLU
That’s what most people remember. Thank you for allowing me post. :O) BTW you should post all comments. Show the world the kind of stuffing some fans are made of .
I must say that I commend Maren for even wanting to be a fan after this. I am amazed at all the people who are supporting him. Maren is more forgiving than I would be, that’s for sure. So she got her money back? Did she really?
Everyone is seeing this from “Manilow’s” perspective. What about the fans? The fans that make Barry Manilow who he is? She got her money back for the show tickets. Whoopdie freakin’ doo. What about the cost of the trip to get to Vegas, to see him perform? Did she get reimbursed her travel expenses? Did she get reimbursed her hotel expenses? The cost of the tickets don’t even cover a fraction of the cost spent to go out there specifically to see Barry Manilow perform. People came from Alaska to see him perform? I am sure they were pleased with a show ticket reimbursement, after spending who knows how many hundreds of dollars to fly out there.
Oh man, let’s all fall to our knees and worship Barry Manilow as if he would have the money and the fame he would have on his own. It’s people like Maren, that have made him famous in the first place.
“Manilow” is “Barry Manilow”. Manilow the show, is put on by Barry Manilow, the person. There is no separation there. He can’t get himself confused with himself, can he? Can I start doing that at my work? Being a complete jerk to patients, because I’m having a bad day and not feeling well? I’m sure if I just walked away from a patient in the middle of a procedure, the patient would say “Well, I am impressed you showed up at all.”
I’m sorry (not really sorry at all), there is nothing more annoying that celebrities being arrogant towards their fans. I don’t give a tail if he was sick. He wasn’t having a heart attack on stage for cryin’ out loud. If he was well enough to perform 4 songs – then he is well enough to apologize, offer a refund and STAY on stage and talk to his fans. And make it up to them in someway or another. What he did makes him an arrogant jerk. Bronchitis is not so emergent, that you can walk away from singing four songs, without even having the decency of a human being to acknowledge that there is a crowd full of people, there just to see him. That takes serious nerve to walk away from.
Maren has a whole lot more class than I do. She doesn’t post the comments with profanity because she has class. Cursing at her, or whatever, is not classy. Obviously, she is not afraid to post comments disagreeing with her. But forgive the lady if she doesn’t want profanity on her family blog. Come on.
Thanks for sticking up for me, Jeanette:)
Any time, Dude. 😉
I saw Barry Manilow years ago in Denver at Red Rocks and it was awesome. How disappointing to pay money and go to see him, just to have him not perform. And how aggravating to hear he does this often. If he is too old and sick to perform, consider retiring. That being said I still love Manilow.
He’s not sick. You all got played. Sorry. :O(
______________________
It’s a MANILOW MEDIA FRENZY…Starting Tomorrow!
Posted by My Manilow Network on May 23, 2011 at 1:18pm
Send Message View My Manilow Network’s blog
Barry will be all over the TV and radio air waves this week talking about his new album, 15 MINUTES!
First, he will be doing a satellite media tour tomorrow (Tuesday, May 24) and will be appearing on the following TV shows:
Tampa – Good Day Tampa Bay
San Antonio – FOX 29 Morning News
Sacramento – Good Day Sacramento
Orlando – FOX 35 News at 9 AM
Phoenix – CBS 5 News at 6 AM
Dallas – Good Day at 7 AM
Indianapolis – FOX 59 Morning News
Chicago – WGN Morning News
Cleveland – Good Company Today
Denver – Good Day Colorado
Charlotte – FOX News Rising
St. Louis – FOX 2 News at 9 AM
Minneapolis – FOX 9 Buzz
Baltimore – Eyewitness News Morning Edition
Tampa – Studio 10
Milwaukee – Morning Blend
Hartford – Connecticut Style
Baltimore – FOX 45 Morning News
San Diego – FOX 5 Morning News
Detroit – FOX 2 News at 11
Los Angeles – Good Day LA/FOX 11 Morning News
Portland – AM Northwest
Minneapolis – Showcase Minnesota
Cincinnati – 9 News at Noon
Sacramento – Sacramento and Company
Phoenix – FOX 10 Arizona Morning at 9 AM
Portland – Studio 6
Los Angeles – On The Red Carpet
Then, on Wednesday, May 25, you will find Barry on:
WLTW Radio – Online Interview at 10 AM ET: http://www.1067litefm.com/main.html
WNYC (NPR) – “Leonard Lopate Show” at 12 PM
The JOY BEHAR SHOW – HLN – Check your local listings
Finally, Barry will debut 15 MINUTES during a LIVE one hour broadcast on QVC at 8 PM ET on Thursday, May 26!
See…we told you it was a FRENZY!!!!!!!!!!!!
106.7 Lite fm New York
http://www.1067litefm.com
New York’s Best Variety
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Well. Now I AM bugged. 🙂
Does this stuff a lot. Sorry :O(
I knew there was a reason I liked Donny!:)
WOW! Lots of buzz here!! I think it is interesting those who have said he is a regular person and should get a day off when sick like a regular person. The thing that is different is someone still has to do the regular person’s job. A teacher doesn’t just go home, a sub is called, at my husband’s job if someone is sick all of the others have to make up the slack. Yes, you should be able to go home when you are sick, but somehow we all expect there to be a person taking our order at the drive-in, answering a customer service call, or delivering our mail. I know it wouldn’t be the same, but if I had traveled out to Vegas for a rare vacation maybe even specifically to see a certain singer, I would still want a show. I would be dissapointed to get there and not be able to hear from someone famous, but a back-up show of someone singing Manilow songs well would be a better “sorry” to me than just going home without anything. I am sure he is a great performer, but I bet you could still have a good show with his songs, and someone healthy singing them. Where is his temp?
A valid point!:) To tell you the truth, if he had let us exchange our tickets for free t-shirts, I probably wouldnt’ have felt so jipped:)
First, let me say I understand your disappointment and frustration. It’s obvious you were looking forward to the show, especially since your seats were unexpectedly upgraded.
However, clearly he was actually sick, despite the interview schedule later in the week. If he wasn’t sick, he would have cancelled the entire show, and not bothered to perform the first 4 songs. What would be the point, if they were going to give refunds anyway?
I imagine all these dates for interviews were set up long before Friday and Saturday, and it’s very possible he may cancel some of these events too.
I do think he should have apologized (perhaps he did? You said you didn’t remember his exact words), but if he was sick enough to quit mid-show, he probably was thinking of nothing more than climbing under the covers. I’ve seen him perform when he was ill before, so he must have felt pretty awful to quit midway through.
Barry Manilow is one of the best performers anywhere, and I hope you’ll reconsider and make another attempt to see his full show sometime in the future. I am certain you’ll enjoy every minute.
Thanks for your comments:) altho I do not recall his exact words, I’m pretty sure I would have remembered a sincere apology…
Dear Maren,
Don’t worry I won’t bash you! At first read I wanted to, but then I realized I’d be doing exactly what I dis-liked about your post. However, I do need to share my opinion and it’s long so sit back with a cup of coffee:)
I’ve admired Barry Manilow since 2007, it was April of that year his music changed my life, giving me the courage and inspiration to start my life over. The story is long, but the journey has been amazing. In that time I’ve attended at least 50 shows, I believe only one was canceled due to illness. I’ve heard stories from people who have been fans for nearly 4 decades. They tell of times Barry performed with fevers, flu, virus, broken bones and heartbreak from personal loss, yet his respect and love for his fans made him go on.
In December of 2007, he had a show in Cleveland with one the next night in Detroit. A fierce blizzard hit (took me 10 hours to make a four hour trip home). His plane was grounded, but to not disappoint the fans, he drove to the next venue, in the blizzard. Arriving late he ran onto the stage in jeans and winter coat, apologized and asked for the audience to give him just a few moments to change. There are few of his stature that would do that. To me that’s just a small sample of how great this man is, not only as a musician but as a person of character who does not take his job lightly.
I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, if he can go on, if he can do something, he will and he’ll give his all 200% of the time. Having had the pleasure of meeting him several times, I can say he is one of the kindest, most humble, genuine, giving human beings I’ve ever met. An example from which we can all learn. Two of my sons have had the pleasure of meeting him and since that day they adore him. A 21 year old and a 13 year old can be harsh judges of people and Mr. Manilow passed with flying colors!
The people with him; his manager, assistant, staff, band, crew, some whom have been with him for decades are also some of the greatest people I’ve ever met. I don’t believe Barry sees them as employees of the “star”, but rather as family who he respects and cares for, and for that their feeling is the same.
His un-sung generosity to so many organizations also speaks volumes. For example, because of the Manilow Music Project, public school children in music programs in many parts of the country have musical instruments so they can pursue what they love, as he once did.
If I’d been at the Paris I would have been upset too, but not for the reasons you and others were. Anytime I hear Barry isn’t well, I worry as I would for a friend or relative, he’s had that much of an impact on my life, he’s not just a performer on a stage there to make me happy and give me my money’s worth! Hearing he left the stage Saturday, I felt it was more than a simple cold or a matter of his just not feeling like doing the show and I was sincerely and deeply concerned.
Do I think he’s an idol or a God? No absolutely not. Do I have a deep admiration and respect for him that his unshakable? For certain I do.
It’s sad when we forget celebrities are human, even sadder that we need to be reminded. It is his human-ness that he humbly shares that helps create the powerful feeling his songs convey. It is from the depth of his heart that he performs for each person present, be it their first time or millionth. Each time Barry steps on stage he doesn’t rest on the laurels of his fame, which he rightly could, but rather gives a performance that’s fresh and new and I believe one he hopes people will approve of, because if he feels he’s given less than his best, it destroys him. I agree with all who said his needing to disappoint anyone on Saturday and Sunday was far worse for him than it was for anyone present.
For people who call themselves fans and claim to love him, then turn around and rip him to shreds because they were disappointed that their expectations weren’t met makes me sad. I wonder what sort of empathy or sympathy they have for their personal friends and family. I feel horrible that Barry feels the need to apologize and explain for circumstances over which he has no control, yet he is the sort of person who does!
To those who say they wish Barry would retire, it’s there opinion, but I fear that would be far more detrimental to his well being as he is so passionate about his work in music and loves performing so much. I hope and pray he can continue until he chooses not to. If that means a canellation here or there, so be it, it will not change how I feel.
I hope you and your sister will return to Vegas one day or perhaps Barry will be at a venue near you. Please give him another chance, I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Take care and thanks for listening
Helen
PS If you’d ever like to read how Barry has touched my life, please visit my web-site itcouldbemagic.com
Thanks for your comments, Helen. I think what a lot of people are missing here is that I didn’t say Barry was a bad person or a terrible performer or any disparaging remarks about him.
I planned a trip specifically to see Barry Manilow. I’ve been listening to his music since 1984 and his song, “I Made It Through The Rain” got me through my 6th son’s diagnosis of severe mental retardation. So, here we are, my husband and I, away from our 7 children, one of whom is severely handicapped. This doesn’t happen often. We don’t live in Nevada, and our cars are old, so we rented a car. Not a great car, the cheapest one they had. We rented a motel room. Not a great one, cheap, because we had spent what we felt was a huge amount of money to sit in the back….and I mean the back, of the Manilow concert. Add to this, it’s my birthday. We’d never been to Vegas, never seen Barry in concert. We don’t drink or gamble, so Barry Manilow is pretty much the reason we’re here.
I was SO disappointed. As in, my stomach hurt for hours after we left the theatre. It was heartbreaking. I can’t afford to drive to Vegas again and again to see that show. This was it.
I’m sure Barry Manilow is fine, upstanding man who was deathly ill.
I am a fine upstanding woman who had a chance to see him in concert.
I can appreciate that many of you are big fans, but just because I’ve not seen him 6000 times doesn’t make me not a fan. I own almost all of his albums, know all of the songs on those albums by heart and have a huge interest in his work.
All I mean to say, here and in my post, is that I am a big fan who was beyond disappointed both by missing the concert, and by his behavior in walking off without a lot of explanation. There are a million other ways he or his people could have handled that.
I am A Barry Manilow Fan. (Maybe not quite the fan you are Helen…you seem very serious about your Manilow….) I was disappointed. I blogged about it.
Maren
LOL.. she’s not just a fan. she moved herself across country and set up shop in Palm Springs just to be close to Manilow. Do sane people do that? I’m just asking 😉
Helen, I appreciate your devotion to Manilow. (I’m a fan, too, by the way.) I’m also a die-hard, dyed-in-the-wool Johnny Depp fan (which Maren will attest to!). I’ve flown thousands of miles to see him and waited for hours and hours in heat and rain and rock hard pavement. I understand fan-dom, believe me. I also know Maren…I’ve known her for years. I don’t know a finer, more caring, funny, respectful person. (She’s actually my hero.) I know the sacrifice she made going to Vegas…I know what it cost her…not just in dollars and cents. As I said upstairs somewhere, in response to someone else…Maren was upset at the WAY the show was cancelled, not that Barry was sick or couldn’t perform. There are some people who are able (through whatever means) to follow their celeb wherever and whenever…and that’s great. Go for it, I say. If I could attend every event where Johnny goes, I’d do it (although I’m pretty sure that would completely CREEP HIM OUT…but there you go.) Fans are the reason that celebs are able to do the things they do. As Johnny always says, the fans are “his boss.” You don’t just blow off your boss. If you did, you wouldn’t have a job for very long. My thought is that perhaps if he’d stopped singing, explained a little more that he was sick, spent a few minutes with the audience…relating to them as people – people who had probably made a lot of sacrifices to be there, to hear HIM…there wouldn’t be so much disappointment. Everybody gets sick, everybody knows that…you can’t help it, it happens. And if he was SO sick that he couldn’t have somehow made his stopping the performance less abrupt (and I’ll say, rude) then he should have been carried off by the paramedics. I’ve been so sick I was nearly hospitalized, but I still stood up in front of 30 kids and taught a lesson…THEN I went off and did the get-well thing…because I would have let down the kids and the other instructors – who would have had to scramble to cover for me. You can hold on for a few minutes more, to make a group of people (who paid a LOT of money to see you) feel a little special. I think that’s the point here.
Thanks Nedra!:)
Seeing as Goofy posted the Manilow Media Frenzy post just to vent his/her wrath I thought I’d share with you Barry’s apology, written for the people who were legitimately affected by his no-show and not those just wanting to pull the guy to pieces. (This was posted on Barry’s Facebook page)
“I’m so sorry.
For those people who were in the Paris, Las Vegas audience on Saturday
night; they were able to hear that my voice was gone. After a handful
of songs, everyone in the room, including my band, singers, and crew
knew it was just a matter of time that I was going to throw in the
towel.
I was sure that it was that stupid bronchitis that got me again. But
when two doctors went down my throat to my vocal chords, they both
agreed that this horrible acid reflux that’s been attacking me has
infected my vocal chords. Anyone out there have acid reflux? Well, you
must know what a drag it is.
But for us vocalists, it gets our vocal chords and it’s murder.
I’m on a million things that are supposed to ease the infection and
I’ll be back by Paris next weekend, determined to give our audience
the best show ever.
So for those of you who were there and are dissappointed, angry, and
unhappy, I apologize sincerely.
You all know, I would never cancel a show if it wasn’t absolutely
impossible for me to perform. You all know, I’ve gone on stage with
fever, the flu, after tragedies, in horrible weather and more….and
as long as I can make a sound in tune, I’ll be there.
But when nothing comes out when I try and sing….there’s nothing I
can do about it.
So please forgive me.
Barry”
So, I hope that’s satisfied everybody and Barry, his family, his band, singers, crew management don’t have to keep reading some of the horrible comments that are being written on some of the “fan” forums out there. And I personally hope it goes some way to reassuring you that Barry is, indeed, a decent human being.
Best – Marc
Add your last name to that post and let them Google it 😉
lol:) I think I’ll PASS on that:)
here.. go here and click where it says “see all cast and crew” so it expands… and look for Marc. he’s a very nice guy 😉
http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/474022/Manilow-Live-/
Aww, Reb, give the guy a break. You know how Marc gets.
Maren or Marc?
I’m to lazy to read all these, but wow, I love the pissed 0ff barry fans. And some chic called you an idiot! You have fans that don’t even know you. YOU ARE FAMOUS. You are a rock star. I love it.
I don’t think these ppl are my fans…I’m pretty sure a lot of them would like to smack me. The idiot comment was def my least favorite.
So, now you have Barry’s public apology, you know he was really ill, and yet, it’s still all about you. People who read your blog are left thinking Barry Manilow is the bad guy cuz your vacation got spoiled. I get it…you’re a mom, you don’t have much money, you were disappointed and let down. Why not write it that way, instead of laying the blame on Barry? You could have turned it into a truly sympathetic piece, but instead, you made yourself sound like the victim. You weren’t the only one in the showroom, you know. My sister hasn’t seen Barry in 12 years, and she was brokehearted, but she knew it wasn’t his fault. I’m sorry I called you an idiot. It was the entire tone of your post that irritated me.
I accept your apology and hope you have many more happy Barry experiences:) I am really not a Barry-hater…he’s a great singer and I will most likely buy his next album:)
I don’t think it was cool at all that she called you an idiot. I’d smack her for you. But, you are famous. I believe it. Common, take a bow. Look at all the comments. You should anger people more often, maybe there is some making in it? A controversial talk show about SAHM. Oh wait Dr. Laura did that, with that one kid she had that she hired a nanny for. (don’t know about the nanny part) But, you would be a great on radio for start. I can be your agent. I have no experience, but how hard can it be?
Shahara! You are a NUT:) Go ahead. You’re my agent:) Please comment more, you make me laugh and shoot Diet Pepsi out of my nose:)
Plus, I don’t think I want a job riling people up. I like happy people. I like for people to like me. I pictured myself more as a humorous motivational speaker. Do you think there’s a market for that? Or, maybe a talk show host, but one that everyone likes, like Ellen. But rich, like Oprah:)
Of course it is all about HER, it is HER blog. Barry has the right to post what he would like on his page and so does Maren on her blog.
Would you like it if Barry posted on his blog (or on facebook) that Maren is a DUD? It works both ways. If you’re going to call someone names, expect that there might be name calling in return.
Oh, Sharon, is it so important to you that I feel bad? Why do you care so much? The concert didn’t happen. By definition, that makes it a dud. A dud is: “that which is disappointingly ineffective or unsuccessful”. The concert was unsuccessful. I have not ever said that Barry Manilow is a bad person or a bad singer or a bad anything. Only that I, (yes I, this is my blog and this post was about my feelings) was extremely disappointed in the concert’s unexpected end and the abruptness with which that was accomplished. I feel that you are being unneccessarily unkind and will not be posting any more of your comments. And if Barry Manilow knows of a situation in which I was “disappointingly ineffective or unsuccessful” then he can post whatever he wants on his site. Keeping in mind, that he is a very well-known personality and this little blog is probably barely a ripple on his conciousness…goodbye, Sharon. I have done my best to be kind to you and can no longer tolerate your behaviour here.
I know Maren has replied to you but here is what I have to say. Barry Manilow is a public figure and a performer. If Maren were a public figure and put on a concert that I and 1499 other people paid for a minimum of $70 a seat and then did not perform, then I myself would call her performance a DUD! And so could you and Barry Manilow. You and your sister were disappointed on Saturday. Everyone in that theater was disappointed. Maren just chose to say she was disappointed out loud on her blog. And if I pay 100 dollars to see Maren for 15 minutes then we will call her a DUD! She is still a fan, just a disappointed one.
Hi,
I was also at the show. In fact I had Sunday night cancelled too. Am I disappointed? Yes…but I commend Barry for trying to do the show on Friday night. He was struggling but he really did try to go on with the show anyway.
I heard every word he said at the piano just before he left and he was hurting more than us because he couldn’t give us what he promised.
Maybe in your disappointment you didn’t hear everything he said.
He told us why he couldn’t sing. He couldn’t hit the notes.
He told us we could get our money back and he promised he would be back again.
I’m sorry you didn’t get to see the entire show because it’s beautiful…Please try to see him again. He is so worth it.
Mary
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments, Mary, i did hear that he said he couldn’t hit the notes, thanks for the reminder. I hope I do get a chance to see the show someday:) Thanks again!
Maren, you make me laugh, even with your efforts to contain your frustration with people who just don’t get it. Now, you seem to have plenty of people ready to jump to your defense on the website, people I assume are close, life-long friends, and my husband would say “Well, they have to say that!” So as someone who only knew you in a very limited capacity (and therefore don’t ‘have to’ be nice), let me add my two-cents worth…you are a hero to me too. Your ability to roll with the punches, keep a smile on your face and give others the benefit of the doubt, despite your own challenging circumstances have always been inspirational to me personally. You were disappointed. That is your prerogative, and no amount of bullying, or shall we say ‘suggesting,’ from others that you should have felt differently will change that. I enjoy your blog, I like your writing style and I am frequently lifted by your view on life. Strangers scouring personal blogs to pick fights about people they really don’t know, but seem to believe they do, are not really worth your time. Just keep swimming… or in this case writing! 🙂
Thanks Mary! I’m super glad I have my own FANS:)
Hello Maren,
I’m very sorry to hear about the disappointing trip to Vegas and not being able to see Barry Manilow in concert. The few shows of his I’ve attended have been really top notch, so I hope you get to go. Personally, I’ve never understood why someone as gifted in piano and music arrangement as him does not have instrumental pieces in his catalog that he could use for his performances, particularly if he’s having trouble with his voice.
Here’s hoping you’ll be able to see him perform a full show soon!
Dawn
Thanks Dawn! I’ve heard he puts on a great show:) I’ll be posting one or two pics I took, of the few minutes he was able to be onstage, tomorrow, come back to see:) Maren
Sounds like the fans need a Barry Manilow health hotline to call the day of the show, so you know whether you should even show up!
LOL:)
Bethany, You probably didn’t realize what you jumped into here!:)
Bethany – out of all the comments posted here, I found yours the most offensive.
You make it sound like Barry pulls shows the whole time. You make it sound like he did it for fun. That he thought “Hmmm…How can I piss off the entire human race and have my name up in neon saying what a scuzzball I am?? Ha! I know…I’ll say I’m sick for the fun of it. That will do it!!”
Get real.
FOUR out of EIGHTY-FOUR and two of those were not down to his health.
Sometimes the decision to cancel or re-schedule a show is out of his hands completely.
If only you knew how many times that man has gone on stage, delivered 200% when many people would not have been able to stand up.
Even in the midst of personal problems, personal commitments, personal loss and grief he’s gone and given a show because he knew the fans mattered that much more than his own troubles.
When Barry walked off that stage this weekend it was because he couldn’t give the show those fans deserved. To me, and many others who truly know and love Barry, that speaks volumes about this wonderful man. Nobody seems to realize he genuinely cares about the people who come to see him.
Your comment was crass, careless and uncalled for. The fans who may well have been disappointed, still took the time to post they hoped he was okay and hoped he’d bounce back. Barry sent out the apology – that has been asked for in the past – along with an explanation. What more do you want? Blood?
As a side note to Maren – thanks for allowing the majority of comments to be posted. They’ve made for interesting reading and I truly hope you’ll give the new CD a play and decide he ain’t so bad after all.
Marc
Marc, you are obviously extremely interested in the reputation and career of Barry Manilow. Hopefully, he appreciates you tons and tons:) Even tho you probably don’t like me, I like you:)
For the record, I DO NOT think, nor have I EVER THOUGHT Barry Manilow was a bad person or a bad performer. As I have repeatedly stated, I was upset by the unexpected cancelation of the concert, and the lack of explanation, the latter of which has been resolved.
Furthermore, I do not know Barry Manilow personally, have never met him, have never seen him in concert, and therefore would not be aware of the many different difficult situations under which he has performed or cancelled. My chief experiences consist of purchasing many albums, where he is of course, at my beck and call and sounding perfectly wonderful:)
I may be about done posting comments on this particular post, although I always welcome useful suggestions and comments on my blog that do not involve any of my body parts or insult my intelligence:)
Reb, what difference does it make who Marc is? It doesn’t change the fact that what he’s said about Barry as an entertainer and human being are true.
Oh, and as far as Barry retiring goes, I have to agree with the person who said that would be more detrimental to his well being than continuing to work.
Thanks for the comment and sorry about the edit, Crystal, you guys can go kill each other in a chat room or something:) I read the rest, and admit, there is A LOT of history here that I obviously had NO idea about.
I believe Marc has an “unfair” advantage lol I thought Maren might be interested in knowing who she was chatting with 😉 I’ve seen Barry over 60 times in concert. I’ve met Barry and Garry and Marc more than once or twice. ALL of them have ALWAYS been MORE than nice to me. I’ve seen Barry when I’ve KNOWN he was VERY sick before the show and yet he STILL put on a fantastic show. I KNOW first hand what a nice guy Barry can be. I’ve seen it MANY times when the spot lights were off. I’m quite sure that if Barry left the stage that he WAS pretty distressed..regardless of the reason but I also think that someone..Garry or Marc or someone should have been right up on that stage apologizing to the only people that really deserved an explanation at all. Did that at least happen? I wasn’t there. I don’t know. BTW, the is actually kind of fun..it’s like the entire fan club is on a field trip lol
well, i’ll say this, you ppl aren’t boring:)
Maren,
Sorry you got the bad end of the fan world. And I’m also sorry you experienced the cancellation. I get it–I’ve been where you are. Believe it or not, there are NICE fans in the Manilow world. Most of them don’t come out in droves to bash people for their opinion. I just posted a tongue lashing to them on my blog–I hope you go and read it. Try and enjoy the music, because it really is “all about the music”. Forget about these rude people and know that there are those of us in fan land that understand.
Suzanne, Thanks! I think you are one of my favorite people today:) Please come back tomorrow to read my final Barry post, I think it will make you laugh:)
Will do. I’m going to follow your blog as well. I’m following you on Twitter too. Sometimes these things happen to connect people..at least that’s the way I look at it. All the best–honestly with 7 kids, you’re MY hero! This ones for you, Maren!
Marc – From what I see here this is a perfect opportunity for some giving some positive public relations to show a long time fan how much of a stand up guy Barry really is. How about sending Maren some great tickets to another show that she would be able to attend and hey instead of saying I hope you give the new CD a spin – SEND HER ONE!
Instead of stating how wonderful a guy Barry is, SHOW what a wonderful guy he is for a change and hey springing for a couple of days hotel wouldn’t hurt either at the fabulous Paris hotel but I know that is kind of pushing it.
People are looking for something positive for a change. Here’s your chance Marc. Hey at least a 15 minute CD.
Thanks goofy:)
I’m afraid hell might freeze over before this happens–but it’s a nice thought.
You’re probably right, at least that’s the general feeling they want projected, but hey, with all this global warming, who knows what could happen:)