I did make it to the NEIL SEDAKA concert at the Edgewaters E-Center on Saturday night, and did enjoy it! The show was pretty much as I expected it to be. Pretty short (about 80 minutes including a single-song encore) but very sweet. I was surprised....and impressed....that Neil is still singing very well, almost as well, in fact, as he did DECADES ago. He did a very nice set that included most of his own major hits, plus a couple of the biggest hits he wrote for other artists (Love Will Keep Us Together that was a #1 hit for The Captain and Tenille and Where The Boys Are for Connie Francis). He also performed three recently-written songs which were quite nice, if not as familiar as his old hits! High points of the show for me were his performance of his 1974 #1 hit LAUGHTER IN THE RAIN and his rendition of the ballad version of BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO. He made the point to the audience that his two recordings of this song, decades apart, were the only instance that an artist had a #1 hit with the SAME song....TWICE! I was also blown away by Sedakas amazing piano playing throughout the set. He didnt play on every single song, but when he did tickle the ivories, they LAUGHED OUT LOUD! For those who dont know, Sedaka trained at Julliard in the 50s to be a concert pianist, but ended up a pop performer instead, much to the early disappointment of his mother.....until he bought her her first mink....after his first #1 hit in the early 60s! At one point in the show, he performed an amazing five minute classical number on the keyboard, and told the audience that he loved returning to his roots by recently composing his first piano concerto! Near the end of the show, he also broke the news to us that a new Broadway musical about his life was in the works, remarking, Move over, Jersey Boys! I was disappointed (but not at all surprised) that Neil did not include THE IMMIGRANT in his set but, seeing that this song is now actually MORE controversial than it was when Neil wrote it with Phil Cody 40 years ago, I could just see many of the mostly older members of audience not particularly enjoying a song whose lyrics address how many Americans no longer welcomes immigrants as they did a century ago. My only other disappointment with the show (other than it being a bit too short) was that I thought the instrumentation was a bit light. Just four musicians other than himself and one other vocalist. I realize that its most likely a cost factor and, at the same time, Sedaka may also feel that its better to keep the show simple and spotlight his own highly-developed keyboard skills. Still, there wasnt even a single guitarist included in the band. A richer band with a more lush sound, with at least the addition of a single guitar and a small brass section would have really improved the show, which was a bit lackluster from an instrumental point of view (other than Neils own great playing). Sedaka is showing his age, which is understandable, as he is now 75 years old, and he did appear a bit tired through the set. But, again, he sang and played the piano as good, or better, than I, or anyone else, could have expected! I must also say that his gentle manner and repeated displays of deep appreciation of....and respect for....his audience was most heartwarming. Neils grace and humility, accompanied by just the right degree of bragging and bravado for all his hits and the fact that hes been in the biz as long, or longer, than anyone, was very refreshing in this day and age of mostly unbridled narcissism. Neil Sedaka is unarguably a pop music trooper of the highest degree, having been in the music business for nearly 60 years, performing and writing over 800 songs over the decades! My seats were decent, about twenty rows back from near the center of the stage, but too far to get good pictures from there with my phones crappy camera. I managed to work my way up to the stage near the end of the show and took about 30 shots. For whatever reason (probably because I still so inept at figuring out the dozens of camera settings availbalb) only a couple of them didnt have Neil TOTALLY washed out to white because of the very bright spot on him! Damn! Once again I apologize for my deficient live concert photo skills! I am posting a couple of shots from the show and one pretty bad one of me and my out-of-town friend posing by the dimly lit huge poster on the side of the E-Center. As I have done for prior concerts, I will scour around Facebook and a few other internet photo sites and try to find some better photos of the show taken by others and share them with ya all if, or when, I locate them! BTW check out the first photo of the Edgewater Hotels marquee sign . Neil won a couple of new Camaros playing penny slots! What a lucky pop icon he is! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 21:59:46 +0000
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