A matter of taste..

Recently my sister, Marie, just came back from Las Vegas. Don't worry, she wasn't "Wilma", and her hubby, Mike, wasn't "Fred". They're not "that kind". What they are are the kind of people that go to Vegas to have fun ..swim..relax..take in the sights..see a show or two..worry about their flight home (Mike)..get their hair done (Marie)..then go home refreshed and revived with their dignity in tact. No drinking, no partying and no gambling for these two.

I know..boring. Thank God.

Anyway..upon her return, Marie called two days later to tell me of her trip. Among the shows she came to see, one of them was Barry Manilow.

Ahhh..Barry Manilow..he of the big nose, boyish singing voice and smaltzy ballads. It's no wonder that his likeness fully adorned my bedroom wall as a teen-ager. Afterall, he was my first love. ;-)

I've since moved on, but never have I forgotten his impact on my life. I've always been a sucker for sweet sentimental ballads and soaring melodies, and this man delivered..not to mention that his voice was always endearingly pleasant, too. On top of that, his stage presence and "goofy" down-to-earthness could charm a snake, and I loved that. This is someone who never seemed to put on airs or think who he was. He kept it real.

Despite knowing this, I was surprised to learn that Marie had seen Elton John in Vegas, too, but liked Barry's show better.

WHAT??!!! I almost couldn't believe my ears!

Now..don't get me wrong. Once again, I LOVE Barry Manilow. I mean..on top of everything else I've said, the man is also a brilliant musician and arranger. He used to do the arranging for Bette Midler, for Chrissakes!..no small feat.. But despite his many talents, I never expected to hear his show is better than Elton's. After all, Elton John was the 70's most consistent pop icon, aside from Barry. His songs have a depth to them that Barry's kinda lacked (no offense, Barry). They rocked..they soothed..they reached deep within your soul..songs that went beyond love and relationships and into (sometimes) darker territory. Listening to Elton was like having a glass of red wine at the end of a long day, or soaking in a jacuzzi. It was musical comfort food, and you never wanted it to end. Then there was the voice..mellow..inviting..like a warm blanket on a cold winter's night. You always knew things were gonna be alright when you listened to Elton.

On top of that, there was the man, himself..flamboyant..flashy..daring..over-the-top...whereas in contrast you expected Barry to give a more sedate performance. It was this reasoning that led me to believe that Elton's shows would certainly be "better" and more exciting. How wrong I found I was.

Sometimes we tend to think that daring is good..that to be kitschy and campy is the ideal when coming to see a show. After all, don't we want to be entertained??? But there is entertaining, and there is being tacky; two different things. When entertaining, you must never forget the type of audience you're entertaining for. You must remember what people come to expect of you in your shows. It's not all about you, but about what the audience expects to see given your "history". I'm sure Elton is aware of this or he wouldn't be as popular as he still is. Every smart artist knows that formula is the key. Yes, I believe in transgressing and growing as an artist, sure..but you don't want to grow so big and so diversely as to become unrecognizable and lose most of your audience.

I think this is what happened in Vegas. Thank God it stays there.

Marie said that she saw a side of Elton she didn't like. I was intrigued and asked her, "What??" I mean..we all know that this man is well-known for being very risque, to some extent. Even though I knew he was beyond wearing the feathery boas, elevator shoes and overly-huge sparkly glasses of his day, I also knew that you can take the man out of the 70's, but you can't take the 70's out of the man. There is still some part of him that is going to "rebel" in some way and let it all hang out, so to speak. This is just human nature. He may be over thirty years older and his music more reflective and sedate, but there's still a Hell of a lot of showmanship inside this man-lovin' rascal. So I knew he would probably test boundaries. I just didn't expect to hear how...

"I looked over and saw two huge blow-up tits in the right hand corner", Marie gasped.

"You kidding me??" I said, mouth agape. "Two huge TITS???"

"Yeah," Marie answered. "I turned to Mike and said, 'Look over there! There's two huge breasts!!' We couldn't believe it!!"

Then she went on to explain how Elton had a "movie" behind him to illustrate his songs. At one point during, "Someone Saved my Life Tonight", an autobiographical account of his near-suicide to avoid a marriage he didn't want, it showed someone who looked like his fiance in an electric chair.

"..and she was being electrocuted..and at the bottom..you know, in her vagina..there was SMOKE coming out of it!!"

..ewww... Next.

But that wasn't the least of it. I guess the most disturbing thing was his remarks regarding Celine Dion.

A few months ago I had seen, "The Red Room", on tv, which was basically a carbon copy of the show Marie and Mike had seen in Vegas (minus the crude stuff). I remember seeing and reading in the paper about his Celine remarks, but I took it all in stride. Afterall, they were performing together in Vegas at the same venue, and I just thought he was playfully razzing on her to bust her chops. I felt that everything he said was meant in jest..but after Marie mentioned these same things she witnessed in Vegas, as though spoken in acidic tones, it got me thinking..and in hindsight I realized that perhaps Elton was really jealous!

So just what exactly did Elton say to sour Marie's opinion of this beloved performer?

At one point Elton makes a crack about Celine being very thin and puts himself down in comparison. He then goes on to say that she's so skinny..and then something else I don't remember, but which wasn't too flattering. Lastly, in relation to his being heavier than she, he said, "I fucking HATE her!!"..and apparently, instead of seeing it as a venomous, though harmless "dig", Marie saw something more. She saw jealousy and possibly HATE. How sad.

I am not so blind-sided by performers, anymore, that I fail to see their human frailties..and so I will very plainly say that Elton has been a disappointment to me, and this is one reason why.

Just a few months ago, he was being written up by nearly every tabloid on tv and in the paper regarding his "diva-like" behavior. I remember even complaining to Annette about that; telling her that I felt Elton had gotten a big head on his shoulders. It was disheartening, but true. I still love him as a musician, of course..but as a person, he was achieving Jennifer Lopez/Diana Ross status. His shit didn't stink and his tantrums were becoming the norm. It was sad to see.

In contrast, you NEVER find Barry in the paper or in the news throwing pens at people or cursing in their faces. And gentlemanly??? The man's got it in spades! Anytime I've ever seen him, he's been nothing short of gracious and kind. He really seems to appreciate his success and take nothing for granted.

Case in point: his classy show in Vegas. He came out and did his thing..sang his songs..busted some moves..and there was not a blow-up doll in sight. And speaking of moves, at one point he made a motion to grab his crotch, a la all of the other crotch-grabbing no talent duds out there..and everyone laughed. Why? Because it's not like him. He was trying to be cheeky, that's all.

A couple of other nice highlights, compliments of Marie, was when Barry went to change his jacket during the show. He went over to the VIP section of the stage and had a woman help him on with his jacket. The poor thing was so nervous she could barely breathe, but Barry was nothing less than patient and kind; even seeming surprised when the woman said she came all the way to Vegas to see him. How humble.

In another show of grace, he pulled some lucky woman out of the audience and danced with her while singing, "I'm in Heaven", off his new album promoting 50's hits..which led her to squeal, "I'M in Heaven!", in kind. Nice touch.

Two very different shows..two very different performers..and in the end, the one with the most class wins.

Congratulations, Barry, for proving that talent without class will only get you so far..and you have plenty of both.

..now if only Elton would follow his lead..