I Am Your Child BMFC-Manilow Canada

Here are some unique shots from the Cleveland show. Thanks Debbie C. for sharing them with us!

By Linda LaRose.  Pictures above by Jessica LaRose   

After being a fan of Barry’s for 34 years, I finally got my “night with Barry”.  This was my very first concert seeing him.  I am not fond of planes so my husband said “I’ll drive you”.  We live in Mississauga which is a city west of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  The drive to Ohio took us approximately 5 ˝ hours.  Most of the drive there, we listened to Barry’s CD’s.  I still couldn’t believe I was finally going to see him, after all these years!    

We arrived at our Hotel, The Radisson at 3:00 p.m., just across from the Quicken Loans Arena, where Barry was playing.  While waiting in the lobby with my l2 year old daughter, Jessica, I noticed a young man at the front desk wearing sunglasses with a white small bag around the handle of his roll-on luggage that said “Barry Christmas”.  I looked at the man and said to my daughter “that looks like Barry’s Bongo Player”.  My daughter said “it can’t be”.  As we looked around the lobby, my daughter noticed three girls standing together, also with a bag around their luggage saying “Barry Christmas”   My daughter said “Mom, you’re right because there are Barry’s back-up singers”!  We smiled at them and they smiled back.  As they passed us leaving the Hotel, Keely winked at my daughter and I couldn’t help but say “see you tonight”.  They said “for sure”.  That was the beginning to the start of an unbelievable night.

After checking into the Hotel, we walked across the street to pick up our tickets at the Arena and then went out to have a bite to eat at the Winking Lizard Restaurant, just steps away from the Hotel.  I was so nervous, I couldn’t eat.  My emotions were all mixed up.  I was so happy but scared at the same time.  I couldn’t stop the tears from running down my face.  I was nervous and emotional, wondering how I would react when I saw Barry for the first time.  My daughter was so sweet trying to make me smile saying “Mom, you’re going to be fine.  You’ve wanted this for so long and I will be there with you.  When you see him, you’re going to feel happy”.  With that, she did her “Barry pose”.  You know, the one, when he finishes a song, with his hands up in the air”.  She made me laugh, the tears still streaming down my cheeks.  We had purchased only two tickets because of the price.  My husband wanted to go but because the tickets were $200.00 each, he said “this ones for you, and Jess”.  Our daughter has been a fan herself, for many years, hearing Barry’s CD’s and watching his DVD’s at home.  She knows practically all the words to all his songs!  We were seated on the ground floor, row l5, seats 3 and 4, just off to the right of the stage.

Getting showered and dressed for the concert, helped take my mind off my emotions.  My husband has a good Camera.  He gave Jess a crash course on what settings to use, how to focus and how to zoom in.  My husband was so worried about the batteries running out, he forgot to dump our older pictures from home, off the camera.  He told us “take as many pictures as you like.  You’ll never be able to fill up the card”.  While Jessica was snapping pictures during the concert, the camera card came up “full” after about 45 minutes into the show.  We could have captured many more great shots but we thought, lets just enjoy the concert.  The Canadian Fan Club called “I Am Your Child” was kind enough to post our pictures under the Cleveland’s website.  I thank you very much for your offering, great job and hard work.

We left the Hotel around 7:30 p.m. with the concert starting at 8:00 p.m.  As we just crossed the street, walking on the sidewalk, a beautiful black, huge limo pulled around the corner.  I stopped and waved at it, literally just passing by me, 5 feet away.  I couldn’t help but speak out "I love you Barry and blew him a kiss".  That was my ticket, taking away all my fears, knowing Barry was here.  When the music started, my heart was beating fast.  The flashing lights, the wonderful sound of his live band, the parting of the stage, the smoke rising up and then I knew, Barry would appear.  My daughter was so right.  I was just fine, feeling excited and overwhelmed, all at what the night would bring. 

He was introduced by his girls "Ladies and Gentleman, Mr. Barry Manilow" and the band started playing "It's A Miracle".  Out he appeared from the smoke looking “oh so wonderful”.  He had a sparkly black suit on with a black shirt underneath.  His hair was perfect, shimmery, shiny, sandy gold colour and his eyes were like a sea blue.   He looked so handsome, and his smile lit up the house.  Everyone was standing and screaming and singing.  It was an amazing feeling.  I could cry now, just thinking about it.  I put up the binoculars to get a closer look at Barry and it was like looking into his eyes.  What a view!  He sang one great song after another, with themes.  He did songs from "greatest hits of the 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's.  He talked a lot between them, introducing every era which I love.  He did different sets with different jackets and the girls and Tye, dressed appropriately for that era.  They were sparkly and beautiful as well. 

 He was taken back with the crowd, you could see in his face and in his eyes, how very thankful and appreciative he felt towards us.  He kept crossing his arms over his heart saying "thank you so much for still enjoying my music" and bowing and bending back in awe, from our standing ovations and cheers.  He sang "moonlight serenade" and the silver cage he was in, started to lower down to the first row.  He picked a lady from the audience and brought her back up with him.  They put them both on the big screen (which she didn't know).  She was talking a mile a minute and you could only see Barry's face at that time, holding, talking and dancing with her.  He does those little nods and smiley expressions that talk without talking, as he faced us.  She didn't realize she was on the big screen and we could all hear her.  We were all laughing (with her) only imaging if it was us up there.   

The show was nearly 2 hours long, with no intermission.  He sang "Can't Smile Without You" but he didn't ask for the houselights to be turned on.  At first, no one was holding a sign.  Then we saw one girl get up so my daughter got up and put up her sign.  The audience was singing the song with him and the lights were flashing into the crowd.  The people sitting all around us though, turned and read Jess's sign which said “PLEASE PICK MY MOM” on a big, pink piece of Bristol Board in large, bold, blue letters.  They said "ah, that's so sweet".  There were hardly any people with signs so I'm sure if he had had the lights up, with Jess holding the sign, being only l2 years old and she looked so pretty, how could he have not picked her.  Our seats were close enough to Barry; he would have had no problem reading the sign.  I guess, because it was more of a Vegas show, he doesn't take someone from the audience in that song.  It was awesome anyway and Jess stood up the whole song, swaying and singing to the music, holding up her sign.  She said “Mom, I think he just gave me a wave”!  Barry sang one great song, hit after hit, one after another. The screen came down and a video of a younger Barry played, singing Mandy.  As Barry rose up from underneath the stage, overpowering himself, he showed confidence and charm in his years of experience, that only he can possess.  He was just incredible and it was a very emotional feeling.  

On the first of many closings, he sang “Here’s To Las Vegas” and at the end of the song, a huge bang sound went off and all the colourful streamers came slowly down from the sky.  We were all catching them and the lights were flashing everywhere.  It felt like they were falling in slow motion.  What a show it was!  Truly amazing!  We didn’t want the concert to end so we all kept chanting for Barry to come back.  He did twice for us.  The first was a song by Frank Sinatra called “Old Friends”.  It was a very appropriate song for this audience.  I think he truly felt in his heart, that we were his “Old Friends”.  The last song he finished with was “Forever And A Day” which was marvelous, the best I have ever heard him sing it.  The feelings and emotions on his face and in his eyes were of pure gratitude and love for us.  It looked like he was getting emotional and his eyes filled up with tears.  When the concert was over, he thanked us again, blew us a kiss, told us he loved us all and slowly began walking off the stage.  He kept turning around, looking out at the audience, stopping again, as if to say “I don’t want to go”.  At the end, the stage started closing together and that was Barry’s cue, the concert was over.     

Because the hotel was right across the street, my daughter and I walked to the Hotel by ourselves.  I didn’t want to leave the Arena knowing Barry was still there.  I wanted to talk to some of his fans, along with the staff working at the Arena.  Everyone was on a high.  As we were standing around, the lady who Barry picked for “Moonlight Serenade” happened to come down our isle.  When she approached me I said “So you were the lucky lady of the night”.  She said “I was”.  I asked her if she had ever seen Barry before and she said “no”.  I told her it was my first time as well and that I was happy for her.  My daughter showed her and her husband the sign she had made, hoping I would get picked.  She said “how sweet”.   I think I “floated” home that night and I am still floating!  Truthfully, I still can’t believe I saw him “live”.

When my husband opened the door of the Hotel, there we both were, standing with streamers wrapped around our necks and smiles from ear to ear.  He said “how was it” and we both said “absolutely amazing, it couldn’t have been better”!  Jess said Barry was better than the Hilary Duff concert we been to, in the Fall in Toronto, and that's something for a l2 year old to say.  I said to her before the concert "tonight, you are going to see and experience what a real concert is all about".  After seeing Barry, she totally agreed with me.

The roads were clear, hardly any traffic coming or going home (lots of trucks though) but the two lanes on each side of the wide highway were so beautiful, divided with lots and lots of dense bush and trees along the way.  It made for a really nice drive.  Their highways are really clean and so was Cleveland, Ohio.  We were really impressed.  The people were all so very nice, polite and friendly.  While we were walking to the concert, people were saying to us “you going to the concert?  “Say hi to Barry Manilow for us”.  No trouble was to be found.  

This concert was a memory I will cherish, forever.  It was a very emotional ending to a magical night, more than I ever dreamed of.  As my husband said to me "This One's For You"!