Don’t I wish…….

Actually, I’m going to the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas .

I’m finally following through on one of the promises I made to myself the last time I got out of prison, which was to treat myself to a Barry Manilow show if I survived.

No front row seats for me this time(they’re just too expensive at the new venue), but I did score a 2nd row seat for Friday’s show and a 12th row for Saturdays show. My lungs have been a little dodgy the last couple of day, so I hope the Las Vegas climate doesn’t aggravate them too much(some of the hotels and get quite smokey).

To make things a little more interesting this time and save a few bucks, Id thought I’d take the train instead of flying. I earned enough frequent mile points on Amtrak for a discounted ticket . Unfortunately, there’s no actual rail service into the city of Las Vegas itself, so I have to ride on an Amtrak thruway bus for the desert portion of the trip. It’s all good though, because it gives me a chance to catch on some other projects that require me to sit still for a while. 10 hours each way on a train should help with that.

This will be the first time Ive seen Barry’s show since he moved from his old digs over at the Hilton last February. The reviews on this new Paris show have been really positive.
During his 5 year stint over at the Hilton, I saw his show 16 times, including 2 times for free when they were taping a special show for PBS.

What’s kinda funny though, is lately I haven’t really been listening to a lot to Barry’s music. Ive been on somewhat of a Beatles and Chicago kick for the last couple of months. Some of the remastered older Beatles stuff is pretty awesome. The band Chicago, was a very powerful band back then…and still is now.

But this weekend is all about the crooner. Barry Manilow is still one of my favorite arranger/singer/songwriter/performers of all times. After 30 years of concerts, he’s going stronger than ever. He puts on one hell of a show. Definitely worth traveling all the way to Vegas for.

Just by coincidence, the ET midnight marathon is this weekend. It’s tempting, but I think I’d rather see a show in a nice air conditioned theater, than take a midnight trek up the side of a mountain in the middle of the Nevada desert. Been there, done that..

I thought Las Vegas was fabulous as usual, but apparently my lungs didn’t share the same view, and as a result, I was unable to do the ET race.

I’m not sure if it was the desert climate or being exposed to the smokey environment of the Hotels and Casinos, but by Saturday afternoon I could definitely feel a change in my breathing. My peak flows were dipping below 300 and the stress of doing a midnight race would have probably put me back in the hospital , so I decided to do the smart thing and not do the race.

Of course I’m disappointed that I missed another event because of my breathing, but I think I made a wise decision. And from what I’m hearing from other people who did the race, sounds like I didn’t miss much anyway. They told me that the event was very disorganized this year and that the breakfast at the Lil alien was less than tasty. Hopefully they’ll work out the bugs for next year.

On a positive note, I got to see 3 Barry Manilow shows in a single week! His Saturday night performance at the Hilton was probably the best Ive ever seen him do. The audience consisted mostly of his die hard fans and you could tell he knew it, because he delivered…big time! He was awesome. His voice, his energy, his range and his incredible note sustaining lung power was nothing short of jaw-dropping. Man that guy can write some powerful songs. As a bonus, I managed to get , not one, but two handshakes at this show. I decided in advance that I wouldn’t be taking pictures at these shows, because I end up spending too much time fiddling with the camera, trying to get good shots, that I don’t really get a chance to enjoy show. I have a million photos of the same show anyway.

What was also kind of funny, is that there was a major Star Trek convention going on at the Hilton . The place was crawling with “Trekkies”. from all over the world. Every time I got on the hotel elevator, Id’ run into one of the crew members of the Starship enterprise . These people really get into it.

Next scheduled race for me, is the San Jose Rock & Roll half marathon in San Jose. Next scheduled Manilow concert for me , is Oct 16th at the Arco Arena Sacramento.

…. ” And would it be asking too much, if you could beam me up to your space craft and zap me a new pair of lungs?”

In just a few hours, this lung defective humanoid is off to Nevada to not only do the ET marathon, but also to attend a string of 3 Manilow shows. (Here’s some photos I took at last years shows)
As far as the race goes,I’m only doing the 10k event this year and I won’t be doing any racewalking at all…just plain old fast walking. My lungs, while doing extremely well last weekend, haven’t been behaving very well this week and I don’t to aggravate things by pushing myself to hard. That, plus it’s kinda difficult to racewalk in total darkness anyway.

Anyways, this is the shirt I’m gonna wear for the race. I purchased the decal at the Lil Ale Inn cafe after lasts years race and I already had this bright ass day -glow shirt, so I threw the two together…and wallah.. I have my costume!

It’s going to be an interesting weekend, because immediately after seeing Barry Manilow’s Saturday night show at the Las Vegas Hilton, I have to drive to Rachel Nevada to do the race. I thought I had the logistics worked out to make this tight schedule do-able, but somehow I miss calculated the distance from Vegas to the race sight. Turns out that its 150 miles from Vegas. Barry’s show starts around 8pm and is usually over by 9:30, so hopefully I’ll still have enough time to make it to the race site before 1am ,which is the start time for my race. The only problem, is that I have to be within 32 miles of my starting area before 12 midnight, because the Nevada state troopers are closing the road for 20 minutes to allow the 51K runners to get their race underway. If I get caught in that mess, I’ll be late for sure. I might just try to sell my ticket for Saturdays show, so that I can get an earlier start.

When you’re trekking through a silent desert, in the middle of nowhere, during the middle of the night, your imagination can run wild,but that’s what makes this event so special and worth all the hassle of getting there. Too bad the Las Vegas Hilton, which is where I’m staying during my trip, doesn’t have the Star Trek Experience Exhibit Thingy there anymore….would’ve been perfect for this kind of weekend.

Unless I’m allowed to use the communication device on board the spacecraft, I won’t be posting again until the middle of next week.
Have a great weekend my fellow earthlings!

…..How about sitting 6 feet away from your favorite performer in a classy Las Vegas theater?

Yup, it was another fantastic performance from this musical genius. I liked “Music&Passion” , but I like “Ultimate Manilow the Hits” …even more. A little less glitzy, with more music…and much more Manilow!!

There’s always something special and/or unique about every performance that Barry does. I think the thing that impressed me the most about Wednesday nights show, was his ability to hit and successively hold , every single high or sustained note, in every song that required it. A rarity for live performances. Absolutely incredible…Talk about a set of pipes ! (If you’re a “Fanilow” , you know what I’m talking about).

Anyways…here’s a few pictures for you hardcore fans. The quality of the pics didn’t turn out that great this time , as I was too caught up in the energy of the show to hold the camera steady (It’s difficult to take pictures and applaud at the same time).

Unfortunately, the video I took and posted on Youtube was yanked by Stiletto entertainment.

……..Oh , and I finally received the highly coveted “Barry Handshake”! ( but I confess, I already washed that hand).

For exercising hard and never allowing this disease to get the better of me, I occasionally reward myself with a trip to see the “Man”…..where ever he might be performing in the country!

Fortunately, he’s only one state away this time , so on Wednesday I head back to Las Vegas for my 36th show and pay homage to the master. May sound like a lot, but that number only averages out to about 1.2 concerts per year spread over a 30 year period. This one’s gonna be special though, because it will be the first time that Ive had a front row seat at the Hilton theater, that I didn’t have to give up at the last minute due of my health ( knock on wood).

My last Manilow fix was way back in February in San Jose , so I’m starting to have withdrawal symptoms (ie. irritability, excessive humming of show tunes, etc).

” Ultimate Manilow, the Hits” is an all new show for Barry, replacing Music& Passion, which has been headlining and selling out shows at the Hilton theater for the past 3 years. Among is fan base,the new show reviews are mixed. But, one thing’s for sure, if Barry’s in the show,you can bet it’s going to be good.

This will probably be my last big splurge for quite a while. I’ve spent way too much this year on out of town travel. I need to find a good lab-ratting gig to help me fund my next big trip , which will be to Italy in March preceded by another Barry fix in January.

Portland Marathon…..less than 5 weeks and counting.

Barry’s performance, as always, was awesome. Last night in San Jose, in front of 15,500 fans, he brought the house down. I had an incredible seat, but by the end of the show, I was totally deaf…(I forgot just how loud it can be up in the front row.)

Here’s some photos I took.

Here’s a short clip I took of the show opening…

See that tiny black dot in the orange section next to the stage? ….That’s my seat!

Yup, as it says in my blog intro, I’m a guy and I love Barry Manilow !!

Hey, there’s more to life than marathons and nebulizer treatments , right?

If you’ve ever done the Portland Marathon , you might recognize this place around mile 24.

Well, Saturday I’m off to visit that place again. No…..not to walk the marathon (even though I’ll be in a crowd of about the same size) No…. this time I’ll be inside that building taking part in an event just exciting!!!…. ……… a rare Manilow Concert at the Rose Quarter in Portland, Oregon.

Yup, I’m a guy who loves Barry’s Music and live shows….and I’m proud of it!
It’s no secret that I’ve been a fanilow for over 30 years and have been to lots of his shows, but what makes this performance so special to me, and worth traveling 600+ miles for, is the fact that:

* The proceeds of this concert benefits the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

* The Rose Quarter Arena is located along the actual Portland marathon course where I finished my first marathon. ( I was actually listening to his music on my ipod as I unknowingly walked passed the place)

*Unlike Barry’s Vegas show, this is a concert venue, which means the stadium will be packed with mostly die-hard fans… not tourists!

* I have a seat that is 15 feet away from the stage – DEAD CENTER-

Besides attending the show on Monday, I also plan to get a little walking in while I’m in town ( weather and lungs permitting.) I’d like to “re-walk” the last 6 miles of the marathon the course, to see what it’s like the second time around. I only remember small fragments of that part of the course, as I wasn’t feeling so hot the first time I walked it . I’m sure I’ll come back with a totally different perspective on things.

I won’t be hauling a laptop, so I wont be able to post again until I return home at the end of next week. Until then, everyone have a safe Running/Walking/Joggling week!

This is slightly off topic, but I just had to Thank Barry Manilow , Stiletto and all musicians , performers and behind- the- scenes personnel, for putting together the bonus section of the new Music & Passion DVD . I just received it today. Definitely a treat for his die hard fans and anyone else who enjoys his Vegas show.

My Mom and I were in the audience for these two performances back in December, so getting a chance to see what was actually going on back stage ( 3 months later), kinda completes the experience for me.( My Mom can be seen for a brief moment , standing up in the balcony.)

Yes, I ‘m a guy ……and I’ve been a huge fan of Barry Manilow, his music and his live shows for the past 25 years.

Thank You Gary Oye , for maintaining the Barrynet all these years.

After watching this DVD
I think I”m in the green again

We’re there! Here’s Mom . Its no secret that I’m huge Barry Manilow Fan. Back on December 12th 2005, my Mom and I were lucky enough to get tickets for the taping of this incredible show at the Las Vegas Hilton. We got to sit through 4 hours of nearly non-stop frenzy. Boy..what an amazing performer and songwriter! The older he gets… the better he gets… Hopefully PBS will be able to capture some of that magic for TV. From what I understand, they edited it down to 78 minutes for broadcast, excluding pledge breaks. They also edited it for a prime time family audience. They’re going to be releasing the uncut version, sometime in the summer. Complete with all the out takes and interviews and more “adult stuff”.

I would say that our participation ( screaming, yelling and clapping ) in the production of this fantastic show, ranks right up there with my recent Carmel racewalking adventure. What a thrill …….to be part of it!

I believe it airs on most California PBS stations on Thursday March 9th ,prime time. If you’re a Barry Manilow fan, you definitely don’t want to miss it!

On any given day walk day, I listen to at least 1.5 of non-stop music on my Mp3 player. Helps me get though these sometimes grueling workouts. Today I feel compelled to acknowledge just how much of an impact Barry Manilow’s music has had on my life . Though Ive been a fan since I was a kid, it wasn’t until 2004 ,when I started fitness walking , that I really started to listen closely and listen often . Now, I take his music with me on every single training walk ( and I walk a lot) and on every walking event I’m racing in. I get so caught up in this wonderful music, that for a couple of hours, I’m able to escape the reality of my breathless world. Listening to the “live CDs” gives me a chance to re-live some of his incredible performances Ive attended over the years. Makes even my most difficult walks ,very worth the effort.

Sure… a lot of people listen to their favorite Artist’s while they exercise ,but for me , Manilow music….is my medicine.
Thanks Mr. Manilow……and to the talented musicians who accompany you. And THANKS for the PBS taping of Music & Passion…….WOW ! What a day that was.. Thanks also to Gary Oye and Ron Pedley ….You guys are awesome.

Attending the recent taping of Barry Manilow’s Music& Passion Special in Las Vegas and checking out all the sound production equipment and everything, made me flash back to a time when I was actually doing sound production for a living. In case you didn’t know, from the ages of 22-28 , I worked in the biz, as they say, behind the scenes. I was an in-house recording engineer for a recording studio in Ft. Lauderdale by day, and a Respiratory Therapist by night.

I also owned by own mobile sound production company. Believe it or not, That’s me …when I was 26 years old. Sound engineering was my real passion for almost 10 years. I worked with Neil Young, Firefall, Cheap Trick, Journey( just to name a few) . Had it not been for the fact that I was constantly sick and needed a reliable income and medical insurance, I would probably still be doing it today.

Those were the good ole days when my asthma,as bad as it was, didn’t stop me from doing what I wanted to do. I do remember though, how the high humidity of south Florida really bothered my lungs. During the 2 years I lived there, I was hospitalized 4 times for severe asthma flares.

I’ve been so sick lately, I almost forgot how magical the Barry Manilow show was.
What an experience.. We got to sit through 4 hours of the taping of this PBS special.( due to air in March)
An incredible experience I will not soon forget. Produced by the same folks who did Elton Johns recent special, I cant wait too see the finished product! People flew in from all over the world just to be a part of this special occasion. Appx 3,000 of Manilow’s closest fans in the same theater at the same time. Talk about Madhouse….It was insane.The energy level was off the scale..
I loved every minute of it……………..but I think I picked up a bug while we were here.