Shaker Shack

So ... I SAW BARRY MANILOW! I still can't believe it and I'm sure that words are not going to do justice to the weekend that I just had, but I have to write it down anyway. The big weekend was to begin on Thursday evening when we were supposed to fly out. I had my hair cut and colored (thanks Kim!), my boarding passes printed and songs of Barry playing in my head. It seemed all planned and perfect ... seemed. Then it happened. For those of you that don't know me very well, I'm a freak. Ever since I was way young, I don't handle change or anticipation of something very well. My body basically goes into a freaky kind of shock and I just plain make myself sick. I have huge anxiety about orphaning my children, so whenever Gary and I are leaving together, this shock pretty much knocks me down out of nowhere. So, Thursday morning at 3:45 a.m., it began. I woke up to being worked up! I told you ... I'm a freak! Before I knew it, I was so worked up that I was throwing up and calming my insides just wasn't happening. I had Melanie trying to walk me through it all, Julie telling me to take deep breaths and finally a doctor on the phone telling me that I was having a panic attack. I'm a freak! Luckily our plane wasn't scheduled to leave until 9:00 p.m. because it took every part of that day to get me functioning again. Apparently, I also had a bit of a bug, because by the time it was time to leave, I also had a fever. I knew I would be fine if I could just get to my nice hotel bed and sleep until it was time to go see Barry, and nothing (not even myself) was going to ruin this huge milestone! So we were off. Gary carried all of my stuff and practically me to the car and we made it in plenty of time for our departure. Once we landed, he called over the prettiest black car for a nice comfy ride to the hotel. I did it, we were there, now I just had to sleep. And sleep I did! I slept clear through the night and didn't even wake up in time to check on the kids getting to school ... great job Kacey! Kacey was back at home handling the household with perfection. Finally the time arrived for us to go to the Hilton theatre. We walked over to the Copacabana, where they not only had drinks but a hall full of Barry's pictures and old album covers. His face in 1975 was as clear in my head as it was on his album cover. Then we walked over to find our seats ... awesome seats! We were about four rows back from the stage and I couldn't believe I was sitting there. Soon, the lights were dimmed and a huge screen on the stage began to display flashbacks of Barry's career featuring all of his awards, honors and old songs. The screen lifted and there he was standing in a doorway! So did anyone see that disturbed young girl sobbing when Sanjaya was singing on American Idol? Well, that wasn't me, BUT as I thought about how long I had listened to Barry Manilow and how much I really loved his music, and then I saw him standing there ... I couldn't stop the tears as I took in the reality of sitting there that really seemed like a dream! I absolutely could not believe it ... I still can't believe it! But there he was. No longer on my radio or on my CD player, but actually very close to me! He started out the show singing It's a Miracle ... how perfect! I truly felt like it was a miracle that I was in the same room with him. Again ... I'm a freak! He continued singing, and I swear he was looking right at me ... and I was looking back! Daybreak, Somewhere In The Night, This One's For You, Old Songs ... he just kept going! Then he sang a couple of "Big Band" songs from the 40's and 50's (which were awesome) and went to his piano and back to his songs. His piano playing was incredible through Piano Man and Chatanooga Choo Choo, but Michelle ... you should have been there during All The Time! He said that this song received more mail than any other song because the lyrics had touched so many people who thought they were all alone. I'm telling you all that this man has seen some kind of heartache and has written his incredible songs through it all. As he sat at his grand piano in black and sang those lyrics to All The Time you just knew that everyone in that room had felt that way and NEEDED Barry's songs! He followed it up with Weekend In New England and Can't Smile Without You, which were all sung perfectly without any aging showing in this man's voice ... he was flawless and seemed to be timeless. Then he sang some songs from the 60's like Yesterday, Baby Love, You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling and then the crowd went wild (well as wild as a bunch of people over 40 get) as he mentioned moving into the 70's. The screen went down and they played a video clip of Barry's very first television debut where Clive Davis introduced him as America's next musician and it showed a very young Barry Manilow playing and singing ... Mandy. Then the screen lifted and there he was at his piano, continuing his Mandy song with a medley of Could This Be The Moment. It was UNBELIEVABLE ... but I was right there! As soon as he started singing I Write The Songs, everyone's Manilow Glowsticks were held in the air and swaying back and forth with the music. Gary was even dawning a glowstick! It made a fanilow out of an oh-brotherilow! He closed out the concert singing Copa and again with It's a Miracle replacing the word "It's" to "You're" ... I knew he knew me! But HE was the miracle! He was so gracious to his fans thanking them for still liking his songs ... of course! It was an absolutely unforgettable weekend and I'll never forget it. So I owe my hubby a great big thank you for being such a great provider that he could offer me such a memory. After the show, he took me to Benihana's (another all-time favorite of mine). I told him that this was the perfect weekend because he offered me three B's ... Barry, Benihana and the comfy Black car ride. It was perfect. My life is perfect and is constantly being added upon. Whoever said that getting old stinks is so wrong ... leaving the troubles of youth behind is truly a gift to me and I look forward to what else is around the corner! I SAW BARRY MANILOW!