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| With THE Tony Bennett (the morning after - I was still high from his amazing concert!!! ). |
For Once in My Life ... I got to listen to Tony Bennett LIVE!
I had been wanting to watch the Tony Bennett concert since I heard that he was coming to the Philippines but the tickets were too expensive. I usually only watch shows with tickets that are too pricey if by some fortunate twist of fate I get the tickets for free. But this time, even if there were no free tickets (mind you, I waited until 6:00 p.m. before the 8:00 p.m. show before I finally purchased them!), I was willing to spend.
After all, he arguably has one of the best voices in the history of American jazz. He is probably the only living lord of American jazz standards. And he is 87 years old (born August 3, 1926 - you do the math!).
But you know what - minus the annoying guy beside me (money truly does not translate to good breeding) who kept singing along until I had to shush him ("I really want to hear TONY sing!" I whispered) - every centavo was worth it.
He had a most sentimental opening act: his daughter Antonia Bennett. I had not heard of her until tonight. Her voice reminded me of Stacey Kent. She sounded really sweet. "How lucky am I to be able to travel the world and be with my father," she said.
She sang a sweet rendition of Too Marvelous for Words
While she was singing, it was annoying to note that soooo many people were still making their way to their seats. But in fernez it did rain. And the man beside my mom (my date) was on the phone speaking sooo loudly.
Thankfully, when Mr. Bennett was called onto the stage (introduced by a his good friend Frank Sinatra - or rather, his voice) - the auditorium paid attention.
He started with Watch What Happens. He got everyone clapping with Sing, You Sinners (guess he realized the audience didn't know the lyrics).
I'm sure couples started holding hands when he sang Just In Time and Because of You.
We became wistful when he sang Once Upon A Time.
And he received a standing ovation after he sang I Left My Heart In San Francisco.
Then he called his daughter back to the stage and they sang a lovely duet, "Old Friend". I had first heard this sung by Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett at one of their comedy shoes.
They were so cute.
Smile was supposed to be his last song, I think. But the audience called him for an encore around three times. And I think the last time he came out it was just because we were cheering so loudly. He just made the audience sing Fly Me to the Moon instead!
And then in the end, he teased us. The lights were on and he came out and just put his hands in the air and waved. What a tease! Haha! (I think he loved us!)
We love you, Tony!!!
PS. Paparazzi! Spotted: VP Binay with daughter senator Nancy Binay, Irene and Sen. Bongbong Marcos, Titoy Pardo, Mike Toledo, BIR Commissioner Kim Henares, Rod Reyes, Atty. Makalintal ... and RJ Jacinto ...
... and (tada!) Jojo A all the way!!!
On my way home, there was a convoy of three policemen, an SUV followed by a van that cut into our lane. At first I thought it was a politician - but there was no back up car after the van. Ergo: it must have been Tony Bennett! This convoy made its way to the Peninsula SO we had a midnight snack there after (stalker much!). Funny, half of the lobby was filled with faces that I noticed at the concert. Sadly, no Tony. Props to the Pen staff - no one would give away if he had just passed through the lobby. BUT I did see a lot of guys in the lobby wearing Ovation Production shirts - I therefore conclude: he's there!
I have a source who says that he needs to get up early because he needs to hit the gym. "The gym?!" I asked in disbelief. "He's 87!!" But the source was serious and said that Mr. Bennet's wife is a gym instructor. (Word?!) We'll have to ask E! if this is So True or So False.
But whether he is gym-ing tomorrow or not - doesn't matter.
Thank you, Mr. Bennett, for a magical night!
