The Las Vegas Hilton has shifted their policy on comps for Barry Manilow a
little bit. (Originally my host said there would be absolutely no comp tickets
at all). You still can NOT use your accumulated comp points for tickets,
but they are having some promotional weekends where some players can see Manilow
via comps. It may also be that if there are some empty seats, a host may
also be able to comp you if your play is high enough - it never hurts to ask.
I was at the Hilton this weekend for a "White Water Rafting" on Colorado
River (sorry I can't tell you about that - it happens tomorrow). I asked the
host if I could get a tix to Manilow. Since it was the special promo weekend
and there were a few cancellations, she was able to get me a great seat in the
4th row.
Manilow is very good. His voice is in fine form. His band and 4 backup
singers are good. The show has a lot of energy and some good songs such as "I
can't smile without you, can't laugh without you, can't sing..." His biggest
hit ironically is "I Write the Songs" -- which he didn't write! Manilow was
originally a lounge singer and piano bar singer, and he spotlights this in the
show. Many of his major hits are songs he didn't write, many others like
"Mandy" are those he did write. The audience had many people who are huge
Manilow fans. Everyone enjoyed the show - and they give him a 20 minute
standing ovation at the end when the finale goes on and on and on and on.
All this said - I find it hard to believe that the show is worth the $195
ticket cost for my orchestra seat. (though it was free to me). I did enjoy
this show. But I didn't enjoy the total package any more than some other shows
I've seen, which are far less expensive, such as Clint Holmes, Tony Orlando,
or Frankie Vallie and the Four Seasons. All are similar - good lead singer,
good songs, good band, good backup singers.
For this amount of money you could see "O" or any Cirque show from a top
seat, Celine Dion with a huge cast and special effects, or a number of other
shows.
Admittedly, the Manilow show does have some cheaper seats, further back, but
it is pricey all the way.
If you love Manilow, you will want to see the show. If you get a freebie, go
see it. If you have a lot of money and have seen "O" and some other shows,
see it. But if you haven't too much dough and haven't seen too many shows,
choose Clint Holmes or something similar instead.
···
--
By the way, my host said that the RFB level at the LV Hilton is 650 points
per day. I'm kind of surprised at this number - I thought it was more like
1500 points per day. I will double check this if I can.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]