Barry Manilow was briefly thrown off his stride at his Newcastle show on Wednesday night after some very vocal fans reacted enthusiastically to a particular song lyric.
Barry was last in Newcastle in 2016 on his One Last Time tour, but, thankfully for his fans, that tour's title didn't prove to be correct as, after his latest string of UK dates were significantly postponed due to the Covid pandemic, he is finally back in Britain performing all his many hits.
With a career spanning over five decades, the now 79-year-old has built up a huge following and there was a lot of love for him in Tyneside, from the moment he walked onto the stage, through to the moment he waved goodbye. Early crowd pleasers included show opener It's A Miracle, I Can't Smile Without You, which came complete with sing-a-long lyrics on screen and soaring and inspiring ballad Looks Like We Make It.
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While he's very much at ease when he's front and centre of the stage in his more up-tempo numbers Barry is also very inch the showman when he's sat at his grand piano and it was when he was tinkling the ivories to another one of his classics, Weekend In New England, that things took a rather suggestive turn./
The chorus of the hit song begins: 'When will; our eyes meet? When can I touch you?' and it was the second line that instantly sparked wild screams from some of the Geordie crowd. Looking slightly flustered, Barry was momentarily speechless, before letting out a little chuckle and commenting: "My hands are busy now!"
Ever the consummate professional, Barry continued on with the song, with an impressive key change as it reached its crescendo. Other highlights of a hits filled set, included recent single Dancing in the Aisles, Could It Be Magic and the anthemic I Write The Songs.
As the clock ticked down to the end of proceedings, Barry cheekily asked 'does anyone want to hear Copacabana?' Of course they did and that one went down a storm, before Let The Future Ring and a reprise of It's A Miracle rounded things off.
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