Bobby Rydell at
By: Mark Moorhead
First and foremost, I'm here to report that this guy has the pipes! When he
wrapped those vocal chords around this material, he really cooked. You can
hear that "Bobby-quality" that has been evident in his singing from the
beginning, and baby, he's still got it!
The other thing is: the personality. I had a friend with me who only knew
Bobby from the CD re-issue of 30 vintage tunes. She had been raised in
Turkey and wasn't aware of Bobby's cultural status in America. My question
to her after the first show: did you "like" the person you just saw? Well,
she loved him! Bobby exudes professionalism. He has an easy manner and is
very engaging with the audience, and then he hits you with the big
vocals...what's not to like, right? But the point is, here's someone with
no baggage who was entirely won over by Mr. Rydell's presentation.
For myself, I had a big, silly grin stretched across my face from the time
he hit the stage, until he left it, skipping into the wings to the applause
of the audience. First of all, I was prepared to like the guy, but then he
"delivers," great, fun tunes pumped up by the horn section and driven by the
drums.
The style of the show is cabaret, the presentation is intimate, and the
tunes vary from rock n roll to ballads. "WIld One," "Forget Him, and the
others poured out. Then he told some stories: about his upbringing and
about his own kids, his being an alter boy, and the neighborhood in South
Philly. (What is it about Philadelphia singers? They really know how to
take care of you.) He reminded us that he had worked the Copa in New York
as a 19 year-old as he made a touching segue to the Bobby Darin material.
Then he tore through "Splish, Splash," "Mack the Knife" and more. The
"Birdie" material surprised me: I had forgotten how many terrific tunes were
in that show. Bobby was particularly pleased to point out that this was the
movie where Ann-Margaret was "hot" for him(!). A lot of his jokes were
aimed at himself in a mildly self-deprecating way (which was charming) and
he made particular reference to aging as he mildly chided his audience, and
himself. He toasted us in Italian and wished us all long life, and winked
at those in the front rows as he sang. He is Really, an engaging
entertainer.
The one place where I thought he mis-stepped was in performing "My Way" in
tribute to Frank Sinatra. This is such a tricky tune, and Sinatra's
phrasing, so utterly familiar and entirely his own that there's little room
for Bobby to move around and still remain true to the song. Consequently,
the areas where he tried to move the song didn't work for me. C'est la vie.
The show wrapped with "Volare" and we sang him off the stage. An hour and a
half later, we were back for "round two."
If you have the chance, go and see this man. I promise, you will be
inundated by your own fond memories as he transports you with his music and
his recollections of a very special time. One thing I appreciated is that
Bobby doesn't color his hair to look like a '50's version of Dorian Gray.
He looks like what he is: a gentleman in his mid-fifties who can still
really swing.
Cheers.
Mark Moorhead
Harrah's - Laughlin, Nev.
April 1999
A few weeks ago I caught Bobby's show at Harrah's in Laughlin, Nev. south of
Vegas. This was Bobby's solo show: about 50 minutes in an intimate setting
with all the hits, a medley from "Bye Bye Birdie," a multi-tune tribute to
Bobby Darin, lots of jokes and patter, then ending with "Volare." He was
using his own drummer (of twenty years standing) and was backed by local
musicians (6 horns, bass player and a multi-keyboardist). I saw both shows
on Saturday night.