Wilkes-barre

Agnes Walsh 
Jan. 11, 1994 
Agnes G. Walsh, 91, Of Wilkes-barre, Died Tuesday In The Heritage House, 
Wilkes-barre, Where She Resided.

By ALAN K. STOUT; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Friday, January 14, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 2A QUICK WORDS: MANILOW'S PERSONALITY,
MUSIC EMBRACES CROWD 





WILKES-BARRE -- Barry Manilow, who has sold more than 50 million albums,
brought his "Greatest Hits Show" to the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing
Arts on Thursday night in the first of two sold-out shows. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Manilow took to the stage in grand fashion. Amid smoke and flashing lights,
he rose from center stage in silhouette form for a performance of "Ready to
Take a Chance Again." At first sight of the star, dressed in black pants,
shirt and blue blazer, many people in the capacity crowd rose to their feet. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Manilow, who recently released a box set titled "The Complete Collection
and Then Some ... ," performed all of the hits of his 21-year recording career
in which he has won Grammy, Emmy and Tony awards. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Singing To The World" followed, with the crowd clapping in unison.
Manilow, commenting on the cold weather, told the audience, "We're here to
warm you up." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Frequent outbreaks of cheers and applause caused Manilow to quip, "This is
an easy crowd." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Seated behind the piano, he performed his Top 10 hit "Tryin' To Get The
Feeling Again," followed by 1978's "Can't Smile Without You," for which he was
joined by a fan on stage. The fan was later given a videotape of the
performance -- a nice touch. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The most pleasant surprise of the show was Manilow's humor, which he
demonstrated between nearly each song. He was quick with the one-liners and
witty comments. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The house lights were dimmed and three slow-dancing couples took the stage
for the performance of "Sentimental Journey," a tribute to the big band songs
of the '40s for which Manilow professed his love. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Manilow's rapport with his fans was obvious. In a rare concert scene, fans,
without protest from security, frequently crept up the aisles to take photos. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Other highlights were a magnificent and moving rendition of "Weekend In New
England," which also brought most of the crowd to their feet, and "I Made It
Through The Rain," which Manilow introduced as a song of hope. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Manilow exited as a large video screen dropped to center stage, displaying
a collage of video clips of Manilow performing "Copacabana," complete in his
outrageous '70s attire. He returned to complete the song -- dressed in a
conservative tuxedo. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Besieged with flowers, Manilow ended the show with hits "Mandy," a dance
version of "Could It Be the Magic," and "I Write The Songs." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Manilow has come under much critical fire. The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia
of Rock &amp; Roll cq calls his late '70s pop music "unabashedly romantic, verging
on mawkish." It also, at some point, became very un-hip to like Barry Manilow. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But, what really matters is this: Did the 1,856 fans who lined up and paid
top-dollar for tickets get their money's worth? The answer is yes. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Manilow's fans remain loyal, his voice remains strong, and yes, even after
being maligned all too often, he still comes across as enthusiastic and
warm-hearted. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 To borrow from an old commercial jingle he once sang: Barry Manilow, you
deserve a break today. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER/TONY MACAREO &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Barry Manilow performs Thursday night before a capacity crowd at the F.M.
Kirby Center for the Performing Arts

Manilow's Personality, Music Embraces Crowd