Burt in Oyster Bay

The Burt Bacharach Forum is a board to discuss the music and career of composer Burt Bacharach and performers associated with his songs.

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Alvina
Posts: 93
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2004 3:10 pm
Location: Orlando,Fl.
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Burt in Oyster Bay

Post by Alvina »

:D I will post a brief review only to beat Vincent(evil woman). Ha! It was a glorious evening and Vincent had 3rd row seats 2 of which were not being used , so he was so generous to offer to have me and a friend from our group move up with him and his friends. Well that's just the kind of guy he is. It was a cool night ,no wind thankfully. All the musicians were in rare form. They are always wonderful but it seemed they had been off for awhile and ready to be onstage again. Burt had to leave rather quickly because they were late starting(a dinner with the haves Ha!) ran late, so we had to wait for them. It was oh so worth the wait. We had a chance to speak with Donna, John, and Josie. also spoke with Rob for the first time.He was so warm like everyone connected with Burt that I have met. I do think the opening to "A House Is Not A Home" was different in that the sax player did a nice intro that I don't recall before...correct me if i am wrong. It might just be my favorite Burt song if I were hung by my toes and made to decide. I will leave the rest to Vincent as he is so good at creating an entire visual. Thanks again my friend for your kind gesture. Love to you all, Alvina
junkstar

Post by junkstar »

You must have been the woman with the big hair who kept standing up in front of us... I spotted Vincent, so have now done the math... heh.

For a 1st timer, I've got to say I was thrilled with the show. I certainly have never been to a show that consisted of 90% medleys, and for that my head is still spinning with profound confusion, but to get a taste of so much great Burt music was, in the end, well worth attending. Great band, great vocalists, great showman.

Oh yeah, my other complaint, since when is Burt all about the drums and bass? What a confusing sound mix. A modern and disappointing twist on the classic Burt sound. Unplug the drum mics and turn the bass way down and you will be much closer to what Burt should sound like.
vincent.cole
Posts: 788
Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2004 12:45 pm
Location: Staten Island N.Y.

Post by vincent.cole »

"Burt The Masterâ€￾


Star Date: 06-26-20042

Place: “Planting Fields Arboretum, Oyster Bay, New Yorkâ€￾

Time: 8:30 P.M.

Super Nova: Mr. Burt Bacharach


“Preludeâ€￾

The Stars, ½ Moon and Burt and his band under a tent. It doesn’t get any better than that!

I just want to add on to what my friend Alvina said about the concert.

The format of the concert did not change from the many I have attended. It was great seeing my Burt friend Alvina and meeting her husband and other friends!

I will gleam from the show things that stuck in my mind. 1st the Gold Coast of Long Island is very lovely. My friends and I stopped by the restaurant that Burt use own called, Rotherham Steak House (I might have gotten the spelling wrong). Took a picture of the place, which I will forward on to Mark.

There were a couple of celebrities in the audience. One being Joe Morgan, from the, “Big Red Machine’ baseball team, in the 70’s.

“It’s Show Timeâ€￾.

To start with, Burt gave kudos to Hal David! And rightly so!

I must say Burt had a great amount of energy Saturday night. Burt seems to be enjoying himself! Burt indicated that it seem like being home, since he grew up in Queens New York, and no doubt spent some time on Long Island.

After the 20-25 minute opening medley, Burt paused and talked how hard it was in the music businesses when he 1st started out.

What I found refreshing during a pause in the concert, was that Burt indicated that he found the formula of being married to his 4th wife. Also Burt’s son was in the audience and he told him, never gets married at 14 years old!

Another item of interest was when Burt was playing, “Wives And Loverâ€￾. Burt mention that this song was totally wrong for this time period.

I must say, one of the highlights for me, was when Burt was doing, ‘The Windows Of The World’. Very touching! Then Burt segue into, ‘What The World Needs Nowâ€￾. Truly a stroke of genius!

If I was counting right, there were 4 standing ovations for Burt during the concert. As Always Burt showed case each member of his band. The audience showed their appreciating!

Burt told the audience that he would do one last song. And he wanted everyone to participate by singing, “Rain Drops Keep Falling On My Headâ€￾.

When the song concluded everyone stood up and gave Burt a prolonged applause!

I worked my way to the stage, where Burt shook my hand and others!

“Epilogueâ€￾

Back in 2002 at the Morristown Concert, I was able to get photos with many of Burt’s band members and myself. Josie, Donna, John, Rob and even Barry Warwick, Dionne’s nephew autograph their photos for me. This will no doubt go into my archives!

I spent a considerable amount of time talking with Josie, John and Donna. And get this; they really appreciate me for attending so many concerts! Burt’s whole group is just like him, very, very nice!!!

Also all you Connecticut, New Jersey & New York fans, Burt will be coming to New York City, September 18, 2004! I got this from Burt’s 3 singers! Burt will be playing @ ‘Avery Fisher Hall’. I guess you should wait until Mark post’s the date on the forum.

P.S. Just a brief comment to Junkstar.

Glad that you were at the concert! Sorry we did not get to say hello. Hey next time.

About the format of the concert. In my judgment, Burt is trying to put in almost 50 years into a 90-minute concert. I think Burt wants to give us a taste of his musical life. We would need a few weeks of concert time to really enjoy all of Burt’s great music. This is just my view on the subject.
Take care;

Vincent
warbachavid
Posts: 268
Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2004 8:30 pm

Post by warbachavid »

Hello Vincent, I was thinking about going to the concert but I dont like the shows Burt has been doing since the 90's where he gives over the songs to the singers, I prefer the concerts he did in the 1970's and 1980's where he played the instrumentals and had the girls sing the chorus here and there, rather than tackling the WHOLE song.
Maybe in time it will change back, who knows.
vincent.cole
Posts: 788
Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2004 12:45 pm
Location: Staten Island N.Y.

Post by vincent.cole »

:DBonjour Warbachavid;

It would have been nice to see you at the show! The 1st time I met you was at the New Jersey PAC to see Dionne Warwick a few years ago. It was a great performance by Dionne!

Yes it would of been wonderful if Burt played most of his instrumentals! It's hard to say, why Burt chose the format he uses today.

It would be nice if Burt divide the show up with 1/2 instrumental and whole songs with his 3 singers. But only Burt knows why he does the format that he does. Either way, I am just happy to enjoy the program!

Take care mon ami.

Vincent
Guest

To Junkstar

Post by Guest »

Hey, sorry if my BIG HAIR(no one has said that before) Are you sure it was me? LOL! Well If it was me I do think I just stood for a few seconds in response to a great song. I've never been one to wait for the masses to determine my response. So if I blocked your view for a few seconds I do apologize. Like Vincent said it would have been nice to say hello to you.
Maybe next time. Take care. :wink:
junkstar

Post by junkstar »

Just being a troublemaker.... your hair wasn't that big..... but I DO wish Burt had played many more complete songs than he did.
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