Superlative

Jesse and I were blessed this past weekend to take a trip to New York City for a little sightseeing. Among the various New York things we experienced, the highlight was a Sunday night concert at Radio City Music Hall featuring the great Tony Bennett.

Master artist. Consummate professional. Aged wonder. Gracious host. American classic. Pick your superlative, they all fit. This concert was one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced. First, you have the venue. Radio City Music Hall is a beautiful, historic concert hall (Tony told us it was designed by Liza Minelli's dad, who knew?). Just sitting in our nosebleed seats before the concert started, we knew that we were in for something special.

Then, the lights go down, and Regis walks out. Yep, that's right. Regis Philbin. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm so excited to be here. Aren't you, Gelman?" Actually, Gelman wasn't there. But anyway, here's Regis talking, introducing Tony and mentioning that there will be some special guests. Hmmmmm. That's interesting. So Tony comes out, and starts to do his thing, belting out classic after classic. Did I mention that he is now 80 years old?!?! Well, he starts to sing this song, and then stops and says he needs some help with the next one and would we please welcome his good friend, John Legend. So they sing their duet from his recent album, "Sing You, Sinner." John leaves to the delight of the young folk and confusion of the old (the concert was presented by the AARP). A little later, "Ladies and Gentlemen, my good friend, James Taylor!" I actually said "What?" out loud I was so surprised. So they sing their duet, "Put On A Happy Face." Finally, a little later, he is joined by k.d. lang and trumpeter Chris Botti. During the trumpet solo, he danced with lang. During "The Good Life," he dedicated the song to Paris Hilton (see lyrics: " Well, just wake up, kiss the good life goodbye"). She'll admit this, but Jesse cried when he sang "The Way You Look Tonight." She said she's never swooned for an 80 year old before, but this time at least, it was understandable. His voice remains strong, and he delivers each word with appropriate grace and emotion. He sang for two hours without a break. He told some great stories. He was very kind and gracious, and thanked everyone for coming out repeatedly. Quite simply, it was amazing, and as Jesse says, "The coolest thing we did in New York."

Here's one of Tony with the band.