5 min read
Singer Barry Manilow. (Photo by Dana Holland)

With a repertoire of hits that includes “Can’t Smile Without You,” “Copacabana (At the Copa),” “Mandy” and “I Write the Songs,” singer Barry Manilow, 83, has nothing to prove to anyone.

Except maybe himself.

The Grammy, Emmy and Tony winner will perform Friday at Cross Insurance Arena. The show is billed as Manilow: The Last Portland Concert.

The concert was originally scheduled for April 19 but was moved to July 3 as Manilow recovered from lung cancer treatments.

First, though, a Manilow primer.

Manilow at the Cumberland County Civic Center on Nov. 30, 1981. (Merry Farnum/Staff Photographer)

Manilow has certainly earned the right to ease into retirement, but instead, he released “What a Time,” his first album in 15 years, on June 5. The single “Once Before I Go,” hit the top 10 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

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Early in his music career, Manilow was Bette Midler’s pianist and wrote several commercial jingles that are now well-known earwigs, including jingles for State Farm (“Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there”) and Band-Aid (“I am stuck on Band-Aid, ’cause Band-Aid’s stuck on me.”).

The singer-songwriter has sold more than 85 million albums over the course of his career, including more than 30 studio albums and several compilations and live releases. He’s had 52 Top 40 singles, with 13 of them reaching the No. 1 spot.

Manilow’s tour includes several U.S. cities and six dates in the United Kingdom. He’ll also continue a lengthy Las Vegas residency that winds down just before Christmas.

During the Portland concert, a local music educator will be recognized with the Manilow Music Teacher Award, a long-running facet of the Manilow Music Project. The winner will receive a $5,000 cash award and $5,000 in “Manilow Bucks” for classroom instrument purchases.

Among the most enthusiastic music lovers expected to be in the audience Friday are three who call themselves diehard “Fanilows.”

‘THE SOUNDTRACK TO MY LIFE’

Joy Mazziotti, 57, of Cumberland has been a Manilow fan for 46 years, since she was 12 years old.

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“I can safely say that every bedroom, locker, dorm room, office and home I’ve ever had has included a Barry poster, statue or paper cut-out of us. It’s honestly one of the only things consistent about me,” said Mazziotti. “He’s been the soundtrack to my life.”

Barry Manilow mega fan Joy Mazziotti. (Photo by Garry Stone)

Mazziotti has seen Manilow perform live six times, starting with his performance on July 27, 1985, at what was then the Cumberland County Civic Center.

She knew Manilow always brought a fan up on stage to sing “I Can’t Smile Without You” with him. So she wore an attention-getting neon pink Forenza shirt and stood on the arms of her seventh-row seat in the hope of catching his eye.

It worked. Manilow beckoned her to join him.

Mazziotti said she wasn’t nervous because of adrenaline and shock.

“You can’t see the audience from the stage, so it was like just the two of us. He handed me a mic and we sang and he led me around the stage. When the song was over, he kissed me and said I was great,” she recalled.

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Joy Paradis (now Mazziotti) on stage singing with Barry Manilow at the Cumberland County Civic Center on July 27, 1985. (Photo by Lesley Paradis)

A review for the Portland Press Herald noted the moment: “The attractive young woman kept her cool and proved to have a pleasant voice as she sang her way through that classic Manilow tune under the watchful eyes (and voice) of her host.”

Four decades later, Mazziotti still hasn’t stopped talking about it.

“I recently met Gov. Mills at Whole Foods (where Mazziotti works) and the first thing that came out of my mouth was ‘Wow! This is like meeting Barry Manilow!'” she said.

Mazziotti’s seat at Friday’s concert will be on the floor, though her children, who bought her the ticket, haven’t revealed the exact location yet. She hopes it’s similar to the seventh-row seat she had at the 1985 concert, and is hoping for an encore. Mazziotti will bring along a sign with the photo of her and Manilow, with the words “PTLD ME 1985: Ready to take a chance again.” “It’s my life goal to get back on stage,” she said.

“His music evokes so much emotion for me,” said Mazziotti, who points to Manilow’s arrangements and classic song compositions, along with the sense of nostalgia that his music brings.

‘MY WORRIES WOULD DISAPPEAR’

Melissa Martin, 63, of South Portland has seen Manilow in concert five times.

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Melissa Martin with part of her Barry Manilow collection, which includes CDs, sheet music and a painting she made of the singer. (Photo courtesy of Melissa Martin)

Her first show was in July 1978 at Harvard Stadium. “I was 15 and my parents drove my friend and I to see him,” she said.

When she was about 13, Martin bought her first Manilow album after hearing “Mandy” on the radio.

She’s been hooked on his music ever since, and especially loves Manilow’s voice, orchestration and crescendos.

Manilow also served a more emotional purpose in Martin’s life.

“His music got me through a ton of insecure teen years. I would play his songs on the piano, sit between two speakers and feel emotional tears and goosebumps 100% of the time. My worries would disappear,” said Martin.

Martin’s favorite Manilow song is “If I Should Love Again.”

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“It’s the melody and the grandiose orchestration to the nth degree,” she said.

‘I FOUND SOLACE’

Bath-based Barry Manilow fan Jennifer DeChant. (Photo by Isaac Ensel)

Jennifer DeChant of Bath has been a fan for 35 years and has seen Manilow live 10 times. She’s pretty sure the first time was a 1986 concert in Cleveland.

DeChant’s first recollection of Manilow’s music was “Copacabana.”

“I memorized all the words and remember dancing with my mother in the kitchen to the song,” she said.

In high school, her fan love grew.

“I experienced my first heartbreak of adolescence and found solace with his music. That summer I played the music so often that I broke two cassettes,” DeChant said.

Though it’s changed over the years, DeChant said her original favorite Manilow tunes were “Mandy” and “Read ‘Em and Weep,” before she moved onto more “spirit-lifting” ones like “Can’t Smile Without You” and “It’s a Miracle.”

DeChant’s current favorite is “Could it be Magic,” but she’s also hoping to hear “Weekend in New England” and “Looks Like We Made It” on Friday.


IF YOU GO

Manilow: The Last Portland Concert

7 p.m. Friday. Cross Insurance Arena, Portland, $77 -$385. crossarenaportland.com.

Aimsel Ponti is a music writer and content producer for the Portland Press Herald. She has been obsessed with – and inspired by – music since she listened to Monkees records borrowed from the town...

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