The PBS Special

Words come to mind: speechless, inspired, groundbreaking, phenomenal, passionate, real, intimate, awesome, exciting, moving, and more than expected. I have to say this special is Emmy material and one of the most finely produced and edited I have ever seen. The camera angles, the sound, the distance shots, the crowd glimpses, and the piece de resitance "One Voice" at the end catapult this special to number one in my book.

Highlights: Mandy, He Aint Heavy, Looks Like We Made It, and his monologues about his life in Brooklyn and his early career. This is the Barry we want to see over and over again. Not the showman, but the man. The guy that endears himself to us every show with his little quirky ways: his laugh, his expressions, his missteps, and his humaness.

Conclusions: Barry is so much more than "the showman of our generation". He is genuine. He wraps us up in his love and sends us to another world every time he steps out on that stage. If he could somehow find "this guy" from the PBS Special for every single performance, the world, and not just his fans, would realize that there's something about this guy from Brooklyn that sets him apart. When he was singing He Aint Heavy and One Voice, I had to say a prayer: that God would make him an instrument of peace for everyone who hears his "beautiful music".

Thanks Barry...and please...show us "this guy" in Vegas. We love you and will be forever in your debt for giving us your life-changing catalog of music.

Wishing and hoping for more of "this guy",
Texas Fanilow