A Wedding, The Hilton and a little Manilow

After a whirlwind week, a little Manilow, battling with wedding planners and some unexpected conversations, I'm sitting in my comfy chair in my room with a few minutes to write about my adventures on my "infamous" blog.

Who knew that planning a wedding in Vegas would be so emotionally draining. On one hand, it was exciting to be talking about it, discussing meals, doing the research and talking with a pastry chef. On the other hand it was frustrating dealing with an unbelieveably rude wedding coordinator and struggling with how to handle her unwillingness to meet me halfway. In the end, we were able to replace her with a supervisor and amazingly have all our requests honored. It's just a shame that once again, customer service makes or breaks your opinion in a business relationship.

Which brings me to the Hilton. It's obviously clear that the news about Vegas is represented there in the lack of staff, the closed restaurants, and the absence of gambling in the casino. The hotel was like a ghost town. Most of the restaurants weren't open. The tables and slot machines sat vacant. With the Star Trek exhibit gone, that part of the casino was completely unoccupied. Even the shops closed early. And, I was surprised to hear that my earlier prediction that the cancelled shows in June were Manilow related, was untrue. I was told by a very reliable source that the Hilton did indeed cancel the shows. And, when I'm wrong, I will admit it. So here it is...I was wrong. This is a perfect example of how past experience tends to taint the truth. (A side note--there is quite a bit of anxiousness over the fact that Manilow has not extended his contract yet for 2010)

The Manilow that I had the privilege to experience was priceless. I will never, ever, ever forget hearing and seeing him sing Talk to Me live. That man is a genius, not only musically, but also interpretively. If you just think about that song, the ups and down, the highs and lows, meshed in with the desperateness of those lyrics, you just melt when you hear it. And even though Sandra had its technical difficulties, Barry knocked it out of the ballpark. Those two songs made the price of my ticket worth every penny.

I was talking with my Manilow friend, Mandy (yes, named after the song) about the shows and how each one we had attended together had some special memories. We both felt that the fact that we did not attend every show, made the ones we did attend even more special. There was my first Vegas show, where I met Mandy and had a close encounter of a jacket kind with Barry. Then there was the next show we attended together when Mandy had her once in a lifetime moment of a dance that lasted the entire song (yes...the entire song)...those were the days. Then there was that time we heard him sing I Am Your Child live for the first time. I'll never forget the night he sang Memory for the first time, or sat down at the piano and sang Open Arms. Then there were those awesome shows in October when he first sang the high energy Islands in the Stream. For me, a "little" Manilow makes those Manilow moments much more special.

And I'd be remiss in not mentioning the time I spent with "the crazy Brit". She made me smile every evening as we sat and talked over drinks and got to know each other better. She is indeed a special lady.

Here's to Las Vegas!
Texas Fan