If you’ve never been to a Tony Bennett concert, don’t miss this one.
No matter if you’ve been a rabid fan for years or just know him in passing, it’s surely going to be a concert to remember. Not only does Bennett hit all the right notes in his music, but his between-song chatter about Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and his other contemporaries — and his slick dance moves — are worth the price of admission.
But don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what Gretchen C. Van Benthuysen of the Asbury Park [N.J.] Press wrote after attending a recent concert:
“He may be 84 but singer Tony Bennett is far from over the hill, which he proved to an adoring sold-out crowd Saturday night. … During the 90-minute show of standards … Bennett wowed the audience with his ability to still hit the high notes — and hold them — while adding some heel twirls and a nimble dance step here and there.”
That energy, vitality and pure love of entertainment is what has set Bennett apart for the more than 50 years he’s been in the business since Bob Hope discovered him in 1949.
“Bob Hope came down to check out my act,” Bennett said in a press statement of the time he was performing in New York City with Pearl Bailey. “He liked my singing so much that after the show he came back to see me in my dressing room and said, ‘Come on kid, you’re going to come to the Paramount and sing with me.’ But first he told me he didn’t care for my stage name (Joe Bari) and asked me what my real name was. I told him, ‘My name is Anthony Dominick Benedetto,’ and he said, ‘We’ll call you Tony Bennett.’ And that’s how it happened. A new Americanized name, the start of a wonderful career and a glorious adventure that has continued for 60 years.”
Yet after countless platinum and gold records and 15 Grammy awards, Bennett onstage is a picture-perfect mix of charisma and humility.
His genuine appreciation for music and artists is perhaps why Bennett is so beloved by what many call the “MTV Generation.” His 1993 performance at the 1993 MTV Video Awards with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and on “MTV Unplugged” (for which he won a Grammy for Album of the Year) truly moved another generation.
“This is the best time of my life,” Bennett told Joe Fitzgerald of the Boston Herald. “I have never felt more content about what I do, and, believe me, I count my blessings every day.”
