Dionne Warwick in Concert

[needlefingers]

Hey Gang,

I just got back from seeing Dionne Warwick in concert at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center.

She is my #2 favorite female singer. I was afraid, because I saw her perform on the American Idol finale last May and thought she was frail and kind of “past it”. And I had never seen her live before.

But she did not disappoint. She looked stunning and sang beautifully. She sang all her hits, except three (Déjà Vu, Then Came You and Heartbreaker).

She opened with a duet of Close To You with Mya (Peabo Bryson was supposed to appear with her but could not make it this evening.)

She then did a medley of Bacharach/David tunes she made famous. She did a nice version of Brazil with the obligatory introduction of her 5 piece combo. And she also performed a salsa tinged version of Do You Know The Way To San Jose with a dedication to Celia Cruz.

She also did her female version, This Girl’s In Love With You, the Herb Alpert hit. And she had us all join in on What The World Needs Now.

She is effortless in her singing. Her speaking voice is her singing voice and that’s how she makes it so easy. She never has to open her mouth wide to hit a note. She brings you in, not the other way around.

To our generation, she introduced a catalogue of new standards, pop and adult contemporary songs and ballads. I know she did some albums with Thom Bell, and if any of you want to speak of their worthiness, please post.

Cissy Houston was in the audience, but she did not introduce her . But she did point out here sister, Dee Dee Warwick and also Leslie Uggams.

I know she is not disco, but she was with us all the way. She will be 66 next month and is celebrating her 45th year in show business.

Just wanted to share it with you.

[ol'skinflint]

Originally Posted by needlefingers

Hey Gang,

I just got back from seeing Dionne Warwick in concert at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center.

She is my #2 favorite female singer. I was afraid, because I saw her perform on the American Idol finale last May and thought she was frail and kind of “past it”. And I had never seen her live before.

But she did not disappoint. She looked stunning and sang beautifully. She sang all her hits, except three (Déjà Vu, Then Came You and Heartbreaker).

She opened with a duet of Close To You with Mya (Peabo Bryson was supposed to appear with her but could not make it this evening.)

She then did a medley of Bacharach/David tunes she made famous. She did a nice version of Brazil with the obligatory introduction of her 5 piece combo. And she also performed a salsa tinged version of Do You Know The Way To San Jose with a dedication to Celia Cruz.

She also did her female version, This Girl’s In Love With You, the Herb Alpert hit. And she had us all join in on What The World Needs Now.

She is effortless in her singing. Her speaking voice is her singing voice and that’s how she makes it so easy. She never has to open her mouth wide to hit a note. She brings you in, not the other way around.

To our generation, she introduced a catalogue of new standards, pop and adult contemporary songs and ballads. I know she did some albums with Thom Bell, and if any of you want to speak of their worthiness, please post.

Cissy Houston was in the audience, but she did not introduce her . But she did point out here sister, Dee Dee Warwick and also Leslie Uggams.

I know she is not disco, but she was with us all the way. She will be 66 next month and is celebrating her 45th year in show business.

Just wanted to share it with you.

thanks for sharing. She did the same "Brasil" that the Ritchie Family is known for? Did she do it in a disco arrangement? That sure would have been interesting. And I LOVE the album she did with Luther Vandross....she actually wrote a beautiful song on it.

[remicks]

Originally Posted by needlefingers

Hey Gang,

I just got back from seeing Dionne Warwick in concert at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center.

I know she is not disco, but she was with us all the way. She will be 66 next month and is celebrating her 45th year in show business.

well .....

from Marky's 1975 year-end rankings :

166) TAKE IT FROM ME - Dionne Warwick(e)
(WB) A= 37; C= 3; D= 12; Total points = 52
7 weeks on the chart (4/19 - 5/31/75); Peak: #13

454) * ONCE YOU HIT THE ROAD - Dionne Warwick(e)
(WB) D= 1; Total points = 1* still on the chart
1 week on the chart (12/27/75); Peak: #47

Just wanted to share it with you.

Sounds like a great night . If she winds up near here , it's a go !!


*****

[needlefingers]

The Brazil she did is the same song as The Ritchie Family, but it was more latin than disco. She discussed having a new home in Brazil and did it as a part of a medley with the .....San Jose number.

As for the disco songs that she charted with, allmusic.com said something about her sessions with Thom Bell not showing much success, but I was sure the real disco people would know more. Tell me if they were good.

She closed with That's What Friends Are For singing it with her son and 12 year old granddaughter. And she has a new CD out with many of her hits recorded as duets with other artists.

Amazon.com: My Friends & Me: Music: Dionne Warwick

And I have to say, the woman never took a sip of water for the whole show.

[Say What?]

She is quite remarkable live. I have been fortunate to see her live three times and all of her shows were amazing.

She has had a home in Brazil for several years and released a superb album in 1994 called 'Aquarela Do Brasil', which features a number of classic Brazilian songs and duets with Brazilian artists.

The album includes the song 'Brazil' (as recorded by the Ritchie Family), which to give it it's correct name, is actually called "Aquarela Do Brasil' and was first an international hit in the 1940's for Ary Barroso.

[SandraDee]

I recently bought her 'Track Of The Cat' CD re-issue of the '75 LP which I'd never heard before & I was blown away with the quality. I always thought Ms.Warwick was a huge superstar and 'Burt Bacharac's muse' but didn't realise how varied & under-rated some of her material was until quire recently. (Her '82 LP produced by Jay Graydon is pretty bloody fantastic too.)

[markydefad]

I've been so saddened by Dionne's recent TV appearances--her voice seemed shot due to many years of smoking!!!! She could not hit the high notes and it was painful to watch. I'm glad she's sounding better these days--her music was phenomenal in the Sixties & some was in the Seventies also...