“Oh, what a night!” I haven’t felt so energized in a very long time. Watching Frankie Valli live on stage at 78 years old at the Broadway Theatre last night, was just the shot in the arm that I needed to get me back on track. I was starting to feel that maybe I should wind it down a bit (I get this way every once in a while), but after seeing Frankie on stage I feel that there is still a lot of living to do, and if that includes work, so be it!
Frankie is the new 78. Thin (he can’t weigh more than 120), strong, sexy, and totally with it. You can just tell from his body language that he is very satisfied with himself and wants to share his glorious voice with others. If you read his bio, he has had his share of tough times, but he seems like a “total picture guy” who wants to soak up every joyous opportunity.
I have a male cousin like that, Allan Becker, who is in his early 70s. When you speak to him you feel like he is planning his life as if he was still in his 20s. He travels the country for his work, loves the people he meets, focuses on helping his much younger boss build a new business, is constantly busy with community service, and has a great social wife with his beautiful wife Irene.
The minute the Frankie Valli show was over, I wrote an email to a bunch of friends telling them not to miss it. My girl friend, Sara Levinson, wrote back that she was considering it but after seeing so many Doo Wop shows where most of the singers look half dead, she decided to skip this one. I agree with Sara. Most of the time the singers that show up at Doo Wop’s look like faded glory. Last night was totally different. Frankie Valli’s falsetto voice was as strong as ever and those sounds made the crowd go wild.
What I loved the most was that the audience was vibrant. I felt like I was with a bunch of teenagers. Everyone looked fresh and animated trying to capture Frankie on their smartphones, tablets and digital cameras. No one listened to the ushers who were warning, “No recordings please.” Everyone was snapping away. During intermission, the 50-plus crowd were texting their friends, making calls on cells, emailing photos to other fans, and checking the photos they took to make sure they got what they wanted. I had to laugh to myself. This senior crowd was no different than the youngsters who rushed to Brooklyn recently to see Jay-Z at the new Barclays Center.
There was a few moments of realism when the new Four Seasons members came forward to sing right next to Frankie. First they towered over him and their bodies shimmied in ways you would only want to see on a young person.
I am thrilled that Eliot and I went to see Frankie Valli last night. I can’t get this dopey smile off my face.
DigiDame 