On a Friday night in Tucson when there was no shortage of things to do — Tucson Meet Yourself downtown, parents weekend at the University of Arizona, high school football all over town, Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders at Reid Park and the usual Friday night party craziness along University Boulevard — one of the hottest tickets in town was for 89-year-old iconic crooner Tony Bennett.
Bennett opened UA Presents 2015-16 season with a nearly sold-out concert — 2,400 of the 2,500 seats filled — that at times felt as if someone hit play on the Great American Songbook Jukebox and out popped the legendary voice behind all those treasured songs.
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And that voice, for the most part, sounded every bit as strong and vibrant as it did when Bennett recorded those songs a lifetime ago.
Judging from the audience, leaning heavily on Bennett's side of the generational gap, the music brought back a plethora of memories. For 75 minutes Friday night, Bennett transported us back to a time when a simple sentiment like "Watch What Happens" ("Let someone give his heart / Someone who cares like me") could lead to forever love. Behind every facade of "The Good Life" was a hurt heart in hiding, and being old fashioned never goes out of style.
Bennett scaled through the Great American Songbook — from Gershwin's "They All Laughed" to Jerome Kern's "The Way You Look Tonight" and Johnny Mercer's "I'm Old Fashioned" — and dipped deep into his own catalogue, including one of his first records "The Boulevard of Broken Dreams."
"I've been singing a long time now. I've had a lot of hit songs, but if you don't mind, I'd like to sing some of them four you," he said to a rush of thunderous applause — one of many times the audience burst into applause.
Bennett, smartly dressed in a buttoned-up white suit coat and dark slacks, was not one for long discourses between songs. But when he did address the audience, he received wild ovations.
He mentioned his 2014 record "Cheek to Cheek" with Lady Gaga — "I'd like you to buy it because she needs the money," he joked — then complimented the audience for their generous reception.
"If I may, I would like to come back here one day. You are all wonderful," he said, and a woman about a dozen rows from the stage screamed out, "We love you Tony!"
They also gave him three standing ovations, prompted by the houselights coming on and Bennett raising his arms as if to signal the night was over. But each of those times, the lights dimmed again and he continued. His setlist included the gems "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?," "One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)" as an an homage to Frank Sinatra "For Once in My Life" and "I Left My Heart in San Francisco." That song was the only one he stumbled on — for a brief second — when he said he had forgotten the lyrics. If he had, he rebounded quickly because he didn't seem to miss a beat.
The true testament to Bennett's enduring legacy and tremendous talent came at the end of the night when he put his microphone on the piano and with sparse instrumental backing sang "Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)." It's something he does to close most of his concerts these days, but to hear him unplugged, his voice crystal clear and mostly unwavering, was the evening's emotional highlight.
