Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2007 09:37:15 -1000 (HST)
From: Jackie M. Young <jyoung@lava.net>
To: Hawai'i Fans:  ;
Subject: Platinum

Passing this on from the Manimail mailing list, with Carol's permission
(just so you folks know what it can be like ;) ):


Date: Wed Oct 10, 2007 3:42 pm
Re: Platinum

Our Platinum Experience
October 5th 2007

Carmen, Karen and myself were set to meet Barry during
the Platinum experience. Barry had been sick earlier in the week, as
was proven when we went to the first show that week, Wednesday night.
Barry stated then that he was feeling under the weather and not up to
par. He seemed a little off his game, blowing his nose often and
allowing (actually encouraging) the audience to sing along during the
show to the more well known songs. He cancelled Thursday night's show
(as did Celine Dion who was out all week). He came back on Friday,
and we were told going into the green room that he was still not
feeling well.

There were 8 of us there, The three of us, one lady from England (who
was on her third attempt to make it through Platinum, her first two
tries were cancelled) and four others from the US who were as nervous
about the evening as the rest of us were.

Lynn and Tahme from Stiletto ushered us to the Green Room and gave us
the rules (no personal items, no cameras, no groping, remember to
breathe, etc.). They also gave us our goodie bag, with our platinum
swing tags, glow stick, champagne glass, and sticky pass. We were
also to receive our autographed programs directly from Barry. Carmen
would be the first to meet Barry, due to her wheelchair. Barry came
out into the hallway outside the green room to met her, (there are
stairs going in to the room where the rest of us would go to meet
him, making access by wheeled conveyance difficult). Barry came
through a curtained off area of the backstage area to meet Carmen,
giving her a kiss on the cheek. They talked about her hometown
[in] Indiana and the places that Barry had played there over
the year, specifically the Embassy Theater. Barry remembered it as
being an intimate place that he enjoyed performing in.

After a couple of the others were taking in to meet Barry it was my
turn. I thought I would go crazy waiting for my turn, but finally
they brought me into the room and introduced me to Barry. He took my
hand and brought me over to the bar that is in the room. He asked me
where I was from and as soon as I said Wisconsin, he began telling me
a story about a bar in Milwaukee where he and the band that was
backing Bette Midler back in the day went after one of their shows.
He said they had their photo taken outside the bar and he had the
photo up in his house. We then talked about the fact that I was
celebrating the 25th anniversary of our "first time". He leaned in
and asked me where. And I told him The Mecca Arena in Milwaukee
during the 1982 tour. He turned to Marc Hulett and asked Marc if that
was the tour in the round and Marc said that was before his time and
he should ask me. He did and I told him it was. I told him how I had
nosebleed seats that night and he asked me how could I see anything.
I said I didn't need to see him I only needed to hear the music and
he gave me a hug. I then told him that over the years I had seen over
300 hundred shows and he said I must be crazy. I laughed and said no
I just liked good music, to which he replied, in the direction of
Marc, that he liked the girl!!! He then reached out and put his arm
around me and pulled me in to pose for our picture. He really pulled
me close and I wrapped my arm around him too. After the picture was
taken I leaned over and wished Marc a happy belated birthday, to
which he replied that he was no longer having birthdays. (He has
reached the 50 yr. mark). I layughed and told him I had two birthdays
to go before I caught up and Marc said I was a brave woman for
admitting my real age!!!

Barry then said goodbye and I told him to get well. I walked out and
got back to the green room and promptly and predictably fell apart!
(Thank god for champagne we actually took the bottle we had yet to
finish off up to the show room with us and passed it down the row
during the show, which made Barry laugh!!)

Karen was up next and she reported that Barry was completely blown
away when she stated that she had been in the fan club for 31 years.
He said she must have been a member when there were only ten people
in the club!!! He also asked Karen about Carmen's condition (Carmen
has Spina Bifida) and how special it was that she was able to travel
and get out to see him and how great it was that she had such
wonderful friends to help her out. Karen said we were like the Three
Musketeers, always traveling together to see our Manilow!! Karen
explained how we had all meet each other due to him, Karen and I met
while she still lived in Wisconsin and Carmen joined the group in '92
while we were all together in Las Vegas to See Barry at the Desert
Inn. She thanked him for bringing us all together and she said he
seem really pleased that he was able to help us out!!

The show was fabulous!!! He seemed to be feeding off the energy of
the audience that was really into the music and Barry. He may have
been ill but you would have never known it. His voice was strong and
he was full of energy that seemed to be lacking earlier in the week.
The show finished and Lynn and Tahme brought us out our photos. Each
photo had a message on it, based on something we had said to Barry
during our meeting. (Carmen's photo was the only one that didn't have
a saying, Karen's said 31 years together and mine said Happy
Anniversary). It all seemed to go by so fast, but it was a really
nice moment with Barry and one that none of us will ever forget. I am
glad I had the opportunity to do it, just knowing that it is helping
Barry's foundation made it worth every dime. Thanks Barry for a
wonderful memory.

Carol


---------


--Jackie

        ******************************************************
        *  Proud to have the same birthday as Lucy Lawless!  *
        *                                                    *
        * "I think New Zealand geographically comes from     *
        *  ... Hawai'i."  --Lucy Lawless, Late Show, 4/9/96  *
        *                                                    *
        * "Feel the fear and do it anyway." --Lucy Lawless,  *
        *                       Evening Post, 7/4/98         *
        *                                                    *
        * "I LOVED forgetting it because it really made it   *
        * so _live_ and so _immediate_...!!"                 *
        *           --Barry Manilow, Manilow Talks CD, 1998  *
        *                                                    *
        *           JACKIE YOUNG, JYOUNG@LAVA.NET            *
        *            <www2.hawaii.edu/~xenitehi>             *
        *            <www2.hawaii.edu/~manilowm>             *
        ******************************************************