WE'RE NUMBER TWO? Johnny Mathis lost his position as having the highest-rated A&E Live By Request performance when he was overthrown by Neil Diamond's superb show on July 27. I wonder if they padded the Diamond audience with fan-club screamers, too?
In the meantime, the first Live By Request commercial video, featuring k.d. lang, will be available for sale August 14, and pre-orders are being accepted now at CDNow, Barnes and Noble, and others (though oddly enough not at ShopA&E). Gives a person reason to hope, doesn't it? They want to "test the waters" with k.d., fine, but, they've got to know the sales will be up there with Mathis, since a majority of people don't have American cable and have never seen the show. Maybe they're saving him for Christmas even though there's not a holiday song in the lot. I'm not going to bust a synapse trying to figure these guys out, but at least now there's a light at the end of this long, dark tunnel!
ONE LESS BELL TO ANSWER: Once upon a time, there was a genre of popular music performers that represented class and style to Black audiences who were happy to see performers and entertainers reject the buffoonery or even the militancy of the times. Granted, there is a place and a time for the other kind of performer, too; sometimes the mood of the times needs to be lightened, and sometimes a call to action is needed. But there were performers, much like Mathis, who simply wanted to entertain and have their audience coming away feeling good about themselves, about the people they were with, and about life in general.
These performers didn't look and talk like hoods; they dressed well, spoke well, and most importantly, SANG well, both as solo artists and as groups. The Four Tops, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Jackie Wilson, the younger Marvin Gaye, Nancy Wilson. Make no mistake, these groups were loved and admired by Whites as well, but these young men and women were a special source of pride for Black people in a world where there was so much to be disappointed about.
The Fifth Dimension was definitely such a set of performers. LaMonte McClemore, Florence LaRue, Ron Townson, Billy Davis, Jr., and Marilyn McCoo Davis made a career of songs about hope and love written by great songwriters such as Laura Nyro, Jimmy Webb, John Phillips, Neil Sedaka, and others. I consider their Portrait album a masterpiece, with songs such as This is Your Life, Puppet Man, Save the Country, and A Love Like Ours. Mathis certainly gave 5D their props with a wonderful cover of Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In on the Romeo and Juliet album and Up Up and Away on the album of the same name.
The Fifth Dimension, as I remember them, ceased to exist a long time ago. A refurbished version of the group was formed, but in my opinion failed to capture the spirit of the original. Maybe the day will come when class and modesty returns to Black music. In the meantime, I have to give my props to the late Ron Townson, who died over the weekend at the age of 68, and the group he founded, The Fifth Dimension. Both were truly one of a kind. Visit this well-put-together fan tribute to learn more about a wonderful human being and performer.
WESTBURY RESCHEDULED: Johnny Mathis will hopefully return to Long Island on March 8th and 9th, 2002, according to Pollstar, the best source for concert information.
New Englanders can also still buy $52 Super Saver tickets for the North Shore Music Theatre concert in Beverly, Massachusetts, north and east of Boston near Salem, on Wednesday, August 15 and Thursday, August 16. Looks like the only seats left are way the heck in the back, but it should be a good seat for hearing! It's a very ROUND venue, so bring binoculars, and if you see my good bud Jon-Daniel there, tell him hello for me.
It's still a GO for the concert in Saratoga, California (a suburb of San Jose) on August 30th, and it's looking as if it's sold out. Check the link in case of a change of plans or new ticket availability.
Three casino shows are set for the fall: Foxwoods Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut (about 50 miles SE of Providence, Rhode Island) on October 5th and 6th, at the Las Vegas Hilton in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 19th and 20th, and at Caesars Atlantic City November 9th and 10th. Tickets may not be available yet, call for details.
MORE NEW CONCERTS FOR 2002! Looks like February 2002 is booked solid! I don't see a Valentine's day concert yet, but he's spending a lot of time in South Florida. I see dates for Fort Myers, Florida on George's birthday (22nd) at the Barbara B. Mann Hall, and Miami Beach, Florida (is this different from plain old Miami, Florida? I don't know!) at the wonderful Jackie Gleason Theater on the 24th. Earlier in the month shows a Feb. 7th concert in waterlogged Houston, Texas at Jones Hall, and a Feb. 9th show in Savannah, GA at the Johnny Mercer Theatre. Later in the year I see a show in Charlotte, North Carolina (watch out, Fab) at the Ovens Auditorium on May 4th. I doubt that tickets are on sale yet. 2002 is looking wonderful (nope, won't do it) with Johnny Mathis is still very much in demand!
Unfortunately, still no Canadian or other foreign dates that I can see. Looks like he's left you guys for good.
In the meantime, to those who have lived in the United States without having seen Johnny Mathis in concert, what's up with that? There is ample opportunity, so lose your mistrust of the flying machines and go.
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