Americano 31,061 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga make a winning team On paper, they’re an admittedly odd couple: Tony Bennett, the legendary jazz and pop singer, and Lady Gaga, the quirky queen of modern rock and outré fashions. He’s 88 years old, she’s 28. Tony strolls on stage in a dapper tuxedo, she’s shown up before in a dress made of meat. But then there are the things they have in common: Big, powerhouse voices and a compass aimed at the emotional heart of a song. A love of the Great American Songbook and the songwriters within it. A shared Italian-American heritage and all the passion that entails. And on stage together, as they were at the Wiltern Theatre on Sunday, only a few hours after winning the Grammy for best pop vocal album for their 2014 album “Cheek To Cheek,†they were a delight. Bennett beamed happily at the young woman he calls Lady in interviews, Gaga visibly shifted from admiring to flirtatious with Bennett, and both delighted the crowd in the sold-out theater for 27 songs, duets and solo numbers, over a fast-paced 90 minutes. The show opened with Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes,†a theme of sorts for for the night and the collaboration that led to it. Bennett and Lady Gaga entered from opposite wings of a stage that held two jazz combos, the brass needed to make a big band and the strings to flesh out an orchestra. “Cheek To Cheek,†which they’d also performed at the Grammys a few miles away at Staples Center, followed with the duo trading verses and dancing together in the instrumental breaks. Bennett wore a tux, Lady Gaga wore a glittery silver caftan that Liza Minelli would have killed for, her hair pulled tight atop her head in a ballerina bun. After another number together, she blew him a kiss and left the stage.At any age, but especially at 88, Bennett is an amazing singer. Yes, at times his voice has a little bit of rasp to it, more than in his younger days, but his ability to connect to the emotions of these songs remains unmatched. Standing by the piano in his quartet (each singer had his or her small group, on opposite sides of the stage, with slightly different configurations of instruments), he performed “The Good Life,†a staple in his shows since its debut in the early ’60s, a single spotlight on him as he sang. Lady Gaga glided back out a song or two later to perform “Nature Boy,†now in the second of seven ward-robe changes she’d make on the night, then sashayed off as Bennett, resting an elbow on the piano, slipped into the opening words of “How Do You Keep The Music Playing?†the crowd applauding as they recognized the Michel Legrand standard. Where his individual numbers focused more often on the heartfelt and the romantic, Lady Gaga’s solo spotlights allowed her to shine in the kind of dramatics and fun she’s known for. “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Down),†a cover of the Cher song, came off a moody noir romance. “Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered†from the 1940 musical “Pal Joey†included a few comic asides at the expense of the guys in her quintet. Highlights of Bennett’s solo performances included his take on Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile,†prefaced by a story about Chaplin writing to thank him years ago for reviving it, his signature song, “I Left My Heart In San Francisco,†and a completely un-amplified version of “Fly Me To The Moon,†just his voice – no microphone – and his guitarist’s unplugged accompaniment, the audience pin-drop silent as they listened to the beauty of the unadorned vocal.In her solo numbers, Lady Gaga wowed the crowd most on songs such as “Lush Life,†the Billy Strayhorn ballad she’s mentioned as her very favorite of these songs, and “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye,†another Cole Porter tune, which she dedicated to her parents, who were in the audience. Her voice, always powerful though often processed in the studio for pop radio in her own work, worked terrifically well in this setting, too. But the show swung hardest when both Bennett and Gaga were on stage, playing off each other in what you’d have to call adorable fashion. He beamed at her nonstop through songs such as “Steppin’ Out With My Baby,†shouting, ‘Wow! Wow! Wow!†as she shimmied around the stage in a flapper-esque dress decorated with swinging black fringe. “That was an awful nice song to sing like a tramp to me, I tell you,†Lady Gaga said with a flutter of her be-glittered eyelashes, making an obvious segue from “But Beautiful†into “The Lady Is A Tramp,†the song they first recorded together four years ago, sparking the larger project of “Cheek To Cheek.†(By now she was in a platinum blonde wig, her fifth hairstyle of the night, and a white feathered dress with mesh cutouts, the most Gaga ensemble of the night.)And with that big, brassy number, and a finale of Duke Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),†they were done, walking off stage hand in hand, the odd couple that ended up making beautiful music and a whole lot of sense. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/gaga-650716-bennett-lady.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hecturr 1,921 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 I'm glad she's getting the recognition she deserves. Also I'm happy for Tony :) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan 20,561 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Gaga's only 28? Why did I think she was 30 :air: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 It's so refreshing to read positive articles and I honestly couldn't be happier for her and Tony. I hope Gaga gets to perform Lush Life on some award show! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSUNAMI 20,415 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Gaga and Tony deserve a universe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azor Ahai 18,861 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Lush Life is the true masterpiece of the album even better than Bang Bang. Slay dem critics Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
monsterdreams 1,529 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Yasss win the critics back gagz Haters gonna need more than a flashlight for my shade Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GagaMyBlood95 9,808 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Gaga's only 28? Why did I think she was 30 :air: Are you serious? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan 20,561 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Are you serious? Super cereal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SissyFromSpace 20,883 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Gaga's only 28? Why did I think she was 30 :air: Barbie elitist - Weaboo - Sissy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelbHawker 6,583 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Queen Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logan 20,561 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 She seems past her age. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicaSkas 22,264 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Very pleased to see this. Great job OC register! My article is coming too, with wayyy more pictures and details :flutters: Do YOU own the 4' by 6' Perfect Illusion promo Poster? Will pay you for it. Pic: http://i.imgur.com/UWuzumk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bye 3,947 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 The last line "and a whole lot of sense"... that's refreshing since during most of her career the media and haters liked to say she does not make sense in her music, her looks, her fashion, etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChasingGhosts 726 Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 I wish they were coming to Sydney, I'd love to see them! :emo: Born This Way > Joanne > The Fame Monster > The Fame > ARTPOP Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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