From Bill Powell

DSCN0066, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Buckles, Here is a quick one for the blog: Saturday night Gee Gee, Sherry and I had the occasion to catch Tony Bennett at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater. The sold out crowd was an eclectic mix of young and old alike spanning 18 to 85. Mr. Bennett is 82 years young and still has a full set of pipes. He looked fit, trim and remarkably spry dancing around the stage while delivering an hour and 45 minute set. Setting the tone for the evening, Mr. Bennett sang classics like Speak Low, The Good Life, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Sing You Sinners and Cold Cold Heart. He then delivered a knockout version of 'I Left My Heart in San Francisco.' While the musical fare centered principally on The Great American Songbook, Mr. Bennett even managed to work in a couple nicely crafted contemporary numbers, such as Stevie Wonder's For Once in My Life. He did so without sacrificing his unique style. One note that should be mentioned was the powerhouse quartet accompanying Mr. Bennett. Throughout the evening the musical arrangements allowed the musicians to display their considerable talents without taking away from the star attraction. The same could be said for other more technical aspects of the show. Sound and light engineering were understated and elegant while providing just the right punctuation marks for the evening. Mr. Bennett closed the evening with Fly Me to the Moon, singing solo without any amplification, just a guitarist by his side. In that moment he had 2,000 spellbound fans in the palm of his hand. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. In a word the experience was mesmerizing. Tony Bennett is an inspiration for everyone in show business on a life well lived. Bill Powell