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ByTom Mack 03 May 2020 Leicestershire Live

Singing superstar Engelbert Humperdinck has described how seeing his poems printed in the Leicester Mercury was a great start to his birthday.

The Leicestershire legend turned 84 yesterday and his picture appeared on the front page of the Mercury with his poems about coronavirus and the current uncertainty in the world printed inside.

His big day also began with another pleasing surprise – two yolks in his egg.

After reading the article he posted on his Facebook page: “What a lovely way to start the day!

“Thank you to The Leicester Mercury for a wonderful birthday surprise.

“I read it as I ate my brekkie - a double-yoked egg with toast - third time this week that has happened. I’ll take it as good luck.”

Engelbert, who lives between his mansion near Great Glen and his home in California is due to be touring and was due at the London Palladium on Monday night.

But due to the virus, he is currently isolating in Los Angeles where he has been inspired to pen some religious verse to share with his fans.

This is the first poem, called As The Prayer Goes, that was printed in the Mercury yesterday:

The Lord is my shepherd He watches over me. He helps me to accept the things I cannot change, or to know what the future is to be.

The path of life is so undefined to never know its shape, form or length of time.

A breeze can change and bring forth fear. A moment of discomfort makes one shed a tear.

Strength can be found when your belief is strong to give you the wisdom to know right from wrong.

In the quiet of mind, we live day by day, remember to talk to the one, who can show you the way.

This is the second poem he wrote, which is called Troubled World:

The world is at unrest and closed all its doors; nations are baffled with this transparent war.

We turn to our creator and in silence we pray to reveal a solution to this evil display.

Sins of the world is what it must be

So let us confess and set us all free.

A promise of purity is what we must preach to remove the ammunition that lies in the breech

And when the sounds of the hustle and bustle are back on the streets; only then we shall know the world is back on its feet.

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/double-birthday-surprise-superstar-engelbert-4100918

Author: Adam Coxon , Date Published: 23/02/2020, PennyBlackMusic.co.uk

Engelbert Humperdinck has one of the most iconic and distinctive voices of all time.

In a career spanning almost 60 years, Engelbert has sold over 140 million records and has received 64 Gold albums and 23 Platinum albums. As well as having a star on the Las Vegas Walk of Fame for his now legendary sold out Las Vegas residencies, he also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  

Pennyblackmusic went to meet the man himself to hear the secret of his huge and enduring success through the years.  

PB: Firstly, I must say that it's an honour to speak to one of the greatest singers of all time! 

EH: Thank you very much! 

PB: On the train here today, I was watching some recent concert footage from Hawaii on YouTube and your voice is still as incredible as ever and, as I can see, you're in great shape! What's the secret? How do you look after your voice? 

EH: Well, I'll tell you what happened. When I was going to record the video in Hawaii, the only reason I wanted to do it in Hawaii was because of Elvis. Elvis did his in Hawaii and I said that I've got to do one in Hawaii. Elvis was a good friend of mine. I wanted to look like I looked many years ago. So, I went on a serious diet and I worked out every day. I put on Facebook what I was doing. I dropped 30lbs in two months. Nearly two and a half stone! When I got to Hawaii, I decided to go shopping because I had to buy clothes that suited the Hawaiian mood. So, I bought some white pants and things like that. I was wondering what size I would take and I had a lady with me that dresses me for the sessions. I said that we should go to visit Bloomingdale's and she asked me what size I took. I said that I used to be a 43 but I've been working out. It was only the 34 that fitted now! I took off nine inches in my waistline. When I did the filming, it was quite flattering for me to know that I looked like I used to look.  

PB: Your voice hasn't changed much at all over the years. If anything it seems to have become more rich. 

EH: It's become more contemporary. Once you age, your vibrato gets slower but mine has become more contemporary in its sound. I'm very thrilled with the way that's happened. It was a blessing in fact. I'm happy the way I sound today.  

PB: You're here today largely to promote your two UK concerts this year at the London Palladium and the Southport Theatre. It's nice to see that there's a show fairly central to the UK as well as London. What does it mean to you to be going back to the Palladium?  

EH: It's the only place that really started my life. Therefore going back to it is always a thrill. It's a thrill going back to the place where I spent four months of sold-out performances doing a pantomine there. It broke all box office records. It was sensational. In 1967, my songs were in the first, second and third positions in the charts.  

PB: What is it that keeps you on the road in 2020? Your tours are quite extensive! 

EH: Well they are now, yes. When I come to The Palladium, I actually start off in Killarney and I'm touring in Europe after that. 

PB: Your voice is so distinctive. I always think that the mark of a great artist is to be able to take a well known song and completely make it your own. You've done that with so many songs. Your version of 'Just The Way You Are' by Bruno Mars is incredible. You've totally transformed the song. How do you do it? 

EH: I don't know! Well, the arranger did it. When he sent me the arrangement, I was thrilled with it. It was so different from Bruno's version. I went into the studio, recorded it and to this day it's still in my show.  

PB: How do you source the material for your albums? What first attracts you to a song?  

EH: I don't always choose my own material. I do have the record producers and my managers who help to help me find the right material. Trying to find a good song is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Therefore, you do need help and I do. I do have a big say in what I record.  

Quite recently, I've recorded a song that I've stolen from Toby Keith. It's a song called 'Don't Let the Old Man In'. I heard that on the movie, 'The Mule'. I live by those sentiments! When I first started out in showbusiness, I had premature grey hair and I thought you can't go into showbusiness with that. So, I dyed my hair and I've been dying it ever since! I try to keep myself as youthful as possible. I don't want to let the old man in! That's a major hit in the show!

I've always been a big fan of Clint Eastwood, who stars in and directed that film, and I'd heard of Toby Keith but I'd never heard his music until I heard this song. He did a fantastic job. Clint and Toby were playing golf together. Clint said to Toby, "You know Toby, I'm going to be 88 years old." Toby said that he couldn't believe it because Clint plays golf, jogs, makes movies, acts in movies, directs movies. Toby said to Clint, "How do you do it?" Clint replied, "I don't let the old man in." Keith took the title, wrote the song and Clint put it in 'The Mule'. 

I'm not into songwriting myself. I'd sooner write poetry than songs. I wrote one hit many years ago. I'd rather let someone else do the writing. It's like being an actor who grabs a script written by someone else. He doesn't re-write it. He reads it and he does what they put down on that script. 

PB: Recently we sadly lost the great Les Reed. Can you share a nice memory of Les and what it was like to work with him? 

EH: Yes, I can. Les and I became friends in the 1950s. He used to work for the John Barry 7. I went to Les and I told him that I needed four arrangements, but that I couldn't pay him until I'd been paid from the gig. So, he wrote the arrangements, gave them to me, gave them to John Barry and he wouldn't play them! He wouldn't play them! Then Les took me under his wing, started writing songs for me like 'The Last Waltz' which established me around the world. Then songs like 'Love is All' and 'Marry Me', and, of course, he did things for Tom Jones like 'Delilah'. He wrote my 'Miracles' album. and 'Les Bicyclettes de Belsize'. Les Reed and Barry Mason. They were such a great team and it was a real shame that they split up in the end. But Les, one of the best pianists I've ever heard in my life and as an arranger he was also outstanding. I'm struggling at the moment to find an arranger. All of these good guys are gone. It's tough to put your hands on a great arranger that has the calibre of a Les Reed. 

PB: I've been listening to your 'Engelbert Calling' album. The line-up of guest stars on the album is unbelievable to say the least. It's exceptionally diverse too. Willie Nelson to Gene Simmons. What was it like to sing with your peers on songs that you'd perhaps admired for some time? 

EH: Gene Simmons is just a wonderful man. He towers above me and I'm 6'1. My daughter always said that he looked like me. We put his face on one side of a picture and my face on the other and you can't really tell the difference. We did that as a gimmick. He was great in the studio. Elton John was great in the studio. The others I had to do by sending them away and doing the parts individually. Willie Nelson was a gentleman. He called me at least three times and said, "Engelbert, if it's not good enough, I'll do it again."

PB: It must be a special record for you with your children Bradley and Louise singing with you on it? 

EH: Yeah, it is!  

PB: You've recently spoken very openly and very movingly about your wife Patricia and her struggle with Alzheimer's Disease. Your courage has been inspiring and touching to say the least. Please send my best to Patricia. 

EH: Thank you. We're doing our best. There's a treatment that she's been taking recently. There's a new discovery about non invasive acupuncture. No chocolate, no alcohol, no dairy. It all helps in the key to living a long life. 

PB: How do you manage emotions you may be feeling on stage when you're singing certain lyrics? 

EH: Sometimes it's difficult. It depends on the moment and what has transpired in your life. Sometimes it kicks a lot harder. For instance, in the last week, I was onstage in Florida and my sister was in the Chapel of Rest. She'd just passed away and I had to sing sensitive lyrics. I was singing a song called 'The Hungry Years' and I broke down and I couldn't finish. I think the audience understood. With social media, everybody knows everything.  

PB: How difficult is it for you to manage being out on the road and being at home with Patricia? 

EH: Well, I try not to be out too long. As a matter of fact, this is probably the longest tour I've ever been on. I don't particularly like doing a tour this long. I do love travelling and I love all of the countries that I'm about to do. Maybe we can do it again in a smaller way.  

PB: There are so many touching moments on the album which I believe was a love letter to your wife, 'The Man I Want to Be', and none more touching than the song, 'Just Like The First Time'. The lyrics, "You don't know me now but in someway somehow maybe there's a moment you are mine." I take it that lyric particularly resonated with you? 

EH: Yes, it did. I can't sing that song in my show. It's okay on the album but I can't sing it in the show because it is a little bit too close to the knuckle.

PB: It's a very personal thing, what you and your wife are going through. What made you go public?  

EH: You want to know the truth? I think public awareness is very important. I think when people hear about somebody they pray for them. I think prayer is a very important medicine for anybody with any disease. It does ring through. It does get together and come back down to that person. It does help a lot. I believe in miracles and I believe through the help of the public it can happen.  

PB: You've had such an incredible career and continue to do so. In the modern world, you're almost taught that if you go on a TV talent show that you're a star overnight. When you were coming up, it wasn't like that. You had to actually rely on talent and hard work! In a career that's lasted as long as yours has and has been as hugely successful as yours has, surely every night that you're onstage must be the biggest celebration for you? 

EH: Experience! You can't beat experience. Experience gets you out of a lot of trouble sometimes. You know how to cut corners and do the right things. People who go on these TV shows, they sing one song and they're a major hit. You've got to be able to entertain for an hour/an hour and a half. One song isn't going to get you anywhere. Once you've sang that song, it's over. What are you going to follow it up with? Yes, it's not easy but there are some young people who are very good entertainers. Social media is such a huge part of the industry these days too. My daughter looks after my Facebook page and someone else takes care of my Instagram page in L.A. I do read all my Facebook comments in my quiet moments and it boosts my morale.  

PB: It's said that true style never goes out of fashion. I think it's exactly that which has kept you so popular over the years. You've been hugely successful contionuously over the years. 

EH: I'm a romantic singer and I think that romance will never go out of vogue because that's what life thrives on. You live by romance. It takes a good lyric and a good melody to keep that feeling of love going. A lot of people have said that they've been married by my music, fallen it love during it. It's a great compliment to know that my music has been part of their happiness.  

PB: Thank you. 

Special thanks to Alan Margulies and Sacha Taylor-Cox. 

Engelbert Humperdinck will be at The Palladium in London on May 4th and Southport Theatre and Convention Centre on May 6th.

http://www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk/MagSitePages/Article/9528/Engelbert-Humperdinck-Interview

By John Berger Tribune News Service, Posted Feb 22, 2020 at 6:03 AM, Star News Online

The longtime singer is bringing a concert featuring his many pop hits to Wilmington’s CFCC Wilson Center on March 1.

Americans discovered the British pop singer Engelbert Humperdinck in 1967 when Parrot Records released “Release Me,” a bittersweet request from the singer to someone he no longer loves to “please release me, let me go.”

The song reached No. 4 on the Billboard singles charts and was the start of a career that continues more than 50 years later. Humperdinck, 83, will be in Wilmington on Sunday, March 1, for a concert at Cape Fear Community College’s Wilson Center.

He’s a two-time Grammy nominee, for 1976 hit “After the Lovin’” and 2002 album “Always Hear The Harmony: The Gospel Sessions.” The following Q&A is from an interview the singer did in late 2018.

Q: Going back to the beginning, did you expect “Release Me” was going to be a hit?

A: You expect things to happen, but (“Release Me”) sat down for three months on a shelf and it didn’t move. Then all of a sudden my manager got a phone call to say, “Is he available to do (TV show) ‘Sunday Night at the London Palladium?’ ” I sang “Release Me,” and the next day -- bingo! Can you believe what that song did for me? It gave me a global career.

Q: How did you meet Elvis Presley?

A: He came to see my show at the Riviera (in Las Vegas) and he came in done up to the nines -- he was wearing his cape and everything. Of course I found out he was in (the room) and I was very nervous. I introduced him, he stood up on the table and opened his cape, and the audience went berserk for 10 minutes. I’m not joking. He stopped the show for 10 minutes! But afterward we became great friends. He taught me stagecraft, humility and not to take yourself too seriously.

What is your show like these days?

I’ll be singing the standards that people expect me to sing and (new) songs. There’s a song written by Bruno Mars, “Just the Way You Are.” I’ve given it a different treatment altogether than he does -- nobody can sing it like he does -- but I’ve given it a different format, it’s more romantic and a little bit slower.

It is true that Bruno performed for you when he was the world’s youngest Elvis?

Yes it is. Many years ago my fan club had a party here for me and the entertainment was a little 5-year-old boy -- Bruno. I said to him then, “Young man, you are going to be a big star.” Well, he’s not a big star, he’s a megastar.

You mentioned learning some stagecraft from Elvis. Are there other entertainers who influenced you?

I learned a lot from watching Ray Charles, and Dean Martin. Dean was one of my favorite entertainers. He was another guy who never took himself too seriously.

What else are you doing these days?

I’m making albums. (Most recently, 2019 EP “Reflections.”) And I try to stay with my wife (Patricia Healey) as much as possible.

Have you ever met any descendants of the other Engelbert Humperdinck -- the 19th -- century German composer?

No, but I was asked the other day if I wrote (the 19th-century Humperdinck opera) “Hansel und Gretel.” I said, “Are you crazy? You’re talking about something that was written in 1893.

https://www.starnewsonline.com/entertainment/20200222/for-engelbert-humperdinck-lovin-never-ends

By RICHARD WEBBER FOR THE DAILY MAIL

PUBLISHED: 06:10 EST, 10 February 2020

So what is the singer's favourite destination and what is his earliest holiday memory? 

Here he talks about a trip to the Isle of Man, visiting Hawaii, where he plans to head to next and a dramatic Concorde experience.

Earliest holiday memory?

As I was one of ten children, my parents couldn’t afford to take us on holiday. So my earliest memory was, aged 20, when my sister paid for a trip to the Isle of Man, where I attended a song contest. I won — and that led me into showbusiness.

Favourite destination?

Hawaii. I visited first in the Sixties with my wife, Patricia, and children.

Where next?

My wife has Alzheimer’s but is recuperating slowly and starting to talk again, which is wonderful. As soon as she can board a plane, I’m taking her to Barbados.

Ever had a bad flight?

In the Eighties, I flew on Concorde. But when we landed at Seattle, eight tyres burst and we skidded down the runway. Fire engines arrived and sprayed foam all over the aircraft.

Funniest thing that happened?

Because of my sideboards, someone once asked if I was Elvis.

What can't you be without?

My pills. I was arrested at gunpoint in Venezuela in the Seventies for having prescription tablets with me. I was held for four hours.

• Engelbert’s exclusive UK performance at the London Palladium is on Monday, May 4, thelondonpalladium.co.uk. 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-7981121/Singer-Engelbert-Humperdinck-recalls-travel-adventures-including-scary-landing-Concorde.html

https://www.londonlive.co.uk/news/2020-01-28/engelbert-humperdink-on-his-return-to-the-palladium

Celebrate #HumpDay with a brand new 24/7 Engelbert Humperdinck romantic radio live stream full of the legendary singer's greatest hits and love songs!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc1qBXy9UlM

Nick McGrath, The Guardian, January 19, 2020

To relax at the weekends, the singer enjoys Scrabble, golf and riding his Harley-Davidson

How do you start the day? I get up at at 6.30am. I watch a little TV – usually the news – to wake up my mind, and then I do exercises, followed by breakfast.

Who’s the first person you speak to? My life has changed since my wife, Patricia, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, that terrible disease. So now when I go downstairs, I usually just sit down and have a cup of tea or coffee and do my crosswords. The first people I talk to are the live-in carers who help me look after her. I’m pleased to say that Patricia is making some progress. She’s starting to talk a little. She said ‘Good morning’ to me this morning, which was rather lovely.

What’s for breakfast? I tend to smoke the whole house out because I fry chilli and onions for my favourite Sunday breakfast: chilli, egg and onions on toast.

How do you relax? I spend time playing golf, at a course two miles from our Beverly Hills home, where I’ll grab some lunch and a nice glass of wine in the clubhouse. If I really want to let my hair down I’ll ride my Harley-Davidson around the Hollywood Hills. Sometimes I’ll get to the lights, pull up my visor, and see people next to me do a double take: ’Oh my God, it’s Engelbert Humperdinck.’ I don’t mind. Recognition is one of the greatest compliments you can have.

Are Sundays active? Sunday is Scrabble day. Friends come over and we sit down and play. I love it. I love words.

Signing off on Sundays… My LA home has four floors. I’m on the top floor and the carers live on the second floor with my wife, so the last thing I do on Sunday night – and every night – is give Patricia a kiss and tell her that I love her and that I’ll see her in the morning. I dream music and if I have a strong idea for a song I’ll wake up, record it on my phone then record it the next day. My dreams are the blueprints of my reality.

Engelbert Humperdinck plays the London Palladium on 4 May

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/jan/19/sunday-with-engelbert-humperdinck-my-dreams-are-the-blueprint-of-my-reality?CMP=share_btn_fb

An exclusive chat with your nonna’s favorite singer

 January 1, 2020 Katherine Yeske Taylor, Rock and Roll Globe

“Aloha! I’m saying ‘aloha’ because I just came back from Hawaii,” says Engelbert Humperdinck, calling from his home in Los Angeles. 

The legendary singer is cheerful and charming despite suffering from severe jet lag after returning from an extensive string of overseas shows. “It’s been a hectic tour – I’ve done six countries in just over 14 days,” he says, listing off several Asian nations as well as the Hawaii stop. And he’s not done yet: in two days, he’ll set off for several more concerts, this time spanning the continental United States.

This would be an exhausting work schedule for anyone, let alone someone of Humperdinck’s age (he’s 83 years old). But he’s intent on promoting his latest EP, Reflections, a 5-song collection of the type of grandly melodic songs that have made him an iconic singer since his career first took off more than 50 years ago. He is nicknamed “The King of Romance,” and with good reason: his songs often tell unabashedly emotional love stories.

“It’s got some things on it that I particularly love very much,” Humperdinck says of Reflections. In particular, he’s proud of the song “I’m Glad I Danced with You (Candlelight Mix),” on which he duets with his granddaughter, Olivia. He says her performance is “totally amazing, and I mean that most sincerely. She sang it with passion and with meaning.”

He says he’s also extremely fond of the song “Don’t Let the Old Man In,” written by Toby Keith, which is about resisting the aging process – bolstered by the memorable line, “Ask yourself how old you’d be / If you didn’t know the day you were born.” 

“I fell in love with that song because all the lyrics have my sentiments entirely,” Humperdinck says. “I don’t want to get old. You know, I’m about 53 [years old] now, I have to think about these things!” he jokes. “I act and talk and dress as young as I possibly can. Not too young, but young enough to say, ‘This guy doesn’t look his age.’”

To check out how youthful Humperdinck looks these days, fans should seek out the music video for the EP’s first single, “You” (as of this writing, it has already logged almost a quarter of a million views on YouTube, even though it was just released in mid-September). This is, in fact, his first-ever official music video. “[It] was a breath of fresh air, and it was nice for me to do it,” Humperdinck says. “Hopefully it will take my career on to another step.”

Indeed, at a time when most performers would think about retiring, Humperdinck is still showing the same type of work ethic and persistence that helped him launch his career in the first place. “I want to tell you something: I’ve auditioned many, many times, and I’ve been rejected. The first condition of communication is the willingness to take rejection, and I took it so many times, but you know what? If you don’t knock on doors, they’re not going to open. So I knocked on doors. I knew that one day, one door will open, and it did.”

Even so, Humperdinck says he had “no idea” that his career would become this successful. Growing up in England, he says he “was not going to be a singer – I was going to be a saxophone player, and I thought I would be a big band leader.” But he switched courses when, at 17 years old, “I got up and sang in a club and I got a standing ovation for it, and I thought to myself, ‘This is what I want to do.’ So I started singing from then onwards.”

At the time, he was performing using his birth name, Gerry Dorsey. But even with his impressive singing ability, he still didn’t find real success until his late 20s when, in a now-famous move, he took the stage name “Engelbert Humperdinck.” This had the desired effect of grabbing people’s attention long enough for them to check out his shows and discover that he was a true talent.

Since his debut recording, Release Me (1967), he has gone on to release more than 60 studio albums (plus many live albums and compilation albums), which have collectively sold a staggering 140 million copies worldwide. His singles, such as “Release Me” and “The Last Waltz,” are among the most recognizable songs ever recorded. His song “Ten Guitars,” originally released as the B-side to “Release Me,” has been adopted as the unofficial national anthem of New Zealand, of all things (a development that Humperdinck calls “amazing”); there is a re-recorded version of that track on the Reflections EP. But even with such an impressive history of hits, Humperdinck is still ambitious: “I’m still not giving up – I’m still trying to get another song that’s going to hit the top of the charts.”

He thinks his success has a lot to do with the type of songs that he has chosen to sing. “I personally enjoy songs that have a great deal of meaning. A song that has a storyline attached to it, that people have lived by, and that I’ve lived by – so when people hear it, they say, ‘That sounds like part of me.’ And I like to get involved with very good melodies that last forever, not ones that you can’t hum a few bars after you’ve heard it the first time.” 

As he prepares for this next tour, Humperdinck says he’s still mindful, even now, that he must continue to earn fans’ respect. “Each and every audience has their own reaction, and believe me, it’s nerve-wracking not knowing what you’re going to receive. But when you finally achieve your goal, it’s quite rewarding.” He cites his recent concert in Japan as a perfect example of this: “I haven’t been [there] in many, many years, and I had to win them back. They were a very reserved audience, and therefore, it took a bit of work. But in the end, I got them, and they were standing up right in front, like at a rock show!” he says, delighted.

All those fans he’s won over will undoubtedly be happy to know that he’s already planning to record another album next year. “I don’t know what it’s going to be about, but nevertheless, I hope it has a memorable existence because that’s the way I like my records, so that they stay around forever.”

https://rockandrollglobe.com/pop/engelbert-humperdinck-aloha-from-l-a/

Todd 'ToddStar' Jolicoeur | 7 December 2019 | 100 Percent Rock

Due to a shift in travel (thanks to a medical episode), I found myself heading to Las Vegas after Thanksgiving. After a quick perusal of shows in Vegas while I was scheduled to be in town, there was one that caught my eye and I immediately reached out to one of my publicist friends and asked for a last minute favor.  Within a short time, I was hooked up and added this to my agenda in LV and counted down to the moments I would be photographing the legend Engelbert Humperdinck. As I readied for the show I observed as an excited crowd filled up the Orleans Showroom for the second of three capacity shows. The show started off as the band took their spots and their respective instruments and started up and the crowds anticipation and excitement grew exponentially until Engelbert made his way to the front of the stage and launched into the Cole Porter classic “Begin the Beguine.”  The crowd lost their minds and I was in awe from that moment until the last notes of the show played out. You hear stories and know there is something to a performer that has had a career as long as Engelbert has had, but when you see it first hand… it is mind blowing. I continued clicking away as he and his band made their way through “Am I That Easy to Forget” and “My World (Il Mondo)” captivating the audience and taking them through songs from his catalog. While I stepped out to load my gear up and grab a copy of his most recent CD, I missed a song but made my way to my seat to catch one of the most recognizable tracks from his huge discography – “After the Lovin'” and I found myself joining Humperdinck and the rest of the crowd singing along to this phenomenal track.  Parts of the show were very storyteller-like, as he introduced various tracks with anecdotes about the track, including the tandem of Dean Martin tracks “Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime” and “Quando, Quando, Quando.” Moving from Martins to Mars, he introduced his own version of the Bruno Mars track “Just The Way You Are.” The show is about the music, but you cannot ignore the way Humperdinck uses his music, memories, and a lot of jokes (not just cheesy ones either) to genuinely entertain the audience. Another highlight for me during the show was the introduction of a song written by one of his children about one of the first memories he has with his wife of more than 50 years. As he finished telling the story behind “I’m Glad I Danced With You” and how the recorded version includes his granddaughter Olivia, he proudly proclaimed she was in the venue and she joined him on stage for an amazing performance that will stand out in my mind for a while.  He allowed her to take the stage for a solo track after that and then resumed the show with the tour namesake track “Angel on My Shoulder.” As a performer that understands you are only as good each night as the band behind you, he took time during the medley of “I Can’t Stop Loving You / Eye of the Tiger” to allow each member to shine on their respective instruments. He thanked the audience for standing behind him all these years and for all the fan mail and letters of support for his wife (who has been battling Alzheimer’s for over a decade) and dedicated “Love Letters” to each and every one of the audience members. After a couple covers – Toby Keith’s “Don’t Let the Old Man In” and “That’s Life” made famous by Frank Sinatra, Engelbert launched into arguably one of his biggest hit “The Last Waltz” and again, the crowd joined in and we all sang and swayed together in our seats. As the showed wound down, I was caught off guard as seemingly half the audience jumped from their seats and rushed the front of the stage for one of the tracks I was most excited to hear – “Release Me.”  The smiles and appreciation flowed from the stage to the audience and back again as we all basked in the amazing performance we had just witnessed. As the final song of the evening as played, I was amazed with the care and love for his fans Engelbert showed. He pointed, smiled, winked, and for the crowd that formed around the front of the venue, he shook every hand that was within his reach. This is a show NOT to be missed if it hits your area when he resumed touring in January 2020. I personally cannot wait for him to land in Detroit in February. Thanks to Rey and AM Management for the amazing opportunity!

Setlist: Begin the Beguine – Am I That Easy to Forget – My World (Il Mondo) – A Man Without Love – After the Lovin’ – Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime – Quando, Quando, Quando – Another Time Another Place – Just The Way You Are – I’m Glad I Danced With You – Angel on My Shoulder – I Can’t Stop Loving You / Eye of the Tiger – Love Letters – Don’t Let the Old Man In – That’s Life – The Last Waltz – This Moment in Time / The Way It Used to Be / Les bicyclettes de Belsize / There Goes My Everything / Spanish Eyes / Love Is All – You – Release Me – How I Love You

https://100percentrock.com/live-reviews/201912/255364/nggallery/slideshow