Hanging On To What They've Got

I've only attended a few concerts through the years; and now that I'm "retired" I can't really afford to go to any. So it was a surprise and pleasure when my daughter, Jenny, called me a week ago and asked if I would like to attend a concert being given by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. of course, I said yes! —And Jenny graciously included my fiancé, Keith.

Despite having a career than has spanned decades, and even a recent album, Frankie Valli might be unfamiliar to younger readers. His heyday was in the sixties and early seventies, when he put out a string of Number One Hits that would impress anyone. Younger people who may not know his name, have surely heard many of his hits. Can't Take My Eyes Off You would likely be one of them. Or Let's Hang On (To What We've Got).

The concert was to start at 8 PM, and the venue was located not far from our condo. A typical-but-still-exquisite sunset was a good omen. (After all, red skies at night, sailors' delight.)

The venue was the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix. Parking was $10 (and the concert wasn't cheap) and we had to walk a fair distance from the lot to the theatre.

Jenny and Jimmy, who had a longer drive than Keith and me, arrived just a few minutes after us. We went in and took our assigned seats, and OMG—they were in the second row

After a short overture and video, the Four Seasons strode onto the stage, followed by Frankie Valli, himself.

I have to admit that, when they first came out, I was a bit concerned about Valli. He's 82 (!) and I must say, really looked it. That may have been partly the fault of the lights, which had him looking a little greenish. Also, the sound wasn't quite right for the first couple of numbers. Jenny and I, whispering, wondered if he weren't lip syncing? But if he had, he would have sounded better.

However, after three numbers, Valli offered a bit of a monologue, explaining how he was inspired to become a singer. (It was a Frank Sinatra concert his mom took him to when he was 9.) He seemed to wake up during it, and did such a unique performance of I've Got You Under My Skin that he convinced me it was all live. Also the sound quality improved a lot at this point.

Unfortunately, the lights were so bright on Valli—especially by comparison to The Four Seasons—that his face got washed out in almost all the shots I took.

The concert filled two hours without a break. Jimmy mentioned that Valli had recently done a four-hour concert. That's amazing for a person of any age.

I was definitely rocking out by the time they did an awesome arrangement of Spanish Harlem, along with the rest of the audience. And I'm happy to say Jimmy and Jenny enjoyed the show as much as Keith and I did.