LEGENDARY PERFORMERS: still touring after all these years

Barry Manilow last week in Las Vegas, at 75, singing, playing, engaging with the audience. He returned to Broadway in 2019, to critical acclaim and will encore his popular Las Vegas Westgate show later in 2021. 

TOP TIER,  VERY BEST ICONIC STARS STILL DRESS THE STAGE, TOUR, CONNECT WITH THEIR AUDIENCE EVEN INTO THEIR DOTAGE

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

IN THE LAST few years, we've seen a host of aging entertainers in live performance venues.  Each one was satisfying. All received standing ovations. In 2020, we joined a packed house at the Westgate in Las Vegas to watch Broadway bound Barry Manilow. Sprightly and now 77, he endeared himself with a generous 95-minute show, playing his own tunes and a

Bette Midler does specialty performances, including this one at the Academy Awards. .

Elton John at 72 still tours, and will return to his  Las Vegas gig.

Chopin prelude that inspired one of his hits. Bette Midler at 75 proves herself still "Divine." She gave three encore numbers, donned a mermaid costume and displayed her usual sexy chutzpah when we saw her at Caesar's a couple years ago. Mick Jagger, 77, couldn't quiet the crowd for the whistles and cheers at his desert concert in 2018. Cher, 74, rocked the Vegas house both times we saw her -- oozing charm with two dozen costume changes. She's planning a 2021 tour.

TONY BENNETT headlined with Lady Gaga in a world tour at 90 and despite Alzheimer's, plans a 2021 concert tour.r Gordon Lightfoot at 82, Willie Nelson at 87, earn consistent ovations. Soon to turn 92, Bob Newhart's one-man comedy show charmed at Harrah's Rincon. Rich Little, 82, delighted us at the Laugh Factory in Vegas. Paul McCartney turns 79 in June of 2021 -- still composing and occasionally taking the stage.

Elton John, a kid at 73, is still touring, although tapering back on his energetic Las Vegas shows. We're EJ groupies -- four times at Caesar's.

Jazz pianist Marian McPartland was in her late  70s when she played a Billings, Montana, concert.  Here, center, with writer Christene Meyers and marketing specialist Corby Skinner.

WHY DO THESE aging stars continue to perform?  Because they like it and we like them. They draw huge crowds, perform with enthusiasm, connect as they entertain. We've grown older with them, so it's charming to see them age gracefully, bowing to standing "Os."

When we were coming of age, in the early days of rock and folk music, our parents were listening to Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and the amazing Tony Bennett, whose popularity spans decades and generations. Rock and folk music were unifying cultural forces. Now those rockers and folk artists are growing older. But they still rock out, perhaps with a little more delicacy.

Willie Nelson is still a crowd-pleaser.  We see him at Humphrey's Concerts by the Bay here in San Diego, and 25 years after I interviewed him in Montana. With his signature red bandana, his throaty but tender style and self-deprecating wit, he's a joy to behold and still has the chops. At 86, Nelson's voice is weakening, but, he still picks a mean guitar and is sharp as ever.

Willie Nelson in an interview during a tour that took him to Big Sky, Montana. He is  

Although she was a youthful "60- something" when we saw Angela Lansbury in "Sweeney Todd," she played Madame Arcati in "Blithe Spirit" when she was 91. She is 93. 

Tony Bennett plans a summer 2021 tour despite Alzheimer's. Who knows if he'll tour again, but he has a new record out. 

I LOVE seeing performers I grew up with, ones my parents and even grandparents loved.  I had the good fortune to see Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Nat King Cole,  Marian McPartland, Barbara Cook, Rosemary Clooney,  Alberta Hunter and other greats. Seeing the marvelous Bobby Short twice at the Carlyle in New York was a highlight.  He was in his mid-70s, still brilliant. The king of longevity is Bennett, who turns 95 in August and is just out with a new album. We've seen him five times (three times with Lady Gaga, twice solo). Magnificent. Ringo turns 80 in 2021. Johnny Mathis will be 85. Angela Lansbury was 62 when I saw the actress-singer take the Tony for her Mrs. Lovett role in "Sweeney Todd"; 30 years later, we saw her in "Blithe Spirit" in Los Angeles. Other legendary stars: Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, Mel Brooks....  Leonard Cohen toured until a year before his death in 2016. McPartland did her wonderful "Piano Jazz" National Public Radio show into her 90s and was 95 when she passed in 2013. be 95. 

NEIL YOUNG, a mere 70, is still recording and performing. Bob Dylan, elusive at 78, continues to keeps a low profile as we know from his rejection of the Nobel Prize.

Leonard Cohen at 77 was still touring, but ill health forced  tapering back, to mostly recording. He died at 82 in 2016.

I last saw Billy Joel when he was 66. At 70 now, he's still a kid. Rumors of another tour are out.  It's not the money. Most are  financially secure and could quietly disappear into a life of golf, travel, reading or lazing about. But they thrive on performance; they need the connection.

THIS WAS  obvious when we saw Manilow last week in his fabulous show.  He did his hits, dressed the crowd, shook hands. Grace. That's what these veterans share. Bravo, brava. May it continue thus.

UP NEXT:  Montana is calling -- and we answer! Come with us to  Big Sky Country, where the deer and the antelope play.  We'll take a few side trips to Red Lodge, Livingston, Cody, Wyoming, and more, and share some of our favorite photos of real cowboys and the true wild west.  Meanwhile, remember to explore, learn and live and catch us each Friday when we post a novel look at the arts, travel, nature and family. We welcome your feedback at www.whereiscookie.com