Stars will sparkle in ‘Capitol Fourth’ holiday concert

JAY BOBBIN Comments 0
Published: July 4, 2009

Among those celebrating this Independence Day is the music superstar countless fans can’t smile without.

Barry Manilow will be among the stars of "A Capitol Fourth,” the holiday concert broadcast by PBS. Airing at 7 tonight (with replay at 8:30 p.m.), the 29th annual edition also will feature Emmy winner Jimmy Smits in his second consecutive hosting stint on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol.

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While this will be Manilow’s first "Capitol Fourth,” he’s had Fourth of July experiences onstage. The biggest one, the Grammy, Emmy and Tony winner recalls, "was being the closing act at the Statue of Liberty for the Bicentennial.

"It was a huge weekend on Ellis Island and all, and I closed it by singing ‘One Voice’ with an orchestra and a choir and fireworks like you’d never seen. John Denver and my friend Melissa Manchester were with me, John Barry was conducting, and it was just the most amazing night.”

Manilow has plenty of musical company for "A Capitol Fourth”: legendary "Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin, Natasha Bedingfield, Michael Feinstein, classical pianist Andrew von Oeyen and the cast of the Four Seasons-inspired stage hit "Jersey Boys” also are scheduled to perform. Erich Kunzel will return to conduct the National Symphony Orchestra.

"I know I’ll be on the stage a lot,” Manilow says. "I’ve got this song called ‘Let Freedom Ring,’ which I wrote with my collaborator, Bruce Sussman; I sang it at Bill Clinton’s inauguration and a couple of other times. I’d love to do that. They want me to do a lot at the beginning and a lot at the end, and I have a fantastic catalog of songs, so I’m ready.”

At the same time, Manilow is happy to be among other artists.

"I’m a team player,” he says. "I like working with other smart people who know their business. With anybody who can put on something the size of this July Fourth television concert, I’m in.

"The biggest thrill, of course, will be working with an orchestra that size,” Manilow says. "I don’t get the chance for that too often. I may have done only a bunch of shows in concert halls in my whole career, so I can’t wait to hear my stuff played by a large orchestra.”

Considering that career has spanned 35 years, and even longer with his earlier efforts as an arranger and accompanist, Manilow enjoys tackling anything new. Lately, he’s enjoyed success with his albums of popular songs of the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s; since 2005, his live show has been a regular attraction at the Las Vegas Hilton.