On Thursday night, Husband and I fulfilled a little dream of ours: We saw Tony Bennett live in concert. He was playing Andrew Jackson Hall in Nashville on a very, very stormy night. While I felt like the concert hall was sort of modern and cold in design, as soon as he walked on stage, the entire room seemed to warm up. It was amazing to watch an 88 year old come out and command an audience with so much charisma and an amazing set of pipes.

We were among just a handful of youngsters (can you be a youngster when you’re nearly 30?), and we may have been the only ones that were thrilled to hear he’d been back in the studio with his “friend Lady Gaga.” Apparently, they’re releasing an album together later this year because, as he put it, “she needs the money.”

The thing that was so striking about Mr. Bennett was his swagger–not normally a statement I make about 88 year old men. When we saw these tickets, we jumped at the chance because when it comes to musicians in their 80s, you can’t really say, “Ah, we’ll catch ’em next time.” But he seemed to enjoy performing as much as anyone I’ve ever seen. At the end of the concert, he set his microphone on the piano and sang “Fly Me to the Moon” with no amplification just because he was so excited about the fabulous acoustics in the nearly 2500-seat room.

We have several friends that have mentioned recently how unhappy they are with whatever age they happen to be, and it really bothers me. I think every day is exactly what you make it. It’s fascinating to me that Mr. Bennett can sing all these standards, but then enjoy just as much recording with a new artist like Lady Gaga. You have to keep things interesting don’t you? You have to evolve and change. I found myself hoping that when I’m 88, I find just as much joy in whatever I’m doing as Mr. Bennett seemed to find on that stage.  

If you too are interested in seeing Tony Bennett on tour, you can see the full schedule here. 

One more note: While we were in Nashville, we ate at Koto Sushi Bar, and it was delicious! (We’ve been a little obsessed with sushi ever since watching this documentary, but that is for another post.)

Are there any artists you’d love to see perform in person?

What’s the best show you’ve ever seen?