Gig review: Barry Manilow, Hydro, Glasgow

The man who makes the not unreasonable claim that he was the 'Justin Bieber of the 70s' is hanging up the sequined tux after this farewell tour, prompting every woman of a certain age in the room to ponder his Weekend In New England lyrics: Barry, tell me '“ when will our eyes meet again?

Barry Manilow. Picture: Getty Images

Barry Manilow | Rating: **** | Hydro, Glasgow

Barry Manilow’s One Last Time tour was not dissimilar to the one he did last time. Following the unlikely clubland intro, with fans waving glowsticks in front of a plush red curtain, Manilow and his Vegas-issue band powered straight into a seamless old school showbiz extravaganza, featuring the high-kicking glitz of Can’t Smile Without You, flawless vocals of Somewhere In The Night and signature schmaltzy/melodramatic piano ballads Mandy, I Made It Through The Rain and the triumphant I Write The Songs (which was actually written by Beach Boy Bruce Johnston).

There were few surprises – although he did roll out the rarely aired All The Time – and not everything was a solid gold nugget, but Manilow delivered with conviction, or at the very least a professional commitment to, say, the cheesy theatre of ­Bermuda Triangle and Copacabana.

There were duets with screen incarnations of Judy Garland and his younger self, a comedy tussle between the ballad and disco versions of Could It Be Magic and some foggy memories of kilts and haggis (insert relevant cultural cliché here) – nothing which would stand comparison with today’s high-concept pop spectaculars, but wall-to-wall entertainment value all the same.