Hello Everyone. Just got home from New
Jersey Performing Arts Center here in Newark after seeing Connie
Francis live, on stage, for the first time, in many, many years.
What a show it was.
It started out with a Newark policeman, of Italian heritage, Tommy
Scala, singing a number of songs from the 50's and 60's and giving
an outstanding rendition of Frank Sinatra's "My Way."
Then a movie screen was lowered from above and you saw various
short clips from Connie's early days on Arthur Godfrey's Talent
Scouts, Dick Clark's American Bandstand, and the Ed Sullivan Show.
Then the real show started. Out came Connie singing Who's Sorry
Now, her first great hit, Stupid Cupid, Don't Break The Heart That
Loves You, Everybody's Somebody's Fool, Lipstick On Your Collar,
Frankie, My Happiness, Among My Souvenier, and of course Where The
Boys Are, plus many others.
Then there were more short clips of many of her famous films.
She then did a five minute monologue about Italian men, their
wives, and their mothers, and had the audience bowed over with her
rendition of the interaction of all three. She then went into a
ten to fifteen minute rendition of songs in Italian and then sang
Mama, and there probably wasn't a dry eye in the house.
She asked both the police, and then the firemen, in the audience
to stand up and thanked them for the wonderful job they do on a
day by day situation keeping all of us safe.
Mayor Sharpe James came on stage and presented her with the Keys
To The City, and told the audience that her name would be added
to the front of the NJPAC building. Then the NJ Secretary Of State
read a welcome message from Governor McGreevy.
She then sang a few more of her great old songs and concluded
with a great rendition of God Bless America while overhead on the
screen were snapshots of veterans in combat, cops, firemen, and
other rescuers at the World Trade Center.
She received a standing ovation from the audience and then it
was all over.
A great night was had by all those in this wonderful performing
arts center.
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