New Interview With Dionne Warwick and WTTW/PBS Chicago 1980 Park West Concert

[BachtoBacharach]

Here is a link to a recent interview with Dionne Warwick and Jackie Taylor who wrote the upcoming production of "Don't Make Me Over (In Tribute to Dionne Warwick)" which will be telecast in April on BET and was produced on stage for the Black Ensemble Theater in Chicago by Ms. Taylor. Also, WTTW has posted the seldom seen video of the entire 1980 Park West Concert PBS telecast in the same article. The concert is pretty incredible including the 23 tune 33 minute hits medley and Dionne is in fine, fine voice at age 39...she knocks Promises, Promises out of the park.

Links to both can be found here.

http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2016/02/ ... ear-career

[ron hertel]

BtoB;

Waited a long time to see this Soundstage performance again! .....The opening: "With One More Look At You" - "Are You Watching Me Now" has stuck in my head since I saw her perform it at The Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles and again at the Mill Run Theater in Chicago back in 1980. One of a number of non BB/HD songs Dionne should have recorded. There is a poor quality home video version of this opening number on YouTube. To the best of my knowledge a DVD of the Park West Concert was never made available.

Saw Jackie Taylor's Dionne Warwick Tribute "Don't Make Me Over" several years ago in Chicago. Looking forward to seeing it again on BET and for those who can make it to the revival performances at The Black Ensemble Theater in Chicago - I recommend it!

Thanks for posting!

Ron

[face]

This concert is one of her crowning achievements, in my opinion. I've always thought that her version of "With One More Look At You" is mesmerizing. I wish I could go back in time and attend one of her 1980s concerts live. I also really love her 1990 Spain concert that is available on youtube. Her voice had deepened by then, but it was so delightfully rich and full. Those two concerts are the bookends of my favorite period for her voice.

[Blair N. Cummings]

It`s my understanding that the Spinners were scheduled to open for Dionne at this gig but she arranged for their children to be kidnapped and held at knife point so that she wouldn`t have to share the spotlight.

[ron hertel]

I heard it was the other way around! ..... Remember she said they really DID NOT need her!

[face]

It`s my understanding that the Spinners were scheduled to open for Dionne at this gig but she arranged for their children to be kidnapped and held at knife point so that she wouldn`t have to share the spotlight.

Good one, Blair!!

[turnupthemusic]

It's an astonishing concert - she hits some incredible notes in Make It Easy at Yourself and and at the end with the encore of With One More Look At You. She really was an underrated singer and I think she was in her vocal prime in this era, around 1980-1986.

As previously mentioned, another great concert of hers is the Spain 1990 one on Youtube - I wouldn't have believed it was in 1990, but it does indeed show this year at the end of the concert, plus it includes Night and Day from her 1990 Cole Porter album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNOqYdJPnkI

There are some particularly fantastic vocals at the end of Make It Easy of Yourself and the ending of Promises, Promises (10:58 and 11:48 in the above video) - TWFAF and INLTWA are also excellent.