What The World Needs Now: The Burt Bacharach Songbook In Concert

[pljms]

Here's a review of the show in LA and it's surprising just how many songs Todd Rundgren gets to perform, including two or three I just wouldn't have expected.
https://variety.com/2025/music/concert- ... 236347936/

Paul, thanks for posting that great Variety review. Just one small query, 'You Don't Have To Say You Love Me' was composed by Film composer Pino Donaggio so I wonder if it was included as a tribute to Dusty Springfield ?

'blue'

blue, I'm assuming whoever compiled the setlist for the Variety review 'boobed' regarding the inclusion of that non-Bacharach song.

[Blair N. Cummings]

Well, the clips indicate that everyone acquitted themselves well enough (although I still think Todd should hang it up), but a program "deep in the catalog" it certainly wasn`t. Maybe it was revelatory for newcomers to Burt`s music, but for the rest of us, I think the Variety reviewer`s reaction to one overexposed hit will serve as any old-timer`s response to each: we`ve "probably heard that song enough in a lifetime."
And, parenthetically, the instrumental identified as "the ABC Monday Night Movie theme" was actually used for that network`s Tuesday night movie broadcast and it was "Nikki."

[blueonblue]

Well, the clips indicate that everyone acquitted themselves well enough (although I still think Todd should hang it up), but a program "deep in the catalog" it certainly wasn`t. Maybe it was revelatory for newcomers to Burt`s music, but for the rest of us, I think the Variety reviewer`s reaction to one overexposed hit will serve as any old-timer`s response to each: we`ve "probably heard that song enough in a lifetime."
And, parenthetically, the instrumental identified as "the ABC Monday Night Movie theme" was actually used for that network`s Tuesday night movie broadcast and it was "Nikki."

'blue'

[pljms]

Checking the setlist for the LA show published in setlist.fm it corroborated the list in the Variety review and so it seems that the inclusion of 'You Don't Have To Say You Love Me' wasn't an error and it was indeed performed in the show. The inclusion of a non-Bacharach song in a tribute show to the composer is especially inexplicable when you consider the complete absence from the setlist of genuine classics like 'Wives And Lovers', 'Twenty-Four Hours From Tulsa', 'Don't Make Me Over' and 'Wishing And Hoping'.

[blueonblue]

Checking the setlist for the LA show published in setlist.fm it corroborated the list in the Variety review and so it seems that the inclusion of 'You Don't Have To Say You Love Me' wasn't an error and it was indeed performed in the show. The inclusion of a non-Bacharach song in a tribute show to the composer is especially inexplicable when you consider the complete absence from the setlist of genuine classics like 'Wives And Lovers', 'Twenty-Four Hours From Tulsa', 'Don't Make Me Over' and 'Wishing And Hoping'.

Paul, I agree....it does seem strange.

'blue'

[Hank]

I was at the show in Englewood, NJ on Friday.
I confess, my expectations were not that high...but what a joyous celebration...
There were a good few magical musical moments where you could almost feel the audience gasp.
All the singers (and Rob) were very engaging.
There was a very innocent sense of fun about the evening that somehow seemed very apropos given the sentiment of a lot of the songs.
Todd Rundgren took a very light hearted approach - even though he was singing a lot of the more melodramatic numbers. It didn't seem to matter though. The crowd seemed happy to enjoy the fun and to follow him down into the depths of torment as the songs came to their climactic moments.
He managed to just about hit all the notes but (like another aging singer I saw lately) he seemed to be having issues with the breathing and compensated in whatever way he could ....which sometimes veered towards "Van Dyke Cockney"....
I was shocked in general at just how good a lot of the songs sounded live but some highlights for me: South American Getaway - wish they'd done the whole thing (slow bits and all...)but that is something to behold, live. Close to You - not my favorite song but it was as if Karen Carpenter was in the building...., On My Own - I'm a sucker for the dueting vocal histrionics.
If anyone's on the fence about going to this, I would highly recommend...My wife is not a fan and I was definitely anticipating an underwhelmed response but she really loved it too !

[Sara D]

Hank, Tori Holub sang Close To You in the show and I see that she's been getting some very good notices. Among the other songs she performs is this personal favourite.

[Laura]

I attended the show in Annapolis, Maryland on April 16 and loved hearing Burt Bacharach's music live again. I wish they had done more than one show here. Mr. Shirakbari, will your website show more tour dates beyond April 23 sometime?

[pljms]

Hank, Tori Holub sang Close To You in the show and I see that she's been getting some very good notices. Among the other songs she performs is this personal favourite.

From the many video clips I've seen of the show Tori Holub has certainly been the most reliable of all the performers in the all-important lyrics remembering department. Here she is again following a short introduction by Rob Shirakbari.