READING, Pa – For fans, Barry Manilow isn’t just about music, he’s about memories.
“I was 18, maybe 19,” said Scott Troutman of Reading. “Took a young lady, we were in the third or fourth row. It was right after he came out, I think his second album.”
Especially if you recall seeing his first show in Reading at the old Astor Theater in 1976. Now he’s back at the Santander Arena for what’s billed as his last.
“My wife actually saw that he was coming, cause I’ve seen him three other times. The Astor, the Spectrum, and Stabler Arena,” Troutman said.
“A lot of it is heartfelt, a lot of it is like I said, memory provoking,” said Troutman.
The performance spaces change — but the music and the memories remain the same.
“I mean the catalog is if he would play every song that was a hit, he’d be there for three hours. ‘Trying To Get The Feeling Again,’ ‘This One’s For You,’” said Troutman. “I would love to hear ‘Even Now’ because that reminds me of my grandfather.”
Manilow is a big part of music history but also Reading history, being the first to play both the Astor Theater and the then Sovereign Center. Now, his local fans prepare for his swan song at the Santander.
“I think we’re gonna live in the moment and then afterwards drive home and go, geez, that might be it but I’m not gonna dwell on that while the shows going on, I’m just gonna enjoy it have a good time,” Troutman said.