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| - This is an excellent small show that lasted a full 90 minutes. Bob Anderson bears more than a passing physical resemblance to Frank Sinatra, and the sound and intonation of his voice very closely matches that of the now deceased Chairman of the Board. But the memory of the top American crooner's iconic songs lingers on in this show. Backed by orchestra director and pianist Vincent Falcone, the former music director for Frank Sinatra himself, and a 32-piece live orchestra, the famous melodies like "New York, New York," "My Way," "My Kind of Town," and "It Was a Very Good Year" are faithfully reproduced. In fact, hearing this large ensemble of musicians belt out the music is almost worth the price of the ticket alone. But hearing tribute artist Anderson faithfully reenact the sounds and mannerisms of Sinatra is probably the closest thing to witnessing a live Sinatra Las Vegas casino concert performance itself when the balladeer was in his prime. And, this occurs in The Palazzo Theatre, which has great sight lines and fine acoustics, and for nostalgic measure rests on the very same ground as the now imploded Sands Hotel and Casino once stood where Frank Sinatra held sway five decades ago. Seating was very comfortable, and as a well-appreciated bonus, upon arrival at the theatre our balcony seats were upgraded to the third row of the center orchestra without any request at all for any change. This put Bob Anderson directly in front of us during most of the performance. We were only separated by a few VIP tables and two rows of seats.
Even though I was too young and but an impoverished student unable to afford the price of a ticket and tip to a maitre d' for a good seat at the time, I have always lamented not seeing a Frank Sinatra or Rat Pack performance in person when Frank, Dean, and Sammy dominated the Las Vegas nightlife scene. But, while viewing Frank the Man. The Music., I felt that, at least for a little while, I was able to experience what some of those magical musical moments must have been like.
4-1/2 stars overall!
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