Paul Anka At The Hard Rock casino
Pop Star with a seven decade career blew me away this month. I wasn't sure what I should expect to see and hear when my wife Alice and I decided to catch Paul Anka in concert on October 28th at The Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana, located in Gary, IN. What I did NOT expect, was to see an entertainer of his years deliver the kind of incredible, super-charged show we witnessed that evening.
Afterall, most older artists tend to "call in" their live shows after a certain age; dishing out a couple of old hits, doing the others in a medley mash-up, and after 50-60 minutes leave.
This was NOT the case with Mr. Anka. He delivered a tremendously energetic performance of full songs, all the hits and some surprises. One surprise was how vibrant and powerful Anka’s voice has remained over the decades, and the level of stamina he displayed.
Among the musical surprises was a beautiful treatment of the theme song he wrote for the hit 1962 motion picture, "The Longest Day," which Anka dedicated to all veterans and active military. Scenes from the classic film appeared on the big screens as he sang the moving lyrics paying tribute to those who fought and died on the beaches of Normandy, France.
The only medley of the evening was a cool segment near the end of the concert where Anka asked for an acoustic guitar. He then sat at front of stage alongside his group's lead guitarist to perform a delightful mini-set of old rock classics that started and ended with the song Anka wrote in 1957 for Buddy Holly ("It Doesn't Matter Anymore").
Throughout the evening, Anka's physicality belied his age -- 80 years old -- as he danced and went in and out of the audience multiple times, shaking hands, hugging fans, and climbing over seats while singing,.
He also cracked jokes a number of times, and was clearly having a great time himself. Noting at one point how much he had missed "all this" during the Covid shutdown.
"People ask me why I continue to work and I tell them, I don't work," he told the crowd. "This is my passion, this is what I love and what I live for... Why would I ever choose to stop doing this?"
Paul Anka performed virtually non-stop for an hour and 45 minutes. The set included many of the hits he wrote for others, like "She's A Lady" (Tom Jones) which he sang while literally dancing up and down the aisles with ladies from the audience, and a moving rendition of "My Way," which he wrote for Frank Sinatra.
Anka shared many short stories behind the songs, and paid homage to late show biz friends with both the musical performances, photo montages and video clips. He gave an especially touching tribute to Sammy Davis Jr.
One might think I am exaggerating, but I can tell you this was one of the most entertaining live shows I have seen in many years. Alice agreed, it was one of the best shows we have attended during our decade together.
This was a top shelf performance. What an incredible group Anka has assembled to accompany himself. On that note (pardon the pun), Anka graciously let each member stretch out and strut their stuff, introducing each member, some multiple times.
Anka showed class in the way he displayed respect to his band members and the paid homage to the many friends from his past who helped him become an international success.
I have been blessed to see many legends in live performances over the decades of my own career -- Sinatra, Presley, Cash, etc. -- and what I saw at the Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana that night was Paul Anka giving the kind of show that would certainly make those late, greats proud. Here was this teenager who came to stand on the shoulders of giants, only to became a giant himself.
Bravo Mr. Anka... Applause! Applause!
