Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by robin rehder on October 4, 2011 at 3:55am

Oh! &I have a friend who lives in Lafayette, too. She offered her place to me but shucks, Donald Trump doesn't send me any money&neither does Bill gates. so, those going to Lafayette tomorrow, have an awesome time. Speaking about Christmas, I start playing Christmas music November 1st. I used to wait until Thanksgiving on but I love Christmas music. I'll be glad when MB'S new Christmas CD comes out too. Boltonnut from L. A. CA

Permalink Reply by sylvia doughty on October 3, 2011 at 8:32pm

Always next year Diane but is it not a "little" bit far for you to travel even for a present from Michael......oh no, by saying that I am letting you all know I have got a limit as to far I would travel......nearly 500 miles was just about enough would maybe, at a push, add another couple of hundred to that but definitely getting near the limit !!!!!!! LOL.

I will definitely let you all know what the pressy is when I get mine......I think you all know me well enough to know I will do that.....and then I'll really make you all wish you had come along to the Fan Reception especially when it turns out to be dinner with Michael....yeah, dream on Sylvia !!!!!!! LOL.

 

Sylvia.   Your wee Scottish friend.

Permalink Reply by Diane McKane on October 3, 2011 at 11:39pm

Sylvia:

I can not say that it's too far for me to travel for a present from Michael!  However, my preference would be for him to come to me!!!  Shame on you for limiting your travel distance!  LOL!  Dream on Sylvia about that dinner with Michael!  Dream on!  LOL!

Diane

Permalink Reply by robin rehder on October 8, 2011 at 11:15pm

I know I'm late but Sylvia, dinner with Michael. A full plate of mine would remain. I'd be too excited to eat bhaving dinner with Michael but i don't have to worry about that. Not happening with me. Are you kidding me? Girl can dream, right? LOL

Permalink Reply by Gail on October 4, 2011 at 3:49am

http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20111003/NEWS01/111003036/Mich...

 

Michael Bolton's career has been a juxtaposition of styles

Singer will perform in Lafayette Tuesday night

Michael Bolton is known for many things.

 His long locks of hair. His adult contemporary hits like “Love is a Wonderful Thing” and “When a Man Loves a Woman.” His performance of the Oscar-nominated “Go the Distance” from Disney’s “Hercules."

 

And, most recently, being an avid fan of “The Pirates of the Carribean” series on The Lonely Island/ “Saturday Night Live” bit “Jack Sparrow."

 

Throughout his career, Bolton has been a bit of a riddle. There are two sides to everything he’s done.

 

He’s enjoyed enormous success, selling tens of millions of albums. However, he seemed to be made fun of by everyone from Conan O’Brien to Mike Judge, who wrote a character with the same name in the cult classic “Office Space."

 

When he talks, he seems painstakingly sincere. Yet, he seems to have a sense of humor about himself what with the recent success of “Jack Sparrow” and linking videos to his website of comedy troupes randomly performing his songs at various places.

 

Though he’s done the love songs, he’s also written a song with Bob Dylan.

 

“I just got stopped in my tracks by an invitation to write with him,” Bolton said of his meeting Dylan. “That’s something I look forward to — when you meet one of your favorite people, anybody you really respect, and you really like them after you met them."

 

If Bolton seems to be hard to tie down to one genre or one style of music or, yes, even a hairstyle – he cut off his flowing locks of hair long ago, after all, well, that's fine by him. His career, he said, has taken him all over the musical highway.

 

“It took me 18 years before I had my first hit,” he said. “I didn’t have a choice. I had to keep going. All I knew was forward movement, forward momentum. I had a wife and three daughters to feed — it was intense.”

 

Sure, he’s known for those mega-hits. However, he said the real hit with audiences now is when he performs songs from the operatic tenor, Luciano Pavarotti.

 

“It will steal the show almost every night,” Bolton said. “I was surprised by that the first 10 times."

 

However, around noon on Friday, Bolton didn’t acknowledge his hair or even his string of hit songs. He was just waking up, waiting for his breakfast in a Dallas hotel room and ready to speed through another telephone interview.

 

After a night of parties where guests told the same jokes and requested him to sing, Bolton, it seemed, just wanted to tell stories.

 

For the past 25 years, it seems like he’s been constantly promoting a new album whether it be in London or Lafayette — where he’ll perform with a full band Tuesday, Oct. 4, at 7:30 p.m. at the Heymann Performing Arts Center.

 

“I see the schedule sometimes, and it’s kind of a joke,” Bolton said. “I wonder if it’s physically possible."

 

About eight months of each year, he’s touring. He’s so used to it — he said he “can pack without looking at the clothes."

 

“It’s the life,” he said. “It’s kind of a circus of gypsy musicians from here to China and back a couple of times."

 

However, the success that comes with these tours was something he never anticipated. He didn’t have a hit song until he was 34 years old after years of doing a little hard rock where he said “the starving artist cliché was so literal."

 

He’s no longer amazed at how long the journey was or his success. Nowadays, he’s more taken aback by the audience’s responses.

 

“Just doing what you love to do is more than enough of a challenge, then you start having amounts of success. You’re reaching a lot more people, then you start getting letters about what the song meant to them,” he said. “It’s as serious as you can possibly read.

 

"They’re not asking for anything. They’re just wanting to let you know. That’s when you know how powerful music is and what it can do."

 

To this day, with that success and audience connection, he said he still starts each concert “nervously."

 

“I feel like I always have to gauge the audience,” he said. “I’m kind of paying attention to how they are responding. The band has to be ready to change at anytime. By the end of the night, I’ve done everything from R&B, pop, classical, blues and still have done all the greatest hits."

 

And there he goes again – being that walking contradiction, mentioning his greatest hits but the fact that he still gets butterflies during performances.

 

He’s doing what he knows best — being Bolton.

Permalink Reply by Tom Hayes on October 4, 2011 at 4:12am

Thank you Mr Musical Bolton! I want for you to know how much Ashley and I appreciate your music. There is only one person that listens to Bolton more than we do and that is you Mr Bolton because you live it and we really want to thank you for blessing us with sharing your Golden Voice with us. Most people will not believe this but we seriously listen to you anywhere from 8 to 14 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. Again Thank you. We both Love You.  Dad & Ashley

Permalink Reply by robin rehder on October 4, 2011 at 4:30am

Hey Gail, thanks for that long awesome article. Boltonnut from L. A. CA

Permalink Reply by Dianna Shipman on October 4, 2011 at 4:40am

I agree Tom

Thank you Mr Bolton for the music I love so very much and for letting us in to your world in which we love :)

Thanks for a great read Gail

Love Dianna xxx

Permalink Reply by Joy Arban on October 4, 2011 at 5:07am

Gail,

Great article, thanks for posting that one! Finally a writer who is asking questions other than about "the hair" and other silly things!

Michael opened up a bit here, letting us into his world a little. And lets all remember what he has said here that he does get our letters, blogs, tweets etc. and it means a lot to him even though he can't possibly respond to us individually.

Joy

 

Permalink Reply by sylvie boisvert on October 4, 2011 at 5:34am

Wow, thanks for the wonderful article Gail, very nice! Take care sweetie and thanks for copying it, much appreciated. Hugs, sincerely, Sylvie from Canada

Permalink Reply by robin rehder on October 4, 2011 at 5:45am

I agree Joy&everyone, he opened up a little more to us. Boltonnut from L. A. CA

Permalink Reply by meggy on October 4, 2011 at 5:46am

Hey Gail,

   I also want to Thank You for finding & sharing this article with us...It was a real treat to read:)!

I'm really enjoying these new people & there reviews as well!!!

Way to go Michael...Always going the Distance & Beyond for Us his Fans:)!

Mary (Meg's mom)!

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