Frankie Valli: Still the Big Man in Town on Stage
December 9th, 2006The Star-Telegram’s Malcolm Mayhew’s review of Thursday night’s Frankie Valli concert at the Nokia Theater shows that Valli is still the extraordinary showman after more than five decades in the business.
On Thursday night at Nokia Theatre Valli, the New Jersey-born singer and one-time “Sopranos” star, performed with a full band, 10 players strong — and that included a five-piece horn section. He played his songs all the way through, note for note, not doing the medley trick that many “oldies” singers do on stage. Most importantly, his voice, while certainly not as vital as it was in his 1960s heyday, was still strong enough to earn standing ovations.
Valli was accompanied by the New Four Seasons, a group of young male singers and dancers named after Valli’s original Four Seasons. They tried hard to re-create the Four Seasons vibe, changing costumes, breaking into choreographed dances and singing solos. Although their presence could have come off as cheesy, they added visual candy that Valli simply couldn’t offer; he just doesn’t move around much anymore.
For a 72-year old, Valli does still sing extremely well. During some of the show’s most demanding songs, when Valli had to curl his falsetto around skyscraper- high notes, fans held their collective breath, waiting to see if he could still nail ‘em. When he did, as on “Sherry,” “Walk Like a Man” and “December, 1963 (Oh What a Night!)” fans cheered so loudly, it nearly overpowered him!
