Johnny Mathis At The Venue At Thunder Valley. It Was Like The Best Of Weddings
The legendary Johnny Mathis was the guest of honor last Saturday night at The Venue At Thunder Valley, just outside of Sacramento. As is fitting with someone of Mathis’s ilk, the evening was very romantic and quite classy. In fact, as the night went on, I was reminded of a beautiful summer wedding.
How so? Well, like the best of them, the evening included something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue.
The “old” was, very respectfully, Mathis himself. He’s been masterfully recording and performing for over 60 years, and is known by friends for quipping “I’m doing well…for an old guy” upon being asked how he’s doing on any given day! Having released his last set of recordings just a few months ago, teasing a new full-length album in the very near future, while continuing to tour the country and perform to capacity crowds, Mathis has redefined aging in the music industry.
The Venue At Thunder Valley was Saturday night’s something “new,” having just opened last February. The pristine 150,000 square feet facility offers 4,500 excellent seats — there’s not a bad one in the house — state-of-the-art sound and video systems, abundant concessions, and lots of other amenities. Over the next few months, The Venue at Thunder Valley’s headliners will include George Benson & Boney James with Lalah Hathaway, Diana Krall, and Janet Jackson.
Saturday night’s something “borrowed” were songs like “Let The Good Times Roll,” which earned Mathis one of several standing ovations. Over the decades, Mathis has made a name for himself with not just original gems, but his covers of songs that had been hits for other artists. I don’t think Ray Charles would have minded Mathis taking that one for a spin…and Saturday night’s audience certainly didn’t! I’d first caught Mathis belting that one out a few years ago, at the dawn of the pandemic. His promise of one day being able to let the good times roll again helped get me through those early, grueling shelter in place orders that we’d all rather forget, so I was thrilled to hear him sing it again last weekend, mask-free, with the worst of COVID in the rear view mirror.
Of course, Mathis preceded “Let The Good Times Roll” with several tunes that everyone came to hear, including “Chances Are,” “It’s Not For Me To Say,” “99 Miles From L.A.,” and a resplendent “When I Fall In Love,” which opened the show. He also nailed a gorgeous medley of songs written by the legendary Henry Mancini. After hearing Mathis’s sublime version of “Moon River,” I never need to listen to anyone else sing it.
Mathis sounded great throughout the night, while managing to remember all of his lyrics (it usually tickles him when he doesn’t!). He also seemed to be having the time of his life while making so many dreams come true, as for several audience members I spoke to, it was their first-ever Johnny Mathis concert. The chanteur even turned his back to the audience and shook his tuchus a couple of times, to his fans’ delight! Again, to be that spry at 87!
You may be wondering about the something “blue” from Saturday night’s “wedding.” That would have been me, soon after the houselights went up and I realized that Mathis wouldn’t be gifting us with a second encore. I got quite misty about it, in fact.
My dream date, just in case you’re wondering, is Mathis, me, merlot, an open fire, and two guitars. With that behind me, I could die a happy man. To follow thru on the “wedding” analogy, I’m well aware of the fact that I may never be more to Mathis than just another writer who covers his concerts and reviews his albums. But after last Saturday sterling show, I’m on the verge of filing paperwork to have my first name legally changed to “Gina.”
We’re really lucky to still have Johnny Mathis with us, to remind us of a musical landscape where you could feel an artist’s passion without their resorting to profanity, where an orchestra swelled without electronic enhancement, and where a pop singer didn’t lean on pre-recorded tracks or autotune in concert, nor perform multiple vocal runs to deliver a song.
If you’re lucky enough to have Mathis visit a town near you anytime soon, and a chance to hear him caress a beautiful melody like a lover, treat yourself to his live show. I promise you that he’ll be just as happy to see you as you are to experience all that is — and all that has been for over six decades — Johnny Mathis.
For details on Johnny Mathis’s The Voice Of Romance tour, included information on this year’s not-to-be-missed Christmas shows, go to johnnymathis.com.
For details on The Venue at Thunder Valley, go to thundervalleyresort.com
For details on freelance writer Michael P Coleman, and his pending nuptials, go to michaelpcoleman.com.
