BLOOMINGTON — Barry Manilow brought his 45-city tour to Assembly Hall on October 6, 1981. The tour coincided with the release of Manilow’s 10th studio album, “If I Should Love Again.”
Manilow had already reached considerable fame, selling more than 40 million albums by 1981. That success however was taxing.
Manilow opened up about the exhaustion he endures while touring with WRTV reporter Tracey Horth.
“The shows that I do are just not easy, not that I’m complaining,” Manilow said. “It’s all just one guy. Even though I’ve got a great band and great backup singers, basically the show is focused on me. You do two of those a night, by the end of the week I’m a wreck.”
Manilow was keenly aware of the expectations of his audience.
“I think they expect class. I like to give them class. I like to give them accessible class, because I can’t go too far over everybody’s head," he said.
As for when he would stop touring, Manilow said, “Only when the people stop coming.”
