Osmond opened his show with “I Just Want to Celebrate,” where the stage was graced in a purple backdrop and he was accompanied with his four dancers, and he had the audience clapping along. He incorporated a medley of Taio Cruz’ “Dynamite,” “Gangnam Style” and Kool & the Gang’s “Celebrate.”
“What a way to start the show! It’s nice to be with all of you. This is a cool place. I love this place,” Osmond said, complimenting The Paramount.
He continued with his smash hit “Puppy Love.” “Someone help me,” he said, midway through the song, encouraging a sing-along. “I’m going to be singing ‘Puppy Love’ until I’m 100 years old,” he acknowledged.
Osmond immediately broke into his first No. 1 single “Go Away Little Girl” and “One Bad Apple.” He subsequently showcased his velvet voice on the ballad “Sacred Emotion.”
The veteran star took his fans on a trip down memory lane with “Any Dream Will Do,” as he took on the role of Joseph in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which he played on Broadway, and he included his costume for the role. “This is the actual coat and wig I wore for 2,000 shows,” he said.
In “Breeze on By,” his voice was smooth as silk, and the video for the tune was displaying on the giant televised screen. He paid homage to The Beatles with a cover of “The Long and Winding Road,” as the crowd’s iPhone lights lit up The Paramount venue. “I love that song,” he admitted, prior to talking about his latest studio effort, Soundtrack of My Life, which consisted of the songs that influenced him growing up.
For fans of Disney, Osmond sang “I’ll Make A Man Out Of You” from Mulan, where he voiced the character of Captain Li Shang.
The highlight vocal of the evening was his spellbinding live performance of “Soldier of Love,” where he showed off his impeccable dancing skills, and it earned him a standing ovation.
He continued with The Osmonds tune “Love Me For A Reason,” as the video played in the background. He noted that this was the last music video that he filmed his brothers.
Osmond paid tribute to Andy Williams with “Moon River” and went on to display his tremendous vocal range. He shared that his win on Dancing With the Stars was one of the most exciting moments of his career, and sang “Could She Be Mine” as two dancing couples danced along.
He wrote “Whenever You’re in Trouble”12 years ago in honor of his parents, and dubbed it as their “theme song,” which he played for The Paramount audience, as he accompanied himself on piano.
In “Close Every Door,” he showed his wide range, and it earned him another standing ovation, prior to closing with the magnanimous “Survivor.” He returned to the stage where he sang “Crazy Horses” as his encore.
The Verdict
Overall, Donny Osmond was fantastic at The Paramount in Huntington on Long Island. He was able to show his New York fan-base his versatility as an actor, dancer, songwriter, instrumentalist and vocalist. There was a great deal of nostalgia in the venue. If one has yet to see Osmond perform live, they ought to add a ticket to his show on their bucket list. His live concert earned 5 out of 5 stars.
