He began his Westbury set with “Begin the Beguine,” where he was greeted with a standing ovation from the Long Island audience. It was followed by the mid-tempo and catchy “Am I That Easy to Forget,” as well as “My World (Il Mondo)” and “A Man Without Love.”
Humperdinck invited two of his female background vocals on stage with him for the upbeat “Quando, quando, quando,” which included a neat dance number. He displayed his rich and controlled voice on “Another Time Another Place” and he shared the story of meeting Bruno Mars at the age of five and telling him that he was going to be a “mega-star” someday, and it turned out that Humperdinck was right. In return, he delivered a stirring ballad version of Bruno Mars’ Grammy award-winning hit single “Just The Way You Are.”
One of the most moving moments of the show was his granddaughter, Olivia, appearing on the televised screen with him and singing a duet of “I’m Glad I Danced With You,” which left many in tears and earned him yet another standing ovation. He also incorporated “Angel on My Shoulder” as a singalong with the crowd.
Humperdinck also took the time to give a shoutout to a “great actress” in the audience, Jill Hennessy from the hit NBC series Crossing Jordan and Law & Order, who was in awe of the pop crooner’s talent.
He immediately broke into “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” and during an instrumental version of “Eye of the Tiger,” he went on to introduce his band members.
Humperdinck shared that “Love Letters” was inspired after reading the heartfelt fanmail that his fans sent him, and the Toby Keith-penned “Don’t Let the Old Man In” felt autobiographical to him so he felt compelled to “steal the song.”
He tipped his hat to the late but great Frank Sinatra with “That’s Life” and equally remarkable was his enthralling version of “The Last Waltz.”
Humperdinck also sang a medley of such songs as “This Moment in Time,” “The Way It Used to Be,” “There Goes My Everything,” and the sultry “Spanish Eyes,” which he sang with maximum heart and soul.
He treated his audience to his music video of “You” on the giant televised screen as he sang along to the expressive ballad. Humperdinck closed his set with such powerhouse songs as “Release Me” and “How I Love You,” both of which received standing ovations. Ever gracious, he expressed his gratitude to his fans for being with him for 53 years.
The Verdict
Overall, Engelbert Humperdinck was terrific at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury. His velvet vocals are as resonant as ever, and he was able to take his fans and listeners on a journey through time with his music. His music is timeless and still relevant to this day as when he first recorded these classic tunes. Humperdinck’s live set on Long Island garnered five out of five stars.
Read More: Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos chatted with Engelbert Humperdinck about his longevity in the music business, his Reflections EP, and his future plans.
