Watching the tribute to Sinatra on his 100th birthday brought lumps to my throat. I have so many of his albums, worked him many times. Heck, I even bought tickets to see him in Vegas. One of my FAVORITES.
But watching the tribute tonight reminded me of the last time I worked him in person. It was at the Met Arena as a part of the Super Bowl festivities in town. As I did before, I sat in a front chair for his sound check. As he had done before, he walked by and pointed at my hat. “Nice hat,” he said, as he did a time or two before.
I didn’t pay much attention to the fact he was using the teleprompter during the check; but I certainly did during the show, and so did the audience. Songs that he had sung for years were stumping him. He couldn’t remember the lyrics. He had to read darn near every song on the prompter. Sometimes he had to pause. He still had the Sinatra style, the crisp singing of the lyrics; but it was not only his voice that betrayed his age, his memory also.
Everybody there enjoyed his show, after all it was Sinatra; but we all knew it would be only a matter of time our enjoyment would be confined to his albums, his CD’s, or times like tonight watching old TV clips.
Don Ostertag: Off Stage 
Shhh, don’t tell anyone. I have Sinatra on my MP3 player. He pops up in the oddest plces, after Joe Walsh or right before Alan Jackson. Those clear, strong voice big orchestra recordings of “You Make Me Feel So Young”, “Come Fly With Me”, “The Lady is a Tramp” and on and on. From Alison Kraus to Van Halen, my music list is filled with all kinds of music from the 60’s to the present. Rock, blues and country but Sinatra is there too.
Sounds like my playlist, Mike. The CD that really gets me, at my age, is Sinatra’s The September of My Years.
Too many of my friends are developing dementia in their mid 60s. The early stages of forgetfulness are one thing which as friends we can understand and support, as their personalities change though, and they forget we were ever a part of each other’s lives – well, that is just cruel for them and us.
So very sad. I saw a FB post the other day that said, Too bad it isn’t as easy to get help with a mental health problem as it is to buy an assault rifle.
Ah yes. I have never been to mainland USA, but that is an oddity from an Australian perspective. Ammunition sold in Walmart? I’ll be sure to have that on my sightseeing list if ever I get over there.
Thanks Don – agree with you about, ‘September’ – though I often turn to, ‘Wee Small hours’ when the mood hits! Like to see a picture of you in your hat. Regards Thom.
Wee Small Hours – helped me get through my 2 years in the Army. Bought it first in HiFi, than in Stereo, finally in CD.
If you click on OLD HAND you can see what my hat looked like, leather, the same shaping; but i had a band with buffalo nickels on it. Willie always commented on how he liked it. Bonnie Raitt took if off my head and asked if she could buy it.
You have some fine, fine stories Don! Thom
I had his “Warm and Waverly” album, Don. If it wasn’t happening while that was on, it wasn’t going to happen.
AMEN
Sinatra looms so large it is hard to know what is true and what isn’t. Was he really a bully who had people beat if he didn’t like them? Was he a tough guy or did he like to project that image? Few things seem undeniable. His kids loved him, he came from a poor background and he is one of the great singers of all time. Listening to his greatest hit CD throughout the past 18 months has made me appreciate him all over again. Including all those big hits he hated singing like My Way and Strangers in the Night and other classics like That’s Life and Fly Me to the Moon, That’s Why the Lady is a Tramp and Mack the Knife.
Sinatra might have had a bad side but he had a big good side. For instance, he agreed to play a concert at the Mpls Auditorium. One of the stipulations was he would get a brand new piano in his dressing room and it would be his after the concert. He came backstage and asked us to recommend a good Orphanage. We recommended one and he told his manager to see to it the orphage got the piano the next day.
A fascinating man.