Michael Feinstein hasn’t performed a concert at the Chicago Theater since 1998, but he will be returning there Nov.16. The concert is in celebration of the Chicago Theater’s 80th anniversary, and Feinstein, a beloved performer of the American songbook and standards is certain to give be a crowd-pleasing performance.
Gregg Shapiro: You are going to be sharing the bill with Celia Cruz at the Chicago Theater’s 80th Anniversary Benefit Concert. What are you most looking forward to about that concert?
Michael Feinstein at Chicago Theatre
Michael Feinstein: I’m certainly looking forward to sharing the bill with Celia Cruz. (She is) somebody whose work I have admired for a long time. I’m excited just at being able to hear her live. Of course, I’m also excited about being at the Chicago Theater. It’s one of the most gorgeous and acoustically perfect theaters I’ve ever played in. Last time I was there was for the Gershwin centennial celebration and it was fantastic. I think that all theaters carry a certain vibe or energy, and certainly this theater feels warm and embracing when I’m there. Those are the two main things I’m looking forward to.
GS: Since you will be performing with Cruz, are you planning to perform any songs en Espanol?
MF: No, we are not actually doing anything together. If there’d been more preparation time, I certainly would have been thrilled to do something like that. I would be very humbled to work with her.
GS: Have you been enjoying your performance dates with Betty Buckley?
MF: Oh, yes, yes, very much. She’s a dynamic singer, a very connected human being. The power that she emits is extraordinary and intoxicating. The audiences are absolutely stunned by her brilliance. It is great fun to sing with her. She’s very generous and one of those people who is deservedly called a legend.
GS: Can you please say a few words about the nightclub Feinstein’s At The Regency?
MF: Yes, I can. A few words? It’s a great place (laughs) ! The club is a place that I’d always dreamed of having. We’re in our third season. It is extraordinarily successful. I say that with much gratitude, because I had trepidation about the experience of opening a club in New York. It turned out to be the right kind of room at the right time. People in New York and points beyond have embraced it and have made it successful and I am very grateful. Grateful to have a beautiful room like that to which my name is affixed. (I’m) also grateful to bring in some of the amazing performers we’ve had like Glen Campbell and Patti Page and Linda Eder and Cleo Laine and Polly Bergen. It’s been a wonderful experience.
GS: Speaking of New York, have you been addressing the subject of the Sept. 11 attacks in your recent concerts?
MF: I have been alluding to the attacks by singing one song in particular called “The House I Live In,” which is something that Mr. Sinatra sang in the ’40s. I just recorded it with all the proceeds going to the fund that Mayor Giuliani has established for all of the families who have been effected by the tragedy. It’s a song of tolerance and acceptance and it seemed like the most appropriate thing to sing and to revive. My experience since Sept. 11 is that all of the songs take on a greater resonance and importance and weight in light of what has happened. For example, when I sing “Love Is Here To Stay,” that lyric seems like it was written just for what’s going on in the world right now. It’s amazing.
GS: Your next album will be featuring the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
MF: I had never been to Israel before. I went last March and worked with this orchestra that is considered by many to be the finest orchestra in the world. I was very excited (and) a bit nervous about being connected to such an illustrious group of musicians. I didn’t know how they would embrace the music that I do, which is quite different from standard classical repertoire.
They not only wholeheartedly embraced the music, but played it brilliantly. I didn’t know that the Israel Philharmonic could swing on some of the tracks, or schving, but they were real schvingers, let me tell you. The most gratifying thing is that after most of the takes that we would do of the different songs, they would applaud. That to me was the highest approbation one could hope for from musicians.