They know the way to sing a song

October 29, 2007|Christopher Muther, Globe Staff

"What do you get when you fall in love?" asked the songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David in 1968. The answer - depending on the verse - ranged from an ocean of tears to pain and sorrow. It was a suitably dramatic reply for a deceptively cheery song titled "I'll Never Fall in Love Again."

But what do you get when you fall in love with a Bacharach-penned song? The answer, which came over the course of two shows this weekend, is not as straightforward. There was some pain and sorrow at New England concerts by Bacharach and Dionne Warwick, but there was also complete fizzy joy at the pinch-me-I'm-dreaming sensation of watching the still very vital legends in action. Nearly 40 years after Bacharach - with the help of Warwick - dominated the US charts with a series of songs that were intricately crafted pop souffles doubling as musical Valium for a turbulent national psyche, both artists are still looking for answers to eternal questions such as "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?" and, of course, "What's New, Pussycat?" with varying degrees of success.

A robust 79-year-old Bacharach sat at the piano for two hours Friday night at Mohegan Sun, offering a staggering celebration of his catalog. After an overture of "What the World Needs Now Is Love," Bacharach opened with a medley of songs that epitomized the grown-up side of the '60s. In just 20 minutes, he burned through "Don't Make Me Over," "Walk on By," "The Guy's in Love With You," "I Say a Little Prayer," "Trains and Boats and Planes," "Wishin' and Hopin'," "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me," "One Less Bell to Answer," "Only Love Can Break a Heart," and "Do You Know the Way . . .?" These are songs that were intended to be enjoyed slowly and romantically with a Tom Collins and a bubbling pot of fondue by a flagstone fireplace, not in hurried medley form. What do you get when you fall in love? Sadly, sometimes it's a greatest hits medley.

Bacharach was a charming host for the evening, possessing the ability to make the audience feel as if they were lounging in his Malibu living room as he chatted about musical partnerships. His 10-piece band was not quite as charming. Attempting to re-create arrangements that were originally performed by full orchestras, Bacharach made the mistake of employing two keyboard players and a synthesized violin that overpowered "Wives and Lovers" to the point of making the song sound like a cheap karaoke knock-off of its once glorious self. And it's high time someone passed a law banning the use of dangling chimes in percussion sections.