Yes, it’s over, call it a day
Sorry that it had to end this way
No reason to pretend, we knew it had to end
Someday, this way
Fans of the incomparable Johnny Mathis will know that I didn’t write those words. I certainly couldn’t sing them as well as Mathis did (along with Deniece Williams) on their 1978 #1 smash “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late.” The song would have been a fitting closer to Mathis’ penultimate live performance, at the Luther Burbank Center in Santa Rosa on May 10.
Walking in, I’d have bet good money that the legend would end the night with either that hit or one of his favorite concert closers, “Let The Good Times Roll.”
I’d have lost some “good money” on that bet.
The evening promised to be a bittersweet one, chock full of music and memories, tears and laughter. It began with a bit of the former, with Mathis chuckling at being greeted onstage by a one minute, roaring standing ovation. The crooner seemed genuinely moved by the applause, and his guffaws were those of a self-described introvert who, if given his druthers, might have preferred to have been on the golf course that evening.
But as he’s done thousands of times, I’m sure, over the course of his 69 year career, Mathis decided to give us a couple of hours of one of the most glorious singing voices known to man, and his faithful audience Saturday night couldn’t wait for it.
Beyond that roaring ovation, the show’s other highlights included a stunning medley of “Shenandoah” and the title track from Mathis’ Grammy nominated 2013 project Let It Be Me: Mathis In Nashville, that breathtaking, sustained note during “Misty,” “It’s Not For Me To Say,” and “99 Miles From L.A.” Most of those would have been expected, to anyone who has experienced Mathis live.
But when the 89 year old entertainment legend surprised his audience with his finale, you could have heard the proverbial pin drop. The song was “How Do You Keep The Music Playing,” originally recorded by James Ingram and Patti Austin, and beautifully covered by Mathis in 1993.
Saturday night, Mathis began the song as he read its lyrics from a portfolio that had been deftly handed to him by his musical director, Scott Lavender, who told me the next day that he’d suggested the song to Mathis as the show’s finale. It was absolute genius, and as he always does, Johnny Mathis brought it home.
Midway through “How Do You Keep The Music Playing,” Mathis slowly closed his portfolio and gently slid it under his arm, having been reminded of the song’s poignant lyric that he brilliantly decided to leave for those of us who’d been asking a similar question since he announced his retirement from touring, earlier this year.
How will we, Mathis’ millions of fans, keep the music playing, after he’s left the stage for the final time?
If we can be the best of lovers
Yet be the best of friends
If we can try with every day to make it better as it goes
With any luck then I suppose
The music never ends
With that, and the fifth standing ovation of the night, Mathis quietly shuffled from the stage.
But not before leaving each of his enraptured fans with three final, heartfelt spoken words.
“I love you,” the legend softly said.
To those lucky enough to see Mathis’ final show in New Jersey on May 18, soak it up.
And please send our guy out with a bang. After almost 70 years, he’s earned that.
Connect with freelance writer Michael P Coleman at MichaelPColeman.com.
