There’s something about November, isn’t there? The days are too short, and darkness descends far too early for my taste. Leaves have fallen from the trees in my part of the world, and in sync with the empty trees , there is a sort of melancholy in the mood. It has always been my least favourite calendar change, at least until thoughts of Christmas set in later in the month.
But in early November 2018, none of that was on our minds. My husband and I were setting off on another Petula Adventure. This one was a little different. It involved some zig-zag driving, as well as plane and train journeys, concerts in several interesting venues, and, of course, Petula in grand form.
Petula’s 2018 US tour was an extensive one, covering a large part of the country and lasting a bit more than a month. We decided to take in the opening portion of the tour, beginning in Canton, Ohio. Like many of the places we visited during our Petula travels, Canton was somewhere we likely would never have ventured had it not been for the chance to see Petula perform.
Since we were within driving distance of Buffalo, New York, and Canton is only about 220 miles away, we decided to make the trip by car. Canton is a small city south of Cleveland.
Our first clue that Canton was more than just a small stop on the map came when we had difficulty finding accommodation for November 3, the opening night of the tour. We soon discovered that the Pro Football Hall of Fame is located in Canton and that the city is considered the birthplace of professional American football.
Canton also has a charming arts district, filled with restaurants and galleries, near the historic Palace Theatre where the afternoon performance took place. Although we did not visit it, the William McKinley Presidential Library is also located there, as Canton was the hometown of the former president.
The first show in Canton began with Happiness; what a wonderful way to start a November afternoon! The concert included several songs from Petula’s Living for Today album, which had been released the previous year.
Her cover of Steve Winwood’s If You See a Chance remains one of my favourite Petula recordings and was featured in the set list . Later in the concert came another personal favourite, her beautiful rendition of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Don’t Cry for Me Argentina.
Of course, she also included many of her sixties hits in a musical montage. In every concert I have ever seen her perform, Petula has an extraordinary ability to make each song feel special. In what hardly seemed like two hours came the opening notes of Downtown, and most people realized that this lovely afternoon was about to come to an end. But the audience knew every word and enthusiastically joined in singing Petula’s anthem.
Fortunately for us, however, the adventure was not over. As soon as the concert ended, we headed back to our car to make the 200-mile drive to the next day’s performance in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, near where one of our daughters lived. That gave us the added pleasure of an overnight visit with her, and even better, she accompanied us to yet another Palace Theatre, this one in Greensburg.
Downtown Greensburg, where the Palace Theatre is situated, is quite hilly. The theatre sits partway up a street with a steep incline leading to the main downtown area and stands across from Westmoreland County’s historic gold-domed courthouse.
The show in Greensburg was also an afternoon performance. We were not the only Petula fans taking in both weekend concerts, as we recognized several people who had been seated near us in Canton the previous day.
While the set list was identical to the one in Canton, no two Petula concerts ever seemed quite the same to me. I am not sure exactly how she managed it, but she brought a freshness to every performance. I have seen other long-time entertainers who gave the impression they were merely going through the motions and seemed almost on auto-pilot .That was never the case with Petula. Whether we were seeing her months later or, as in this case, the very next day, she was always fully engaged with both the music and the audience. Familiar songs somehow always felt new again.
After spending another evening with our daughter and her family, we headed back toward the Buffalo area, this time to North Tonawanda, New York, and the Riviera Theatre.
North Tonawanda was a hot spot for entertainment in the 1960s and 1970s, when Melody Fair , the locally famous theatre-in-the-round, hosted many of the era’s biggest stars. My husband and I had enjoyed many shows there over the years. The Riviera Theatre, however, was a new experience for us. This grand movie palace, which dates back to the vaudeville era, had become North Tonawanda’s primary concert venue.
The concert at the Riviera was the first evening performance of the tour, and the audience was noticeably lively and excited as they entered the beautiful theatre. Once again, Petula was in great form and clearly responded to the audience’s enthusiasm. Following Downtown, she closed the show like the others with Here for You, her own touching, self-penned farewell song.
For us, the evening ended with an overnight stay at a Buffalo airport hotel before flying out the next day to New York City.
New York was always a favourite destination for us, and this trip was no exception. This time, we stayed near Penn Station because we had some train journeys planned. While there we also attended a Broadway matinee of The Cher Show .
But the main reason we were there was to see Petula perform at Sony Hall on November 6, and she certainly did perform.
Sony Hall was another first for us, and there was a real buzz of anticipation that evening. I described the concert in an earlier blog post, Petula and the Big Apple, but I do not think it is an exaggeration to say that the atmosphere was electric. The venue was filled with lifelong Petula fans, and even some members of her family were in attendance. The audience showed no restraint in expressing its appreciation, and the energy in the room was unlike anything we had experienced elsewhere on the tour.
The next day, while Petula continued on to The Birchmere in Virginia, we boarded a train to Boston to have lunch with our college-aged grandchildren before continuing on to Providence, Rhode Island.
The final concert of our journey took place at the beautiful Park Theatre in Cranston, Rhode Island, a short distance south of Providence. Like the other shows, it featured Petula doing what she does best: singing, sharing stories, and connecting with an audience that responded with appreciation and admiration.
In an interview with Susan McDonald that appeared in The Providence Journal before the tour began, Petula explained why she still enjoyed life on the road:
“I tell my friends, I love the idea of changing audiences, changing towns, getting to see the countryside. It is never boring.”
How fortunate for her fans that she felt that way!
The next day as we started our trip back to Canada, Petula continued on to venues in Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Texas, Florida, Arizona, and California, bringing joy and delight to audiences across the country, I am sure.
And, for us and probably thousands of others who enjoyed seeing Petula on this tour, with apologies to Neil Diamond,” November days never seemed so good.“
Leave a Reply