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When you first walk into a show and realize you are one of the only people under the age of 55 in the audience, I’ll admit, there is hesitation. I didn’t know much about Engelbert Humperdink prior to attending his show at the Maine Center for the Arts on Saturday and my first impression upon seeing the sort of crowd he attracts made me scared that I had just agreed to totally waste my Saturday night. Thankfully, I was surprised. That night, I was witness to one of the best entertainers I have seen in my life.
Wearing all black and hidden in the lights, Humperdink walked out on stage and immediately broke into song, causing for all the older women in the crowd to follow suit. After the first song, he said hello to the audience in every language he knew – which actually proved to be quite a few. He then began playfully picking on members of the crowd, commenting on their lack of applause and various idiosyncrasies.
This initial part of the show was just a small warm-up for what Humperdink really had in store. The second song in the show was obviously a crowd favorite. As soon as the melody started all the people in the audience started to “ooo” and “aww” in appreciation. Humperdink sings powerful, popular love songs, and every word he sang was like magic to the anticipating ears of the audience.
After the third song he took his first small break, where he told a series of stories and jokes. Each story was in some way sex-related and started out with him saying, “Take this one home with you.” He also introduced his music director, Eddy Tovin, to the audience. He introduced him as being extremely shy, however, following the introduction Eddy jumped and danced his way around the stage to the laughter and delight of the audience.
Humperdink’s performance also included a comment on his old friend, Elvis Presley. He did an impression of the King by unbuttoning his shirt and shaking his hips. He finished out the impression by singing a popular song in the same style and voice of Elvis, which of course delighted the entire audience.
He finished the show by performing a medley of his most famous songs. The entire audience got to its feet as he walked behind the curtain to thunderous applause and cheers while women were storming the stage hoping to shake his hand.
Humperdink is one of the best entertainers I have ever seen in concert. His show was enjoyable, his jokes were fun and his overall act was just plain good, and that is something I plan on “taking home with me.”
Bangor Daily News