Looks like they made it: Early risers get Manilow seats

June 12, 2011 at 12:09a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Barbie DeLucia had no luck getting tickets to the Elton John concert in May 2010 at the Covelli Centre.

But when it came to the upcoming Barry Manilow performance with the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, well, it looks like she made it. In any case, two tickets in Section 203 were proof positive that her luck had drastically changed.

“I know a bunch of his stuff from the 1970s,” said DeLucia of Youngstown, who arrived at the sports and concert arena around 5:30 a.m. Saturday to buy tickets, which went on sale at 10 a.m. at the box office.

DeLucia cited the 1974 hit “Mandy,” as her favorite Manilow song.

DeLucia, who works at Steak ‘n’ Shake restaurant in Boardman, was one of a few hundred people who lined up outside the facility for tickets to the Manilow concert with the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. Aug. 27 at the centre.

“We had a very successful on-sale,” said Eric Ryan, executive director of the Covelli Center. “Good seats are still available,” he added Saturday night.

They can be bought online at Ticketmaster.com, or by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000.

On his way to work, DeLucia’s father dropped her off so she would have first dibs on tickets to hear the famous singer, songwriter, arranger and producer who accompanied Bette Midler and other artists, and wrote for Barbra Streisand in the early 1970s. Before buying the tickets for herself and her mother, Barbara, DeLucia listened to her Walkman that included music by — you guessed it — Manilow.

“I’m very excited,” DeLucia continued, adding that she’s seen Kenny G, Chicago, Kenny Rogers and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra at the center.

Also beating the crack of dawn for tickets was Darwin Emerson of Poland, another of the first arrivals.

He said he heard on the radio the concert would sell out quickly, so he decided to be there early. Emerson said he bought tickets for daughters Sheri Duff and Cindy Huffstetler, both of whom are big Manilow fans.

Coffee and doughnuts made the long wait a bit less taxing, said Emerson, who retired after 38 years at General Motors Co.

Arriving on the scene a bit later, though with no less enthusiasm, was Carol Cook of Austintown, a friend of Emerson’s who first heard Manilow several years ago at Blossom Music Center near Akron.

“He was one of the best performers I’ve ever seen,” said Cook, who came to the Covelli Centre around 8 a.m. “His performance never stopped; he never took an intermission.”

Cook said her favorite Manilow song is his famous hit “I Write the Songs.”

The show is part of a four-city tour for Manilow. It’s also part of a “Panerathon” weekend that will include a marathon Aug. 28, noted Kelsey Rupert, the Covelli Centre’s marketing manager.

A portion of concert proceeds will go toward the “Panerathon,” named after the Covelli-owned Panera Bread restaurants, to benefit the Joanie Abdu Comprehensive Breast Care Center at St. Elizabeth Health Center, Rupert explained.

The late August performance will be Manilow’s first with the orchestra and at the facility, she said.