As fortunes would have it, I have met all four of them in personal, one-on-one encounters. I met Paul and Ringo at JFK in 1973 when I worked part-time as a security guard at the Pan AM Terminal. I met George at Rockefeller Center in 1977 visiting the tree, with the girl I dated at the time and her six-year-old daughter. And I met John three times on West 72 Street in 1979 and 1980 when I worked at the bank down the block from the Dakota.
And in each case, I had brief, friendly conversations with each of them.
But this is NOT about them. Instead, I read today in yesterday's New York Post that the lead singer of my second favorite band was recently performing at Saratoga Mountain Winery in New York.
Yes, Frankie Valli, of the Four Seasons, is ninety and is still performing. He was said to have looked frail, was struggling and lip-synched to his songs. Like Milli Vanilli. And why not? He is NINETY!
Nobody’s voice will still sound like it did at forty, when he is ninety. He certainly can’t reach those falsetto high notes he was known for anymore. Even Sinatra lip-synched at his last few appearances.
If you recall a scene from Jersey Boys where “Frankie” offered to pay “Tommy's” gambling debts, his patrone, “Gyp DeCarlo” said, “You’ll be working until you are ninety to pay off all that debt plus the interest.”
How prophetic!
But as a fan, I think Frankie Valli needs to step away. He LOOKS frail. And I am sure, as much as the people around him say he is enjoying himself, he has to be exhausted. And it shows.
You had a great career, Frankie. You were one of the best entertainers to grace a stage to give a terrific show. But now it is your time to sit back and enjoy the memories you gave to so many of us.
It really was too good to be true.
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