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Tony in Atlantic City!
Sunday, 16-Apr-2000 11:05:37

Message:

Well, its been one of the most incredible weekends that I can remember. Tony is looking and sounding better than ever. We had a terrific time on Friday night and a very special person showed up to spend the weekend with us. The band is hotter than ever and Tony is terrific. The shows have been fabulous and still have one more to go tonight. Tony came out singing "I got Rhythm" and he sure does. We were able to visit for awhile backstage at the Tropicana with Tony on Friday night. There are alot of new people touring with Tony and it was nice to meet them and talk to them. I asked Tony about his emergency surgery and he said that he is feeling great and was up and around in no time. I got to see alot of friends that I have become very close too this weekend and it has been so wonderful to me. I also got to meet some new friends and hope we continue to keep in touch. Tony has always been an important part of my life and I have made very lasting friendships with other fans that I will always cherish.

Sue

Re: Tony in Atlantic City!
Sunday, 16-Apr-2000 19:14:03

Hi Sue!

Wow! It sounds like you are having a great time in Atlantic City this weekend. I'm glad you're getting a chance to spend time with Tony and some of the friends you've made through your shared interest in Tony. I'm sure he's happy about it as well.

It's great to hear that Tony is doing so well after his surgery. We wish him continued good health and happiness.

Julie

Message:

It may be impossible to post this as one, but I will try. It is difficult to put into words everything that happened in Atlantic City this past weekend. The three days turned into one continuous one. It was a weekend full of friends and fun that will be hard to beat. What a memorable Birthday!

Friday night I was 45 minutes late for the show, as I was stuck in Manhattan waiting for a missing FedEx delivery at my hotel. That delayed my departure for 2 hours. It was a wild ride down to Atlantic City, which included me changing clothes and putting on makeup while driving. The velour seats almost defeated me. Luckily, it was dark, the roads were empty and no State Troopers around. I skipped the nylons though. I thought that would really get me killed. I made it, albeit a bit disheveled.

I left the car with the valet and went straight to the showroom. Billy was doing his Rolling Stones number when I walked in. My seat was still open and surprisingly it was right next to Sue D. I had the advantage, in this case, of knowing what she looked like from the Millennium celebration page on this site and surprised her when I turned to her and said, "Oh come on Sue, get into it." She said she knew it the moment she saw the color of my fingernails. It was a weekend of surprises. The part of the show I saw was great. The opening night audience was full of energy, as was Tony. After the show everyone who waited went backstage, visited with Tony, and took photos.

That night backstage, Tony sang a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday to me just before midnight since my birthday was now rapidly approaching. Conversations in the room ran the full gamut. We covered serious subjects like the Elian Gonzales issue and Tony's surgery, as well as humorous ones. Mike, the backstage security guard did his Jay Leno impressions, which inspired Tony to tell us a story about Jay Leno and Tony's son Jon. LOL!!! Too too funny. He went on telling more true-life funny stories that night! He even showed everyone his scar from his recent gall bladder surgery. The scar looks well healed. No one else volunteered to show theirs, even though some other people had the same surgery. LOL!!!

I had the opportunity to speak for a while with Toni Mason, from the William Morris Agency who is currently working with Tony. She was updating me on the progress of the new CD. We will release further information when it is available. Toni was a member of the Angels. Most of you will remember their hit song "My Boyfriend's Back." She did an impromptu version of the song following the show and Sue and I did a darned good job of the background clapping part of the song for her while she was singing. Toni was concerned that I had to drive back to Manhattan for a meeting in the morning, but I assured her that I would have no problem, especially since my body clock was in a time zone 6 hours earlier. Right now though, I have to admit that my body clock doesn't know where I am!

Later, Sue and I went out for a light snack before I hit the road back to Manhattan. It took the hotel 40 minutes to find my car though. Apparently, there was some confusion on my arrival and dash to the showroom. I had a ticket for the car, but first they tried to give me a new BMW (with the sticker still in the window--tempting) and then a Jeep Cherokee. Finally they came over and asked me what kind of car it was and its license plate number. On a rental? I may be good with numbers but I don't memorize rental car license plates. I gave as much info as I could remember and they went off looking again. Anthony, the doorman, and a native New Yorker kept me company and we chatted while waiting for the car. He gave me excellent directions back to Manhattan and I arrived in time to grab a quick 2-hour nap before my meeting.

Later that afternoon I picked up Jo at Penn Station for the drive back down to AC. It was truly a comical afternoon--me driving around the streets of New York talking on a cellphone with her on another cellphone, each saying--"So where are you now?" This went on an extraordinary amount of time, as it must have been "Let's Block the Streets with Cranes Day" in New York--there were cranes blocking 7th Avenue and also W 34th and on top of everything else it was raining. Oh Boy! was this going to be a fun day! Happy Birthday to me…I finally pulled into the curb in front of a Chinese restaurant and waited for Jo to find me. It's best not to have two moving objects trying to locate one another. We eventually found each other and headed on down to AC. Jo had no clue I was in AC the night before so we chatted about general things along the way. What a joy it was to see gas prices well under $2 a gallon. I was thrilled every time I had to fill up at $1.45 a gallon. It was exciting for me!!! But the Toll Roads!!! Come on now. How can you get anywhere if you have to keep stopping every few miles along the way? I was getting pretty good at shooting the coins into the basket. Jo would have been proud of me; on the way back it was taking less time for the light to turn green.

I had leis flown in from Hawaii for my Birthday--which was the missing FedEx package mentioned earlier and pulled one out to bring to Sue who was waiting in the Lobby. We ran into Tony's Aunt Ena and Uncle Chi Chi in the elevator who spent the ride down admiring the lei. They were backstage that night as well and we ran into them again later that night and had a chance to talk for a while. In fact people were stopping me along the way to see it. We found Sue in the lobby; I gave her a traditional lei presentation and that's when Jo heard the story about Friday night. We went into the coffee shop and talked story (as we say in the Islands). After everyone had their usual, we went up to my room to get ready for the show. Sue was the official countdown timekeeper for us as she was ready to go, but we had lots to do. She kept us on time. Thanks again Sue! We all went down to the showroom dressed to the nines and wearing our leis--I had on mine as well as the leis for Tony and Toni (I had promised one to her the night before).

I waited to give Tony his lei until after the concert spot because leis wouldn't survive being crushed repeatedly. There is no telling what someone in the audience will do. After the Herculean efforts I went through to get them there, find them when they were lost, and keep them alive, I wanted them to have a chance. He wore it for the rest of the show and even if I do say so myself, he looked fantastic! Picture to follow. Toni commented that it even matched the handkerchief in his tux pocket.

Toni looked great wearing her lei as well!

This was the first time I had the chance to see Johnny Petillo perform in the show. What a fabulous voice and great entertainer! He sure can work that stage! I loved the additional songs in the show too--You Belong to Me, Tears On My Pillow, Silhouette. I wish Johnny would consider doing some of the shows on the West Coast too! Now we just need to get Tony to work in Bless You and Halfway to Paradise into the show!

Saturday was full of Birthday Wishes from everyone there that I knew (and some that I didn't) and after the show we went backstage for conversation and pictures. Tony again sang Happy Birthday to me--commenting to everyone proudly that he was the first to do so last night. Backstage, it seemed that everyone--band members, crew, hotel employees went out of their way to tell me what a wonderful touch and fabulous idea the leis were. Most had never seen real ones so I was kept busy explaining how they were put together. I often forget that it is a rare sight on the Mainland.   

Johnny and  Barbara joined our little party after the show each night. Two more great friends I made over the course of this weekend. All readers in the Atlantic City area should definitely watch for Johnny's TV show, which will debut on May 25th. Sue, Jo, Stelllllllllllllllllllllllllllaaaaaaaaaaaa (we all loved saying that), Maria, and I were also joined by David, Kerry, Tony's brother Steve, and others who stopped to talk and hang out for a while in what turned into a perpetual birthday celebration. We closed the bar down that night. Can you believe they close the bar in a Casino? Unbelievable! Jo and Sue headed home after that and I went back to the room to work for a while. It was still too early for me.

It seemed every corner I turned on Sunday I was running into people, who were still extending birthday wishes. When I was headed out to the store later that morning I ran into Johnny Petillo and Tracy Cole (almost didn't recognize him in his civvies). While I was waiting for my car Tony and the guys came out and were headed to Brigantine for lunch and an impromptu get together at a steakhouse owned by Joey P. of The Emeralds. I heard later that it turned into a doo wop afternoon there--lots of singing. Barbara came out to wait for her car also and while we were waiting she invited me to come along. That was very sweet of her, but I had errands to take care of. I thanked her for the invite, but declined. Twenty minutes later when I went to drop my film off I realized that I had left it in my room. Yikes! I went back to get it. Barbara was still there waiting for her car. It was her turn to play--let's find the lost car. She said they drove her around the parking garage until she spotted her car. They were just bringing it to her as I came back from the room. She invited me to come along again but I had to get my errands finished.

I ran into Stelllllllllllllllllllllllaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa and Maria at the store. They were waiting for their photos when I dropped mine off. Two more great new friends that I met this weekend!

Sunday's show was the best! Smaller crowd but definitely filled with friends, fans, and people who wanted to party! Having spent the prior two nights with Tony after the show I asked David to bring my birthday picture back for an autograph and he graciously agreed. What a sweetheart! Again Jo, Sue, Stelllllllllllllllllllaaaaaaaaa and I had a party after the show and were joined by Billy, Johnny and David and others as well. We closed the bar down again that night and then hit the casino with a stockpile of gambling tips given to us that night.

David and I had several conversations over the course of the weekend about the Friends of TOAD websites and he gave me his backstage pass from the Tropicana for a giveaway on the site. Now we have to come up with a contest for someone to win his April 14-16 Tropicana Backstage Pass (obviously no longer valid folks--strictly a collectible item). I've been running on very little sleep these past few days and I'm a little foggy as I write this so I can't quite think of a contest at the moment (any suggestions?).

All in all it will be very hard to top this Birthday celebration! Now I've got to catch up on my sleep!

pat

Pat:

Woah! Sounds like you had an amazing time - despite all the little setbacks like cranes, lost cars and lost leis :). Thanks for the fantastic review! Reading it was so much fun. All the details you put into it made me feel like I was there. You know, of course, that I wish I would've been. But with great reviews like this, all of us who didn't make it there can enjoy all the fun for free! LOL!!!

I'm so glad you were able to finally meet some of the people we have been communicating with for so long. It's always nice to be able to put faces with names. And the leis were a fantastic idea! I'm sure all the recipients were thrilled to receive them.

It sounds like you had many great opportunities to finally meet and spend time with our on-line friends and also make some new ones - plus enjoy many great Tony shows. I am very happy that things went so well and you had a great birthday weekend!!

(But I still think you should've claimed that new BMW as your own - Tee hee hee)

Julie

Pat:

What can I say but thank you for sharing your birthday with us and making it such a memorable weekend. Thank you for the beautiful lei, it was so sweet of you. What a weekend, what a man, what fun we had. Hope we can do it again real soon. Oh, by the way, do you have any tape? LOL

Sue from New Jersey


Sue

Sue you are too much...I'm glad you liked the lei. It was nice of you to give it to your good friend Johnny Petillo. By the end of the evening he didn't want to let go of it and I thought you might have trouble getting it back. Please give him my best the next time you see him.

pat

205.188.192.31 writes:

So that's what all the leis were about on Saturday. I have never seen anything more gorgeous in my life and he looked outstanding in his. It reminded me of that Elvis in Hawaii special. You must have had the happiest birthday ever. Congratulations.

Georgie

Message:

Hi Everyone!!

Well, just as Pat and Sue said, Atlantic City was a blast!!! The weekend began with its own adventure; what was beginning to seem impossible had a very happy ending. Try finding someone in Manhattan who you've never met before, talking on a cell phone while the both of you are moving, (on streets occupied by cranes and one way signs!) But, do thank goodness for cell phones, Pat and I were finally brought together!
What on earth did we all do before cell phones?

The drive down to Atlantic City was another adventure in itself! Being deceived by Starbucks signs and getting caught up in torrential downpours, let alone watching Pat aim her coins into all those toll baskets! We arrived at the Tropicana just in time to head down to dinner (with what I thought was a surprise) with my old pal, Sue D. Seems she knew all about my coming down to AC and all the while I was thinking I'd be surprising the heck out of her! (I owe you one guys, big time!) With no time to spare, we made it down to the showroom, elegantly dressed and adorned by very, very beautiful leis flown in all the way from Hawaii! It was nice to say hello again to Denise, Diane, Sue, Darlene and Del. And who could ever imagine that such meaningful friendships were just beginning with Stella and Marie! (oops, sorry, that's STELLLLLLLLA!) Minutes later, that one and only voice from behind the curtain was welcoming all to Atlantic City and a very dapper Tony came out singing I've Got Rhythm as only Tony and The Boys Can, followed by an unforgettable Tie A Yellow Ribbon. You know, no matter how many times you hear Tony sing his "signature songs" each and every time seems like a first. Tony worked his magic and began doing his 50's rendition, accompanied by his buddy, Johnny Petillo. Man, can these two work a crowd! And Pat, you are so right in hoping they'd do some West Coast shows together, perhaps they can be convinced to go on the road together from now on!

Tony was again highly complimented by his band. A new member of the band was introduced, playing piano, only adding to the beauty of the Lefty Brothers and as Tony calls them, "The Right Brothers". Billy does a new solo from the Rolling Stones, which convinced me that Mick Jagger has nothing whatsoever on Billy but maybe a few years! And hopefully, just as Kerry, Tracy and Billy have all had their turns at doing solos, I think it's only right for David to be given his turn at showing his own magic on those keyboards! What a show!!

Later, while waiting backstage for our time with Tony, we had some special time talking with Johnny Petillo, Hank Medress and Toni (with an i). We entered the green room singing Happy Birthday to Pat, with Tony joining in and proudly announcing that it was his second time in singing to Pat, only this time, he gave away her age! Tony gave us all his autographs and posed for some pictures (again with a little lecturing and instruction on how to take the pictures) and then had to leave as they were closing up the backstage area.

And speaking about closing; as Pat said, we closed the lounge on Saturday night. Imagine that? Closing a lounge? At a casino? On a Saturday night? Go figure. But we didn't close it without sharing some good laughs with Johnny Petillo and Barbara, David, Kerry and Tony's other brother, Steven. We enjoyed watching many of the casino's night owls in action, especially those fond of dancing and all of the other beauties as well. Best of all, some very special friendships began, while old friendships grew even closer. If only Maria stayed awake, she could have witnessed my rendition of I Who Have Nothing! (LOL, my knees are still sore!)

Sunday night was just a brilliant continuation (even with just two hours of sleep!) except that Tony was even more energized than the night before! Denise, Diane, Sue, Pat and I all got our moments in the sun singing along with Tony to "Sweet Gypsy Rose" and even Denise H's family got their moment while doing the 50's tunes with Tony and Johnny. The crowd was totally taken up with each and every number and gave Tony a well deserved standing ovation at the close of the show.

All too soon, it was time for me to head on home, but the memories will live on and on.

Thanks.

Jo

Well Jo, what's a few illegal turns in midtown Manhattan between friends? It was hard not to reveal all that happened the night before while we were driving down. Glad I rented that SUV with all the rain though.

And as far as giving away my age--I can't believe everyone believed him! Someone was looking for brownie points that night. And I almost fell off the couch laughing when he started in on the photography lecture.

Oh yes, how could I forget your little dance number that night. I look forward to seeing your rendition of I Who Have Nothing again sometime soon. Maybe Tony would like to do a duet for the new CD? LOL!!! And let's not forget all your psychic predictions. We'll see if the first about Debbie's baby comes true. Maybe they will all come true! Wouldn't that be grand?

I'm just sorry that I was so late in getting to the show on Sunday and didn't have a chance to talk to Debbie at all. I was glad to see that she was doing well though. Hopefully, she'll get that new computer set up and working real soon.

Pat

Re: Re: Tropicana Memories!
Thursday, 18-May-2000 20:38:52

When I saw Tony in Alantic City In April it was my 30th show. He was great as always. He had people in the audience dancing in the aisles. I made a new friend after the show, she was very nice and we keep in touch on line. Really had a great time and looking forward to seeing Tony and my new friends in Atlantic City this fall when I hope Tony will be performing at the Tropicana.


Rona

Re: Tropicana Memories!
Friday, 21-Apr-2000 15:49:07

Hi Jo:

Wow, another great review! Thanks for sharing the fun. It sounds like even the setbacks couldn't spoil the fun. I'm so happy you were able to, not only spend time with friends, but also to make new ones during the weekend and that you had more opportunities to see Tony in concert and visit with him. Sounds like a very memorable weekend.

Julie

Message:

Not much more I can add, but to echo just what a great weekend it was. Tony and the guys were great as always. It was nice to see all the fans. I was amazed how just how many of us are turning out for shows, and the group is growing! Didn't get to visit with Tony this time, but saw some of the guys after the shows, and I was so thrilled at getting to meet Hank Medress Saturday night. Can't wait for next time!


DEL

Hi Del:

It's great that so many fans are coming out to see Tony and getting to know each other as well. I heard that Hank Medress was there this weekend, I'm so glad you got the chance to meet him.



Julie

Message:

Hi Everyone!
I have to agree with Del on this one. There's not much more I can add. Although, I did get a little nervous when Maria handed him the rose and he kissed her. For a moment there I thought she was going to pull him right off the stage. (LOL) I do want to Thank Pat, Sue & Jo for helping to make this a most memorable weekend. It wouldn't have been the same without you guys.


Stella

Remember you have to watch out for those quiet ones! LOL!!! I'm glad I made the eastward trek, it was an unbelievable weekend and I hope we can all do it again sometime soon.


Pat

I heard that Tony is coming back to the Tropicana in AC. Does anyone know when? I saw him there in April, he was great as always.


Rona

Message:

I was a huge fan of Tony's when I was 13 years old. I had pictures of him all over my bedroom walls, every album, whatever I could get my hands on. The promotional pictures from the record store when his new albums came out. I dressed like him for Halloween that year and would never miss a show. I would sit in front of the tv and tape the shows with my cassette recorder when he was on the Mike Douglas and Dinah Shore shows. Few years later I had the opportunity to see Tony perform in Barnum in New York City. I waited three hours for him to come out but he never did.  Well many years went by, married, children so on. Two weeks ago I was reading the paper and I saw that Tony was appearing at the Tropicana and I said to my husband, "Tony Orlando is in AC this weekend." He said, "Do you want to go?" I said, "Get out of here." He called and we got second row seats. The two people never came so I sat up front. I thought that I was going to have a heart attack. My husband asked the guard if it was possible to see him for an autograph and he said no. My husband, who knew what Tony means to me and my great childhood memories, kept asking near the stage studio door and I finally got to meet Tony in his dressing room. I got to the door and saw him and said, "Oh my God, it's you." One of the most happiest moments of my life and I have many. He was wonderful, personable and ever so cute. Then to find out that Sunday night he was going to be on Vh1, what an Orlando weekend. It is so great to be able to go back to when you were a kid and fall in love with him all over again. That Wednesday my husband brought home a Tony CD and I have not stopped playing it and I cannot wait to see him again.

Tara

Hi Tara:

I am so happy that you had an opportunity to see Tony after so many years. It sounds like you now have a great memory of meeting him to add to your already wonderful store of memories. I remember feeling much like you did when I met him for the first time. It brought back all of the childhood memories and feelings about the group that so many of us share.

Thanks for sharing your story and I hope you do get to see him again soon.


Julie

I saw Tony in Alantic City,in April, he was great as always. This was my 30th show. I met Tony at least 15 times after the shows. He is a terrific entertainer. He gets his audience dancing in the aisles. I remember the first time I met him at the Concord Hotel upstate NY. He was so nice greeting the guests in the lobby. That night after the show I met him back stage and ever since I have be hooked. I always watched his shows in the 70s. But meeting him in person, he really is a nice guy.


Rona

Tara:

What a wonderful story! Your husband deserves extra points for his efforts.

Tony did say he'd be coming back to the Tropicana, so keep your eye on the tour schedule on this site for further information. As soon as we have the dates confirmed we will post them.

It is wonderful you were able to fulfill your childhood dreams and as soon as Tony finishes the tracks on his new CD, my guess is that your CD collection will expand further.

Welcome to the Friends of TOAD!


Pat

Tara

Read your post and you sound just like me. When I was 13, I, too, was in love with Tony and also had the bedroom full of pictures and records. I used to watch him on Mike Douglas and Dinah Shore and tape record the The Tony Orlando and Dawn Show (pre VCR for sure). Even watched Tony on Chico and The Man (Lookin' Good) and loved Freddie Prinze too. Many years for me also went by, and a husband and 3 children later,I finally got to meet Tony in 1999. He is such a sweetheart and it was a dream come true for me. It just takes you back to when you were a teenager and all of those fun feelings. Glad you got to meet him. Just wanted to write to say that your post sounded a lot like my experience.

MJB

I know exactly what you mean. I've been a fan of Tony's for 26 yrs. Ever since I was 15 yrs. old. I have mostly all his records and I have 2 autographed pictures of Tony's to boot! I have one hanging on my wall and one on my dresser. I got to see him three times. Landover, Maryland in 1976, Branson, Missouri in 1994 and Hershey, PA. in 1999(last summer). Last summer is when I finally got to meet my favorite idol. Luckily my boyfriend and I got front row seats right where the steps where Tony comes down when he sings. It was first come first serve. When he sang "Sweet Gypsy Rose", I gave him a yellow rose with a yellow ribbon around it, and in return I got a great big hug. After the shows he signed autographs and that's where my dreams came true after 26 yrs. He was so kind and gracious. When I went down 4 stairs he told me to be careful and I said I will and I said, "I love you tony", and he said, "I love you to Lynette." Boy, was I on cloud 9 that day. That's where all my dreams came true.

lynette e grim