‘Sinatra 100: An 'All-Star' GRAMMY Concert’ Shows Frank Sinatra’s Not So All-Star

‘Sinatra 100: An 'All-Star' GRAMMY Concert’  Not So All-Star

December 6, 2015 11:21 PM

Filed Under: Frank Sinatra

(L-R) Recording artists Carrie Underwood, Zac Brown and Host Seth MacFarlane perform at the "Sinatra 100 An All-Star Grammy Concert", in Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 2, 2015.AFP PHOTO /VALERIE MACON / AFP / VALERIE MACON (Photo credit should read VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty Images)

 

Sinatra 100: An All-Star GRAMMY Concert
Good for the Times But Could Have Served Old Blue Eyes Better

 Last night's TV (CBS) tribute to the greatest pop singer in American history on the occasion of his 100th birthday was at least better than 99% of other such musical tributes you see today on TV - because there aren't any (unless you include those occasional ones on PBS or cable. But, if it were 'in the era' the special would have failed.Musically, there were perhaps a half dozen memorable performances during the two hour show. What a waste of a great big band! From the MC (American Family's Seth McFarlane -who happens to have a good voice but that's about it - to the tribute performers to the song selections, the powers that be at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas, where the Dec 6 tribute was held , got it all wrong. If the performer was good his or her song selection was usually poor; if the song bad, the artist was usually better, but it was mostly the former , as Sinatra didn't record many bad songs.Lots of young artists that didn't belong there (think Cool J, Usher, country Garth Brooks , Zac Brown, Carrie Underwood, etc. ) and a lot of veterans -and Sinatra family- who were left out.  Let's let Brian Ives give his more unbiased, mainstream opinion...from radio.com:

By Brian Ives

  ...seemed like a TV event out of time; ever since TV execs got Twitter accounts and learned what “trending” meant, televised music programs have seemed designed to appeal to social media, both in the pacing of shows and in the selection of artists invited to play them.
Wisely, the producers of the all-star Frank Sinatra tribute, which aired last night on CBS, decided to stick more with the spirit of Frank, instead of trying to cater to the zeitgeist.  Still, the concert showed how Ol’ Blue Eyes’ influence permeates music in 2015. (Note: Radio.com is owned by CBS).
Photo Gallery: Lady Gaga, Usher, Seth McFarlane Perform at Sinatra 100
Harry Connick Jr., Celine Dion and Tony Bennett were obvious choices; they are all familiar to most of Sinatra’s older fan base. But younger singers like John Legend, Usher, Alicia Keys, Adam Levine and Nick Jonas all clearly owe the Chairman of the Board a debt.
By now, we know that Lady Gaga is a huge fan of the American Songbook via her collaborations with Tony Bennett. So even if her next album is a collaboration with Iron Maiden, it’s clear that Sinatra’s influence lives on in her voice. She brought some major showmanship to the concert via her performance of “Theme from ‘New York, New York.'”
We also know that — somewhat surprisingly — Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane is a huge Sinatra fan. What was more surprising is how good he is at paying tribute to the man. His performance of “One For My Baby (And One More The Road)” was one of the highlights of the show.
Sinatra’s influence on country music that may not be as well known as his influence on pop and R&B, however it was on full display at this show, which saw Zac Brown, Carrie Underwood, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood putting their spins on his classics.