Bob Anderson, maybe you recognize his name and maybe you don’t.  I first saw Bob entertain at the London Chop House, the old legendary restaurant in Detroit; back then the owner also had the Caucus Club across the street where an unknown Barbra Striesand performed.  I then saw him as a lounge act at the Sands in Las Vegas, so you know that was a while ago.  Now he is performing a magnificent act at the Palazzo in Las Vegas and he is a star.  He recently had a one-night show at the Detroit Opera House, which is a magnificent venue, that was the old Broadway-Capital theater when movie houses were works of art with multiple balconies, chandeliers and plaster-work that is unavailable today.   The tickets were my Father’s Day present, even though my Bride had never heard of Bob, she took my advice that it would be a great show.

Bob Anderson is a great singer, but his niche is in impersonations, not just the voice, but in the mannerisms and movements.  I have seen him do Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Nat King Cole, Tony Bennett, but it is his Frank Sinatra that is truly stellar.  His current show that he performed in Detroit, is the show he does at the Palazzo and it is basically a recreation of a Vegas show that Frank would have put on, with the actual music scores and arrangements.  Bob, just like Frank was accompanied by a thirty-two-piece orchestra with strings and all.  I was mesmerized, it was like going back in time to see The Chairman of the Board again.  The selection of the songs was a great mix, not just the great standards, but some of the lesser known ones as well, and I knew them as well; after all I grew up my entire life listening to his music.  Maybe it was nostalgia, or wanting to see Frank perform one more time, but I was enthralled and I did find myself brushing away a few tears as I listened to the music, remembering moments when those songs were apropos and just swaying in my seat like everyone else in the sold-out auditorium, which may be bigger than the auditorium at the Palazzo.  The music was just perfect, and I had to control myself that I didn’t try to sing aloud and disturb the others around me.

We went to the Detroit Opera House early, because our tickets were at the will-call window.  Instead of staying around there, we walked across the street for some wine at Vertical, a wonderful restaurant and wine bar that I have mentioned before.  It was a hot day and of course we were dressed for the occasion which was a Vegas show, so a sport coat was de rigueur, so we had some Rosé wine.  The wine was from the Domaine des Annibals from the Provence region of France, where Rosé is King.  We had Chateau des Annibals 2017 which still carried the old Coteaux Varois en Provence, but now is Coteaux Varois.  This wine is a blend of Cinsaut and Grenache and it was a very pretty color, with a delicate nose, and a finish that made you want to have another sip.  I am sure that it was done in Stainless Steel for a short aging period, because the wine was so fresh.  In fact, if Downtown Detroit wasn’t so packed that evening because of a music festival, we may have went back to Vertical for another glass.  I mean I would have, even though it is not politically correct, and then again most young people have never heard the expression “One for the Road.”