POP MUSIC REVIEW : Vinton Shows Poise as the Complete Entertainer

A good portion of Bobby Vinton’s repertoire at the Long Beach Terrace Theatre on Sunday afternoon made it strikingly clear why we needed Lennon & McCartney in the ‘60s.

Making a rare Los Angeles appearance, the king of early rock love songs worked through such Top 40 chestnuts as “Roses Are Red,” “Blue on Blue,” “Tell Me Why” and “Blue Velvet.” The overflow audience clearly must have adored Vinton in the ‘60s, and they adored every minute of this performance as well.

But what was most appealing about Vinton was not his re-creation of puppy-love hit tunes--which he seemed willing to dispense with fairly quickly--but his poise as a complete entertainer. Filled with energy and high spirits, constantly in movement, interacting amiably with his audience, Vinton almost produced a convincing presentation with his engaging personality, even for the few skeptics in the crowd.

The opening act was Reunion--actually a Lettermen revival group featuring Jim Pike and Bob Engemann from the best-known version of the trio, joined by Ric de Azevedo of the King Family vocal ensemble. As with Vinton, the Valentine’s Day love-song theme dominated in their affable readings of familiar Lettermen hits.