This Lady is a Tramp

The best is yet to come and won't it be fine You think you've seen the sun, but you ain't seen it shine
You'd never have known that tonight's Richmond Symphony Pops' performance of a "Simply Sinatra" evening was a fallback plan.
Originally planned for January 30th, one of the snowstorms from hell had prevented it from happening that night.
I'm sure there had must have been much hand-wringing amongst the Symphony board about having to reschedule for the Memorial Day weekend, when the city notoriously empties out.
And Monday to Friday's a gas And another week goes past But Saturday night is the loneliest night in the week
Tonight's full house demonstrated the lure of Sinatra's songbook and featured Steve Lippia on vocals.
His voice was as evocative of Sinatra's as the audience could have hoped for and not stray into imitator territory.
As one guy near me observed, he had the rhythmic sense, the vocal phrasing and certain notes may as well have been Sinatra, they were so spot on.

She loves the free, fresh wind in her hair
Life without care
She's broke, but it's o-k


Lippia pointed out that nestled amongst the symphony was the stellar big band orchestra with its huge horn section, so the audience should, "get ready to dance "and even challenged us with, "I dare you not to dance to this really kickin' tune." Later, introducing "That's Life" he said that Sinatra rarely "dipped his toe into the blues," but when he did, that song became a jukebox staple.

In spite of a warnin' voice that comes in the night 
And repeats, repeats in my ear 
Don't you know, you fool, you never can win?

Everyone in the audience had come hoping to hear a certain song and I was no exception.

Lippia did a stellar rendition of Nelson Riddle's arrangement of "The Way You Look Tonight," possibly the most romantic ode to a woman ever written.

The girl next to me, however, had been hoping for "Strangers in the Night" which he did not do.

No do-be-do-be-do tonight.