By Jay Lustig/The Star-Ledger
October 25, 2009, 1:29PM
The tour is called “David Foster and Friends.” And after more than 30 years as one of the pop world’s most successful songwriter-producers, Foster has plenty of friends to call on.
Peter Cetera (formerly of Chicago) and Philip Bailey (of Earth, Wind and Fire) were there when the tour hit the Prudential Center in Newark, Saturday. So were Deborah Cox, “American Idol” alumni Ruben Studdard and Michael Johns, and the quartet, the Canadian Tenors. But the closing slot went to a woman who has not released an album in the United States yet: Charice, a 17-year-old from the Philippines who is well known her own country, and is being mentored by Foster for worldwide stardom.
She has a big voice and, like another Foster protege, Celine Dion, projects a sense of steely determination when she sings. In this show, she was called on to belt out songs Foster has produced and/or co-written for divas Dion (”The Power of Love”) and Whitney Houston (”I Will Always Love You,” “I Have Nothing”), as well as her own Foster-produced single, “Note To God.” Her poise and vocal command were impressive, especially in light of her youth. She ended her memorable mini-set with “I Will Survive,” one of the few songs in the show that Foster didn’t write or produce.
As expected, it was an evening of clean-cut, immaculately crafted pop music. Foster never has been hip, but his knack for helping singers make the most of their talents — two of his recent finds are Josh Groban and Michael Buble — is beyond question.
Foster, 59, served as the show’s amiable host, and accompanied everyone on piano. At several points, he emphasized that this was the third show of his first tour, ever.
Johns sang two of Foster’s rock hits: “She’s a Beauty” and “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion),” recorded by the Tubes and John Parr, respectively. The show’s three backing vocalists, meanwhile, tackled the “West Side Story” ballad “Somewhere” (which Foster produced for Barbra Streisand) and “Got To Be Real,” his disco hit with Cheryl Lynn.
Studdard stood in for Al Jarreau (the swinging “Mornin’”) and All-4-One (the earnest “I Swear”), and brought a touch of blues grit to “Home,” a hit for both Buble and country singer Blake Shelton.
Cetera and Bailey sang some of the buttery pop-soul hits they have made with Foster, and also briefly touched on their non-Foster history — Bailey with an excerpt from “Easy Lover,” Cetera with “If You Leave Me Now.”
Foster will soon embark on his second tour, joining Andrea Bocelli to perform songs from Bocelli’s upcoming, Foster-produced holiday album, “My Christmas.” Stops will include the Izod Center in East Rutherford, Dec. 5.
Michael Johns singing “Man In Motion”David Foster and Friends NJ 10/24
Peter Cetera “Hard to Say I’m Sorry” at David Foster NYC 10/23
Michael Johns and Peter Cetera Hard Habit to Break
David Foster playing St. Elmo’s Fire theme song
David Foster and Friends: Ruben Studdard - I Swear
David Foster and Friends: Ruben Studdard - Home
David Foster and Friends (Chicago): Charice - Bodyguard Medley
David Foster & Friends (BOSTON): Charice - Somewhere Over The Rainbow
David Foster & Friends: Canadian Tenors - Halleluiah
David Foster & Friends (BOSTON): Charice - Note to God
David Foster & Friends (BOSTON): Charice - The Power of Love
Deborah Cox and Cody Karey “The Prayer” @ David Foster & Friends concert 2009 w/ Charice
David Foster and Friends - America’s Song - Boston 10/25/09
David Foster and Friends (New Jersey): Charice - “I Will Survive”
Deborah Cox - “Un-break My Heart” - David Foster & Friends Concert Tour, Chicago
Deborah Cox - “Through The Fire” - David Foster & Friends Concert Tour, Chicago
NEW YORK - (Business Wire) Famed musical showman, producer and songwriter David Foster and some of his talented friends will be embarking on a 10-city tour of “David Foster and Friends” starting in Chicago on October 21st, including stops in New York, Boston, LA, Vancouver, Miami and other markets, it was confirmed today by Warner Bros. Records. In addition to such artists as Philip Bailey from the chart-topping Earth, Wind and Fire, Oprah protégé Charice, Chicago’s Peter Cetera and American Idol’s Michael Johns, fans can expect surprise visits at every show.
Foster, who has an unparalleled four-decade career producing, writing, discovering and nurturing some of the greatest talents in music, has added a special event to the “Foster and Friends Show” - a HIT MAN Talent Search for emerging artists that will take place in each city. Talent in each market will compete to be the next mega-artist by submitting video performances to NAMEDROP.COM. Following the pre-selection, radio and TV stations in their markets will air the selected video/audio clips and viewers/listeners will vote for the two finalists via station websites. The two finalists get to perform with Foster in front of a live audience during the Foster and Friends Concert. The audience and Foster will choose the final winner, who will be flown to Vancouver on November 8th for a final showdown in Foster’s home town.
With one of Hollywood’s most impressive phone books, Foster has yet to reveal which guests might visit him on stage during the tour. “Cher and Donny Osmond both surprised me in Las Vegas so I think people won’t be disappointed. I can certainly say each show will be very special and loads of fun. You never know what’s going to happen with this much talent on stage,” commented Foster who performed two sold out shows at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas recently.
Foster, a 15-time Grammy winner whose PBS Great Performances Special, “David Foster and Friends” was the highest pledged PBS show in history, will perform with his friends some of the hits that have paved the way for the many artists that he has worked with over the years, including Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand, Josh Groban, Celine Dion, Michael Bublé, Andrea Bocelli, Chaka Khan, Madonna, Chicago and The Corrs. Foster recently produced Seal’s critically acclaimed, “Soul” CD, Michael Bublé’s upcoming “Crazy Love” CD and a cut on Whitney Houston’s new CD. He is also in the studio with Oprah discovery Charice, who received five standing ovations during her recent performance in Las Vegas. David Foster’s current DVD/CD “Foster and Friends” is available on 143/Reprise Records.
Tour dates are as follows:
21-Oct Chicago, IL Wed Rosemont Theatre
23-Oct New York, NY Fri WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden
24-Oct Newark, NJ Sat Prudential Center
25-Oct Boston, MA Sun Agganis Arena
28-Oct Atlanta, GA Wed Fox Theatre
30-Oct Tampa, FL Fri St. Pete Times Forum
1-Nov Hollywood, FL Sun Hard Rock Live
5-Nov Los Angeles, CA Thur Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal City Walk
6-Nov San Jose, CA Fri HP Pavilion
8-Nov Vancouver, BC Sun General Motors Place
Teenage star Charice Pempengco was one of the many performers who appeared at a concert organized by David Foster on Saturday, May 9.
The 17-year-old joined Cher, Clay Aiken, Donny Osmond, Brian McKnight and Paul Anka at the David Foster & Friends concert at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas to raise money for the David Foster Foundation, an organization established by the legendary composer and music producer in 1986 to provide financial and emotional help to the families of children needing organ transplants.
During the show, Charice thanked Foster and Oprah Winfrey for their help in her career.
“I would like to mention these people who are very special in my life,“ she said. “First, he is my fan, my producer, my mentor. He taught me a lot of things and of course he is my hero — David Foster. And of course I want to thank Oprah for believing in my dreams and of course believing in me. Thank you so much. I love you both.“
Foster has a long history of charitable efforts to help children. In 1997 he was honored with the United States Children’s Choice Award for his work supporting research into children’s cancer, leukemia, and AIDS.
David Foster and Friends - Mandalay Bay 5/9/09 videos from YouTube:
David Foster is the first to recognize last year’s “David Foster & Friends” will be hard to top. That was a one-of-a-kind event, with nearly a dozen guest singers filmed for a DVD (”Hit Man”) and PBS pledge drives.
It’s impossible to have those big names “go with me every time I want to do this,” the hit-making record producer points out. However, Saturday’s encore at Mandalay Bay finds him trying to build his own name into a brand, one “people would want to come and see no matter who my friends are.”
“In a perfect world, as the record business shrinks and I don’t want to retire, I think this might be a good Round Three for me to perform,” Foster says. “I’m just hoping my music will be the glue, along with my personality and my way of presenting it.”
It’s more than wishful thinking if you saw last year’s concert. And not just because this time, the TV cameras will be gone, and with them the irritating down time and do-overs that stretched the event beyond the three-hour mark.
Of all the star power last year, the big surprise of the night was an unknown 16-year-old Filipina named Charice, belting out “I Will Always Love You.”
On Saturday, Charice returns as a billed performer poised for stardom. Last week, she and Foster visited “The Oprah Winfrey Show” for the anointment of her debut single, “Note to God.” (The show airs May 18, the day the single will be released to digital outlets.)
Foster hopes this year’s audience will take the leap of faith with him and come along for the next new singer he introduces along with the billed stars: Earth, Wind & Fire singer Philip Bailey, Brian McKnight, Peter Cincotti and Heather Headley.
“I do have a little surprise that’s not announced,” he also teases.
Las Vegas audiences have a head start on the trust factor if they attended any installment of the Andre Agassi “Grand Slam for Children” that Foster spearheaded for years. Patrons of those benefits got early looks at Josh Groban, Michael Buble and Charlotte Church, performing alongside the likes of Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Celine Dion.
“I sort of discovered late in my life that I do have a talent for finding talent,”“I sort of discovered late in my life that I do have a talent for finding talent,” Foster says, before amending that to say, “They usually find me.”
He also has learned, “You can win a crowd over more with an unknown, if it’s presented right and if they kill.”
Agassi supporters also watched Foster issue random challenges to audience members to come up and sing, a stunt he plans to repeat on Saturday.
“There’s always somebody who wants to be a star. That person usually wins bigger than any A-list celebrity you have,” he says. “If they have the balls to get up there, chances are they’re either really good or really bad. And both work.”
Foster’s star began to emerge when he co-wrote and produced the 1982 Chicago hit “Hard To Say I’m Sorry.” For two decades, he dominated the pop charts with hits such as Toni Braxton’s “Unbreak My Heart” and Celine Dion’s “To Love You More.”
Now the Top 40 is dominated by hip-hop, which Foster respects, but knows is not his game. “I just clearly don’t know how to make that kind of music,” he says. “By some stretch, I should just be out to pasture.”
But he also notes, “Pop stands for popular, and I still make popular music. … Everybody’s trying to be hip, and yet you’ve got this show ‘American Idol,’ and what do they do all year to get 37 million people to watch? They do Barry Manilow songs. They do Burt Bacharach. They do David Foster songs.
“People don’t leave the music business. The music business leaves them. And I don’t want to be one of those guys,” he says. “I’m happy for everyone that’s doing it. I just want my little slice to stay where it is, and I’m happy.”
David Foster & Friends Live In Concert
Mandalay Bay Resort
Las Vegas, NV
Sat, May 9, 2009 08:00 PM
Back by popular demand, a concert celebration featuring music’s premier songwriter and producer David Foster will take place Saturday, May 9 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. The event will pay tribute to the 15-time Grammy winner and will feature Clay Aiken, Philip Bailey from the chart-topping band Earth, Wind & Fire, Brian McKnight, Peter Cincotti and Oprah Winfrey’s protégé, Charice. Foster also will perform some of the hits he has written or produced during his 40-year musical career. The event is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.
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