Review: Barry Gibb Mythology show filled with emotion and not just for fans

June 1th 2014   Steve Marinucci 

There were tears flowing several times during Barry Gibb's Mythology Tour stop at Concord Calif.'s Concord Pavilion on May 31 – and it wasn't just the fans who were shedding the tears. Gibb, who showed an enormous amount of gratitude to the fans all during the show, had to stop and gather himself a couple of times during the emotion-packed show.

One of those times was the beautiful “Run To Me,” which Gibb and his brothers Robin and Maurice Gibb also performed during the 1989 “One For All” tour. During that tour, the Bee Gees did an extended acappella which cut off suddenly with breathtaking effect. Gibb's version wasn't quite so dramatic, but it was still fantastic.
Then there was “I Started a Joke,” one of Robin Gibb's many outstanding vocals with the Bee Gees. The song started with Gibb singing the first verse. On the second version, Robin Gibb appeared on screen taking over and singing the rest of the song. That got the tears flowing in the audience and the crowd showed its love with a long cheer at the end.

The night was filled with tributes to the Bee Gees. The set for the tour, named after the Bee Gees “Mythology” compilation, was filled with a wealth of Bee Gees hits. The evening,which began with some rare Bee Gees home movies, included everything from “Spicks and Specks,” an early radio hit outside the U.S., to “One,” which was the cornerstone of their 1989 “One For All” world tour.
Gibb also paid tribute to people other than the Bee Gees he's written music for. A segment featuring vocalist Beth Cohen featured her and Gibb performing “Islands in the Stream,” which was sung by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers and “Guilty,” which he sang with Barbara Streisand.” Cohen herself sang “Woman in Love,” which Streisand sang on her own. And then there was the theme from the hit motion picture “Grease,” which he wrote and was sung in the film by Frankie Valli. Gibb also paid tribute to Bruce Springsteen by singing “I'm On Fire.” He called Springsteen the greatest artist he knows.
Throughout the show, Gibb exhibited an enormous amount of gratitude. One of the best moments in the Concord show was during “Words” in the encore when the Concord audience briefly took over singing the lyrics. “You sing it better than I do,” Gibb told the crowd.
And at the end of the show, he even took time to thank everyone associated with the show, from the band to the stage crew. He also paid tribute to his three brothers. The band included his son, Stephen. Maurice's daughter, Samantha, who was also supposed to be there, was absent because of illness, though Gibb said he hoped she would be in the last date in Los Angeles.
The show was the fifth of only six scheduled in the U.S. and there were very few empty seats. The last U.S. show is set for the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles June 4. It is not to be missed