Bolton bares his soul at Waterford Library
It’s probably been years since mega- platinum singing idol/ social activist Michael Bolton didn’t face a sold-out crowd — but it happened Wednesday night in a most unusual venue.
Admittedly, the seats in the downstairs conference room of the Waterford Public Library were almost filled with fans who showed up to see Bolton, appearing in support of his newly published autobiography, “The Soul of It All: My Music, My Life.” Maybe the lack of a stage-rushing throng could be explained by the fact that Bolton was there as an author, and therefore couldn’t be expected to belt out any of the numerous hits that helped propel his global album sales in excess of 53 million.
In the authorial context, Bolton didn’t actually talk much about the writing process or the publishing business, and the crowd was in fact delighted when he treated them to a few displays of his singing prowess. At one point, explaining the techniques required to sing opera as opposed to rock or R&B, Bolton delivered a blues-style vocal riff; first, as Ray Charles would deliver it, and then in the fashion of a classically trained singer. It was as entertaining as it was fascinating.
Later, at the end of his remarks, Bolton grinned and, with great humor — in response to a fan request — belted out the first few lines of his iconic version of “When a Man Loves a Woman.”
The bulk of the 70- minute program, though, was taken up by the star graciously and wittily answering audience questions about his career.
Dressed in jeans, a dress shirt and a sport coat, Bolton seemed genuinely comfortable as he sat in a club chair next to a wooden stool on which sat what appeared to be a half-full glass of amber colored liquid. Beer? Apple juice?
“Take all the pictures you want,” he said at the outset. “Just try to get me in the most flattering light.”
Bolton spoke earnestly about the struggles in his “18-year, overnight success story,” and talked about singing radio jingles to pay the bills.
“The thing is that, it does provide a paycheck, and it IS singing — but it’s not very creatively fulfilling,” he said.
In response to a question about the state of the music business today, Bolton said he felt sorry for today’s radio stars because of the download culture. Without album catalogs and their subsequent royalties, he said, young artists won’t have a body of work and residuals to help sustain their careers down the road.
Perhaps the most intriguing and heartfelt anecdotes of the evening came when Bolton — visibly moved — talked about getting to meet and sing with Luciano Pavarotti at one of the tenor’s star-spangled benefit shows for Bosnian children in the mid-’ 90s. Bolton recounted having two weeks to learn the lyrics to “Vesti La Giubba” and “Nessun Dorma” that they were going to sing together.
“I knew the melodies,” Bolton said, “but I had to memorize the Italian. I had to write it all down phonetically.”
As for future projects, Bolton said he’s always working on new music. Plus, he’s been amused and flattered by the reactions to his Captain Jack Sparrow bits on “Saturday Night Live”— and is very interested by offers to star in proposed sitcoms.
“It’s strange,” he laughed. “After all this time, writers suddenly decided I have a sense of humor.” r.koster@theday.com