Meet the Fanilows: LI's biggest Barry Manilow fans

Barry Manilow fans were eager to see the 82-year-old Grammy winner on stage on April 13 at Elmont’s UBS Arena in “Manilow: The Last Long Island Concert.”

But on Wednesday, ticket holders received an update that the concert “will now be rescheduled to a later date due to doctor’s orders.”

The postponement, as every Fanilow knows, is tied to the singer-songwriter’s December lung cancer diagnosis, surgery and recovery.

On Wednesday, Lynne Grant Greenberg, a retired teacher in Levittown who’s been a Fanilow for 50 years, received word, like other ticket holders, by email.

“We love Barry, and the most important thing is that he gets healthy,” she told Newsday, as though speaking on behalf of fellow followers. “That's all we really care about.

“We just need him to get healthy, and then when he comes back, we'll be there,” she said. “Everybody is going to say the same thing. We just want him to be well.”

Newsday spoke with Manilow’s ardent admirers about the man who writes the songs that make the whole world sing. They shared memories, showed off souvenirs and sang his praises.

They let their feelings – as Manilow has sung – shine, shine, shine. As Manilow continues to mend, they’re sending out these thoughts as get-well wishes.

Lori McGill: 'The music just speaks to me'

A second-grade teacher from Kings Park, McGill, 68, has attended more than 100 Manilow concerts, including five consecutive shows last year at Radio City Music Hall.

"I didn’t miss a minute of his residency," said McGill, who reserves a room — or, "shrine," as she called it — for keepsakes devoted to her Manilowmania. "The music just speaks to me, and it always has."

It’s been that way since December 1976, when she paid $12.50 out of babysitting earnings for a 10th row orchestra seat at the Uris Theatre — now called the Gershwin Theatre — on Broadway.

Times and ticket prices change, but she’s been consistently "mesmerized" by him for 50 years, she said. "I was hooked."

And inspired. She uses "I Can’t Smile Without You" to teach her students at Summit Lane Elementary School in Levittown. "The lyrics are repetitive," she said. "It’s easy reading for them."

She often plans trips around concerts. "I don’t drink. I don’t gamble," she said. "In Las Vegas, I Barry Manilow."

McGill has shared face time with Manilow 19 times, a perk that comes with a premium meet-and-greet ticket package that can cost around $2,500. The money helps fund the Manilow Music Project, which supports arts education in underfunded schools.

 Thoughts of Manilow, his music and her happy place are top of mind. "I know every word, I know every note," she said. "I still just get a thrill sitting there listening to him."

Lynne Grant Greenberg and Geri Berlatt: "Barry’s music is something that has brought us so close together"

Lynne Grant Greenberg and her sister Geri Berlatt had seats in the third row for the UBS concert. The two retired teachers snapped up tickets quicker than you can say "Copacabana."

If the show is rescheduled, you won’t see Greenberg, 73, ambling near her home in Levittown in the run-up to the event. In 2019, days before she was to attend "Manilow on Broadway," she went out for a walk, tripped on the sidewalk and smacked her head.

"I went to the show with bandages on my head," said Greenberg, who drinks her coffee from her favorite Barry Manilow mug. "I looked like the Elephant Man. So, since then I do not take walks outside before a concert."

Greenberg reckons she’s seen Manilow more than 75 times. Many of those experiences were with her sister, 76, who lives in Stony Brook.

"We used to go with the husbands — to Las Vegas New York City — but now it’s just like a special thing the two of us do together," Berlatt said. "We’re very different, but Barry’s music is something that has brought us so close together."

The siblings count "I Write the Songs" and "Weekend in New England" among their favorites. They had planned on bringing extra Kleenex for "Once Before I Go," a song that reflects on life’s journey. It’s now part of Manilow's repertoire and a lead single on his new album, "What a Time," out June 5.

It’s a tearjerker, per the sisters. "It’s so beautiful. We can’t stop crying — especially now," Greenberg said. "We all feel so nostalgic with him getting sick."

June Carter Healey: 'If he has to cancel, it’s for his health'

A former secretary for an internal medicine practice, Healey, 67, lives in Elmont and describes herself as a "big time" Fanilow.

"I was in high school when ‘Mandy’ came out," said Healey, who, like other faithful followers, belongs to a Manilow Facebook group. "Since then, I’ve seen him so many times I’ve lost count."

Although splurging on a meet-and-greet package isn’t in the cards, Healey knows what she’d say to Manilow if she had his ear for five minutes. "I would tell him I love him," she said, "and how his music and lyrics have meant so much to me and so many others."

Healey believes in the power of Manilow’s music to make any day better. "He was at Jones Beach a few months after my mom died," she said. "When he sang ‘This One’s for You,’ I just lost it. I played that song during a difficult time."

As Manilow navigates his own challenging time, Healey takes comfort in the early detection of his cancer — and his drive to be on stage.

"They found it in time so that it can be treated," she said before learning of the cancellation. "I know he still wants to perform, but if he has to cancel, it’s for his health. That’s what comes first."

Andrea Kane: 'I know I’m going to be crying'

When Kane, 70, of Holbrook, isn’t teaching graduate education classes online for Touro University, she’s apt to be wrapped up in her Barry blanket listening to one of her Manilow albums.

"I have every one of them," she said. "Some of my favorite songs aren’t his biggest hits." Those include "Read ‘Em and Weep," about a painful good-bye, and "24 Hours a Day," about persistent longing.

Her first concert: Queens at Forest Hills Stadium in July of 1978. "I barely knew who he was," she said, "but by the time that concert was over, I was enamored."

Some 40 concerts and a one-on-one later, she said, "I’m an extreme fan, but I hate the term Fanilow." Her face-to-face with Manilow was in Las Vegas. "It was a bucket list thing for me," she said.

And wonderfully surprising, too. "I teach teachers how to teach," she said. "I told Barry that when I met him, and I had a list of questions to ask him, and he started asking me about what I do. That's all we talked about."

Manilow’s superpowers? "His personality is absolutely engaging and delightful," she said. "Plus, his music is just so good. When he’s singing, it’s like he’s singing only to you."

She’s bracing for the emotional impact at UBS if the show is rescheduled. "I know I’m going to be crying from the moment he comes out," she said, "to the moment he leaves."

Ann Morelli DellaMonica and Joey DellaMonica: 'Thank you for the gift of you'

For Ann Morelli DellaMonica and her husband, Joey DellaMonica, April is always a time to celebrate Barry Manilow.

At home in Wantagh, they’ll mark their 42nd anniversary on April 28 by listening to "Could It Be Magic."

"It was our wedding song," said Morelli DellaMonica, 69, a retired clerical worker who performs in community theater and teaches dance. "So that makes me very sentimental. We always play it and hold each other."

She has held Manilow in her heart since he broke through in the 1970s. She’s been to more than 50 concerts and dreams of meeting him. "I just want to say ‘Thank you for the gift of you.’"

Manilow’s hummable catalog just keeps on giving — "I Made It Through the Rain," in particular, when she needs a mood boost. "I just really relate to his music," she said. "It has helped me through times when I needed emotional support."

DellaMonica, a retired financial analyst, is just as enthusiastic. "I just love seeing him perform. He's such a great entertainer," he said. "Every time we go to one of his concerts, we want to go again to see the show all over again."