Wayne Newton Live in Concert


Wayne Newton Live in Concert was a pay-per-view concert special starring Wayne Newton that aired live from the Las Vegas Hilton on May 23, 1989. The concert was one of only a handful of times that Newton has starred in a concert special featuring his entire Las Vegas show, and was also a way of promoting his then-new album "Coming Home." The show was directed by Steve Binder, the same man who directed Elvis Presley's '68 Comeback Special. Select pieces of the show were put together in a video cassette titled "Wayne Newton: Live In Concert at the Las Vegas Hilton" & was released in 1998.

Setlist

  1. "Also sprach Zarathustra"
  2. "That's All Right"
  3. "See See Rider"
  4. "Promised Land"
  5. "Gone at Last"
  6. "Just a Gigolo"
  7. "Some of These Days"
  8. "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me"
  9. "September Morn"
  10. "Great Balls of Fire"
  11. "Splish Splash"
  12. "Heartbreak Hotel"
  13. "Jambalaya"
  14. "Good Hearted Woman"
  15. "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" / "Rocky Top"
  16. "Blue Suede Shoes"
  17. "Baby What You Want Me to Do"
  18. "Spanish Eyes"
  19. "Our Wedding Band"
  20. "While The Feeling's Good"
  21. "If You Love Me, Let Me Know"
  22. "Take Me Home, Country Roads"
  23. "The Old Songs"
  24. "Personality"
  25. "Bring it on Home to Me"
  26. "You Send Me"
  27. "Daddy's Home"
  28. "Lost in the Fifties Tonight" / "Unchained Melody"
  29. "Are You Lonesome Tonight?"
  30. "Can't Help Falling in Love"
Encore
  1. "Orange Blossom Special"
  2. "When the Saints Go Marching In"
  3. "MacArthur Park"

Reception

Drive in movie critic Joe Bob Briggs was highly critical of the show in a 1989 newspaper column. Briggs mainly criticized the fact that Wayne seemed to sing too many songs by Elvis Presley. Briggs was also critical of the fact that Newton didn't sing any of his signature songs, including "Danke Schoen", "Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast", and "Red Roses for a Blue Lady".
However, Briggs still called Newton's show "the best show in the history of civilization." Also, Briggs wrote the review in his signature satirical style, so it is entirely possible that he was mostly joking. Briggs has often spoken of his appreciation of Newton's music, and the two have built a friendship together. Newton even wrote the foreword to Briggs' book "Joe Bob Goes Back to the Drive-In."