Paul Vesco and friends came bearing musical gifts Friday night in the Savannah Center.
Mary Jo Vitale was radiant with child and holiday cheer.
Dawn DiNome rocked the Yule Tide spirit of Darlene Love.
Josh Leggett captured the spiritual essence of Christmas with powerful vocals.
Clark Barrios offered some funny and tender holiday sounds.
And Vesco and his masterful six-piece band put it all together in a delightful concert billed as “Home for the Holidays.” It was as tasty and cozy as a glass of eggnog in front of the fireplace.
“Tonight we celebrate tradition, family and the joys that the holidays bring,” Barrios said at the start of the show before joining Vitale, DiNome and Leggett in a rousing “Joy to the World.”
The quartet combined for seasonal favorites and led audience sing-a-longs on “Jingle Bells,” “Frosty the Snowman,” “Let It Snow” and “White Christmas.”
Then, they presented vocal showcases on solo numbers.
Barrios was smooth and mellow on the old Nat King Cole standard, “The Christmas Song.” Barrios possesses an engaging stage personality and ingratiates himself with an audience. Barrios can handle any kind of song. He can be a little goofy, as on “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” or pull the heartstrings on a soft cover of Josh Groban’s “Believe.”
Josh Leggett has the same ability to perform a variety of musical styles. On this night, though, his spiritual side shined through in a moving performance.
“I wonder if Mary knew her child would change the world,” Leggett said before singing, “Mary Did You Know.” He poured himself into the song, with a rich but gentle voice. Leggett was in a bright mood on “No Place Like Home for the Holidays.” Then he had a message that hit home in these turbulent times, “Grown Up Christmas List.”
“I remember when I was a little kid, waiting in line to see Santa,” Leggett said. ‘Now, I still have wishes but they are about love, hope and a better world.”
A very pregnant Mary Vitale is expecting a baby girl in March. “I’m going to let you in on the little secret, if you didn’t already know,” she told the nearly-full Savannah Center.
Vitale patted her extended tummy as she had some fun singing a medley that included: “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “Stepping Out With My Baby” and “Together,” with the lyric: “wherever I go I know she goes.”
Vitale showed some spice on “Santa Baby” and was lively and spry on “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree.”
DiNome continues to blossom as one of the rising vocal talents in The Villages. She will be playing the lead female role of Aldonza in “The Man of LaMancha” in March at the Savannah Center.
But on Friday, DiNome showed a dynamic vocal range and top form on Darlene Love’s classic from the Phil Spector classic album, “A Christmas Gift For You.”
DiNome romped through “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” with enough electricity to light up a block of Christmas trees. Then she covered Mariah Carey with a zestful, rocking “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
Paul Vesco and his band were in top form. The group includes Vernay Reindollar, bass; Charlie St. Cyr-Paul, drums; Tommy Calton, guitar; Krystof Srebrakowski, keyboards and Steve Sienkiewicz also on keyboards.
These guys rocked the house all night long. Vesco, battling laryngitis, still delivered the vocal goods on a couple of jazzy tunes: “Christmas Time Is Here,” from the Charlie Brown Christmas special. Vesco also turned in a nifty smooth jazz cover of a song originally done by Louis Armstrong and written by Steve Allen, called “Cool Yule.”
It all made for a warm holiday evening of music and cheer.
