I have had the great fortune to see Mr. Bennett live in concert several times. My first concert was in Seattle in September, 2007 at Seattle’s Paramount Theatre and it was wonderful.  Then there was a bit of a wait until his performance in my home city of Portland, Oregon in May, 2011. Both of these concerts I attended alone.

Next up, though, Mr. Bennett was scheduled again in Seattle at the Paramount Theatre in December, 2011. This time I invited my best friend and co-blogger, Lesley, to join me. I’ll let her tell her own story of her introduction to the music of Tony Bennett, but it was a wonderful evening.

And thus started The Year of Tony Bennett. We were surprised and happy to find that Mr. Bennett would be visiting the Spirit Mountain Casino in February, 2012 and off we were to that concert. We had such a great time that we decided that we would try really hard to see him one more time in 2012.

That opportunity soon presented himself with an outdoor concert in San Diego in September 2012: the week of my birthday. It was a no-brainer. Next it turns out that he’ll be at the Monterey Jazz Festival the night before. Why not? Jazz Festival tickets booked … a grand weekend of the MJF and the San Diego concert … what better way to celebrate my upcoming birthday?

The icing on this particular cake will be his appearance at Seattle’s Bumbershoot Festival on Labor Day weekend. This time, we’re taking Lesley’s ten-year-old son who, by virtue of listening to Tony Bennett’s music in his mother’s car, is now a fan. This will be his first concert.

Not to mention my purchase of the Complete Collection, which I am exploring with awe and wonder and joy.

Here’s a short video about the Complete Collection. It’s available for purchase at www.tonybennett.com.

Thank you, Tony.

Suzanne