First there's Mr. Manilow himself, a tireless performer and showman who has the energy and vocal chops of someone half his age. Sure, he's not moving as quickly or as limberly as he used to, but who cares? You don't go see a Manilow show to watch him dance. You go to watch him sing and he sounds pretty much the same as he did back during his 1970s heydays.

This production at Paris Las Vegas is different in many ways from the show that ran for five years at the Las Vegas Hilton. All of the hits are still there - "Could it Be Magic," "Can't Smile Without You," "Weekend in New England," "This One's For You," and "I Write the Songs" just to name a few. And some of the set-ups are the same such as the virtual duet he does with a video-taped, circa 1974-ish version of himself singing "Mandy."

But it is this canon of music that provides another great reason why this production is so entertaining. Time and distance have clarified that these really are perfectly crafted pop masterpieces and I dare you - DARE YOU - not to want to sing along.

He doesn't need to be doing his own music, though, to prove that he is still in fine form. A section of selections from his 2010 album of love songs includes the theme from "Love Story" (among others) and you could see the "Love means never having to say you're sorry" tears on a few audience members.

And it is that audience that completes the package of a Barry Manilow show.

I had heard about the concept of "Fanilows" but you really have to see them to believe them. Don't get me wrong, I like Barry Manilow. In fact, the very first concert I ever went to was a Barry show in the late '70s at the Five Seasons Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I practically wore out his "Live" album and I performed several of his songs in swing choir. Yes, I'm a geek. Shut up.

But the thought that this sixty-something year old, lifelong bachelor (wink, wink) could inspire feverish, almost rabid devotion among legions of middle-aged (and other) women (and men) seemed like a bit of a joke. Trust me when I tell you that these people are not joking. There was a core of the audience that gave him a standing ovation after every single song. And there were a few people who didn't sit down the entire time, virtually worshiping their Barry-God, holding out their hands in the hopes that he would grant them a touch.

As opposed to being objects of bemusement, their energy is infectious. It's really hard not to hold on to any sense of retro-nostalgia snobbishness when you've got hundreds of people next to you screaming and shaking as if this were the Ed Sullivan Show and the Beatles have just taken the stage.

The staging is simple with a crack band and back-up singers standing in front of floating LED "picture frames" providing the simple backgrounds, videos, and photography. This is used to great effect as he tells some fun stories of his childhood, complete with photos of himself as a wee tyke and audio recordings made when he was barely out of diapers.

Barry Manilow is one of the best entertainers in Vegas right now and his show one of the best in town. Although I don't know that I rise to the level of Fanilow, I'm definitely a fan.