Live at the Meadowlands

by John BushThe 1980s were when Frank Sinatra began cashing in on the investments he'd made during his nearly half-century career, and it was also when he began to sound a little too comfortable being the Chairman. The air of defiance he'd cultivated, even at his peak in the '50s and '60s, was nowhere to be seen, replaced by the easy contentment and satisfaction that comes from someone who's looking back more than forward. His concert at the Meadowlands in his home state of New Jersey on March 14, 1986, was one of the signal events of his later career, especially for the thousands of fans not old enough or not willing to travel to see his Las Vegas dates. Sinatra gave them everything they asked for, with a full orchestra swinging the hits he'd accumulated over the decades -- "It Was a Very Good Year," "You Make Me Feel So Young," "Theme from New York, New York," "I've Got You Under My Skin," and "L.A. Is My Lady." What he wasn't able to give them was a strong vocal performance; although it was hardly the worst concert of his life (those were yet to come), Sinatra's voice was wearing away and even the gravelly tenor of his later years was giving way. A previously unreleased recording, Live at the Meadowlands will certainly be a boon to fans and listeners who don't have enough to appreciate of Sinatra in the '80s, but it illustrates how far he'd fallen since the luster had left Ol' Blue Eyes.