A devoted Barry Manilow fan from the Midlands claims he was prevented from meeting his hero after the star's team branded his wig and orange sparkly jacket 'disrespectful'. Wayne Denton, 69, from Stourbridge, and his business associate Janet Martin, 54, paid £2,480 for gold VIP packages to Manilow's concert at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool on Saturday, June 13, which included an after-show meet-and-greet.
Front-row experience turns sour
The pair, who have seen Manilow perform more than 20 times worldwide, including in Las Vegas and Toronto, had never met him before. Denton, who performs a Manilow tribute act called Celebrating Barry, said he felt 'humiliated' when he was denied the meeting because of his attire. Janet Martin, a backing singer in the tribute act, described the incident as 'really insulting' and 'a very sensitive subject'.
Staff demand removal of wig and jacket
In a recording obtained by the Liverpool Echo, a staff member can be heard ordering Denton to remove his wig and jacket. Another employee later stated: 'I've been instructed we can't do the wig and the jacket' and confirmed it was 'an absolute no'. When Martin argued that asking Denton to remove the wig was offensive and noted that 'women wear wigs too', the staff member replied: 'It's actually insulting to Barry, so it's an absolute no.' The initial staff member then intervened: 'It's nothing to do with wearing a wig,' before the second added: 'You are both being insulting to Mr Manilow, both of you. We're not having this argument.'
Attempts at compromise fail
The duo offered to remove the jacket but keep the wig, but were refused entry. Martin asked if Denton could wear a baseball cap instead, but was told Manilow's team did not want to 'get security involved'. Denton suggested Martin attend the meet-and-greet alone, but she refused to leave him behind. Staff later told the pair they would receive a full refund, excluding the cost of their seats, and a staff member 'guaranteed' a refund would be issued.
Outfit designed as celebration
Martin, who designed the orange Copacabana jacket worn by Denton, said it was meant to celebrate Manilow's return to the stage after his illness. The jacket is one of eight replica stage jackets in a collection inspired by Manilow's iconic concert costumes. 'How can anyone find us insulting? We were wearing this joyous celebratory outfit celebrating Barry's return to the stage,' she said. 'I couldn't get my head around it really.'
Previous encounter with Manilow
Martin had previously met Manilow by chance in a hotel lobby in Las Vegas. She expressed dismay at the thought that Manilow might have seen them from the stage and thought negatively of them. 'What made me feel sick was we'd been at the front all night, dancing and enjoying ourselves... I think Barry was literally six feet from us, looking down from the stage. And what turned my stomach is, is that what he really thinks? Makes me feel ill thinking about it.'
No dress code mentioned
Martin noted that neither the booking confirmation nor any email referenced a dress code. When she raised this, a staff member responded: 'Come on, it's common sense.' A representative for Manilow was approached for comment but did not respond.
