Osmond concert is a big ol' reunion

THE OSMOND BROTHERS, Thanksgiving Point, Friday and Saturday.

LEHI — Attending the Osmonds' concert at Thanksgiving Point over the weekend felt more like a family reunion than a musical event.

Even before the stage was filled with the warm tunes and pleasant greetings from brothers Merrill, Wayne and Jay Osmond, members of the audience were shaking hands, hugging one another and sharing Osmond memorabilia from concerts past. The room was peppered with Osmond cousins and relatives, and even groupies who chartered buses or flew in from all over the world.

It's no wonder the "Osmaniacs" of the '70s and '80s continue to follow their men from concert to concert; the brothers give a dynamite show. From the get-go, with signature songs "Down by the Lazy River," and "Yo-Yo," the trio cranked out tight harmonies with high-pitched energy.

Other songs that brought sighs and cheers from the crowd included "Proud One," "Crazy Horses" and "We're Havin' a Party." A tribute to other singing brothers included songs made famous by the Millses, the Everlys, the Gatlins, the Statlers, the Righteous Brothers, the Bee Gees and the Jackson 5. (Jay's falsetto of Michael Jackson's "ABC" solo was a kick.)

When they weren't singing and dancing their way into audience members' hearts, Wayne was proving he is the family punster, with corny jokes that went on and on and on. His "Cinderella" rendition was quite entertaining.

The audience was also treated to a musical number from Heather Osmond Hollows, Merrill's daughter, and some mighty fine classical violin renditions by Amy Osmond, Wayne's daughter. Both sang backup for their dads.

The brothers played to their audience by checking to see what genre of songs was favored — rock, country or their Branson show. One nice, but rather long, segment allowed interested audience members to line up on stage and get their pictures taken with the brothers as they crooned love songs.

The Osmonds' show is still one of the best in town. However, you can tell their energy is starting to slow down. And why shouldn't it? These guys have been performing for 47 years.

To the trained fan's ear, it is also noticeable that these brothers are missing a great contributor to the group — Alan Osmond, who stopped performing after developing multiple sclerosis. In a fitting tribute to Alan, they sang their popular rendition of "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother," followed by their traditional closing song, a medley of "How Great Thou Art/Til We Meet Again." The standing ovations and one encore made the night complete.

If you missed them, they'll be doing another show on July 24 at the SCERA Shell in Orem.

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E-mail: pugmire@desnews.com