By David DeRocco

The year 2018 marks 20 years since “The Voice” -- a.k.a. Frank Sinatra -- was sadly removed from this mortal plain. But if you were in the audience at Niagara Falls’ Avalon Ballroom this past weekend, you’d have sworn that Old Blue Eyes had returned for a series of performances in some kind of pre-Halloween reincarnation at his favourite haunt – a brightly lit casino stage in front of a packed house of adoring fans.

Of course, it wasn’t Sinatra at all but instead singer Bob Anderson in the flesh, delivering a 90-minute note-perfect set of Frank’s classics that was haunting in its authenticity. In fact, having seen Frank perform at Maple Leaf Gardens on November 12, 1991 in the waning days of his Diamond Jubilee Tour, I was always disappointed that I never had the chance to see him at the height of his vocal power. That changed last night after watching Anderson and his orchestra transport the audience of Sinatra fans young and old back in time to April 30^th, 1953, when Frank stepped into the studio with producer Nelson Riddle in a session that sparked Sinatra’s unprecedented career revival with Capitol Records.

To say Anderson delivers a competent tribute to Sinatra is an insult to both the singer and the artistic team that helps stage this remarkable concert experience. Anderson IS Sinatra, both sonically and visually, the result of years of meticulous study of this 20^th century musical icon. Every nuanced bit of dialogue, every facial and body movement, every cigarette drag and whiskey sip is carefully choreographed to convince you that you’re enjoying a real-life intimate experience with Sinatra himself. Backed by a full orchestra of professionals that seems plucked straight from the Las Vegas Sands Hotel in 1953, Anderson delivers a lights-out, note-perfect set of deep cuts and rarities from Sinatra’s vast repertoire of over 1,200 recorded songs.

From the first notes of “Come Fly With Me” to the last notes of “My Way,” Anderson captures the essence of a Frank Sinatra performance with unfailing accuracy – right down to the corn-ball crooning of such less-than-spectacular Frank renditions of “The Girl from Ipanema.” Whether or not Frank should have recorded that iconic samba classic is inconsequential: Anderson nails it with the same over-the-top gusto that defined Sinatra’s career as a live performer.

It’s a loving tribute to one of the greatest singers of the 20^th century, delivered with spectacular flair by Bob Anderson in the most authentic reenactment of a Sinatra concert you’re ever likely to see. Close your eyes and just listen – you can almost imagine Sammy and Dean standing side-stage waiting for their cues.