By Shari Barrett
Long Beach Symphony, now celebrating its 90th season, welcomed Music Director Eckart Preu to conduct its entertaining, Las Vegas-style concert Sinatra, Elvis and MORE! starring Matt Mauser at the Long Beach Arena on Saturday, March 22. I have attended many of the Long Beach Symphony Pops Series concerts, hosted by its President Kelly Ruggirello, which are always a fun and friendly way to enjoy an entertaining night out, either at a table of up to 10 people on the Long Beach Arena floor, or from the upstairs loge level in a theater-style seat – with two large screens at the sides of the stage which allow all audience members to feel as if they are in the front row.
What made the recent concert so much fun was the level at which entertainer Matt Mauser believably channeled the stylings of Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Tom Jones, Jack Jones, Barry Manilow, Lou Rawls, Bill Withers, and Dean Martin from the Rat Pack glory days when big Las Vegas shows often sold out night after night. A lifelong resident of Southern California, Mauser began his singing career with his Orange County-based party band, the Tijuana Dogs. And after the death of his wife in the January 2020 helicopter crash that also took the lives of Kobe Bryant and seven others, Matt pulled triple duty as a full-time family man, daytime Spanish teacher and car salesman, and a nighttime musician, feeding his soul and sharing his pain to bring people together through his melodies, messages, and music. And his style truly evolved within the privacy of his home studio.
In 2012, Pete Jacobs teamed up with Mauser as his pianist and musical director to form a ‘Sinatra Tribute’ band. Beginning with some of Sinatra’s greatest hits, carefully orchestrated by Jacobs, the duo now performs around the country. For this special one-night performance with the Long Beach Symphony POPS Orchestra, Jacobs re-orchestrated all the music specifically for Sinatra, Elvis and MORE! which showcased his newly crafted arrangements for the very first time.
Opening with an overture featuring instrumental Sinatra hits “Pennies from Heaven,” “It Was a Very Good Year,” and “I Get a Kick out of You,” Mauser burst on the stage singing “Come Fly with Me.” And while he does not resemble Sinatra or any of the other entertainers he covers, Mauser certainly sounds and moves like each one. Other Sinatra hits included “Fly me to the Moon,” “Luck Be a Lady,” “Under My Skin,” “Strangers in the Night,” and “The Way You Look Tonight” which he performed as a contestant on America’s Got Talent.
Next Mauser performed Bill Withers hit “Lovely Day” while sharing stories of how in 2020, two months after his wife’s passing, he found himself at home with 3 girls to educate when the schools shut down. Of course, that also gave him time to develop his performance style, while working as a car salesman in Garden Grove. Act 1 ended with his rendition of Sinatra’s famous drinking song “One for my Baby” written by Harold Arlen.
Act 2 opened with Mauser’s only original song in the show, “When She’s Gone,” a sad ballad about losing the love of his life. Next up was Dean Martin’s hit “Volare” performed with drink in hand, accompanied by videos of Venice, Italy. Then it was time to move on to the hits of Elvis Presley, with Mauer removing his suit jacket and tie to better demonstrate swiveling his hips to “All Shook Up,” then on to “Fools Rush In,” “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You,” and “Suspicious Minds.”
Further demonstrating his physical prowess in moving like the stars, Mauser gyrated like Tom Jones while singing “It’s Not Unusual.” After that, his jacket came back on to sing Jack Jones’ hit theme song from “The Love Boat,” then the song about Lola the Show Girl at the “Copacabana” by Barry Manilow, and “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” by Lou Rawls.
Mauser ended the show with three big Sinatra hits, “That’s Life” which was performed as an audience sing-along, “New York, New York” as another sing-along with videos of the Manhattan skyline filling the screens, and “My Way” which featured lots of photos from Mauer’s life, including his wife and kids as well as friends that helped him survive the hardest years of his life and were in the audience that night.
Talented Long Beach Symphony Orchestra members were highlighted during Sinatra, Elvis and MORE! with many given solos during Mauer’s numbers, most notably Pete Jacobs on keys and Miles McAllister on trumpet, among many others. And what a joy it was for Mauer to be singing with the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra for the first time, with the audience’s standing ovation guaranteeing he will be invited back again!
Long Beach Symphony POPS concerts start at 7:30pm, but the doors open at 6pm for picnicking and socializing. Guests are welcome to bring their own picnic dinner and favorite libations to enjoy, with light concessions including sandwiches, snacks, and beverages available for purchase. Or for an easier option, those at tables can order meals in advance at https://longbeachsymphony.org/dining/ that will be delivered and waiting for you when you arrive. The experience is very similar to summer outdoor concerts at the Hollywood Bowl but with fewer people, a lot less walking, and no bugs!
This season’s Long Beach Symphony POPS Series ends with Electric Avenue: MTV 80’s Dance Party on May 10 at the Long Beach Arena, 300 E. Ocean Blvd. in Long Beach. The Classical series in the Long Beach Terrance Theater (at the same location) features Tchaikovsky 4 and More! Love Stories on June 7. Special events include Crescendo on The Queen on May 17 and Rumba Foundation Family Concert Dance Around the World on June 8.
For more information and tickets, visit https://longbeachsymphony.org/calendar/ or call the Long Beach Symphony box office at (562) 436-3203 ext. 1, Monday through Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., or on the day of concert from 9 a.m.-12 noon. Onsite parking is available for a set fee. And be sure to pick up a brochure featuring information about the amazing 2025-2026 season for both the POPS and Classical series!
