Frank Stallone
Sylvester wasn’t the only Stallone at last weekend’s Clash in Cotai II event at the Venetian’s Cotai Arena. His brother, Frank, a gifted musician was there, too, scoping the joint for his upcoming tour. Macau Daily Times was fortunate enough to get a sneak preview interview.
As was almost to be expected, Sands China CEO Ed Tracy is the one to thank. “Ed and I go back about 25 years,” the sprightly Stallone says as he sits down for a quick chat at Portofino’s. “I used to play and do concerts for him at Atlantic City Trump’s. We lost contact. But then my brother came out here to do some publicity for The Expendables and he said to me do you know a guy called Ed Tracy? He wants you to come out here and play. I said are you serious? Then when Ed came to LA to do a promo for the fight, we chatted. So here I am.”
Frank is quite obviously a Stallone in looks. But singing is not something his more famous brother is known for, so it took this interviewer a few minutes to rack his brain, and then memories of the 1980s started drifting in.
“I have done 10 albums,” Stallone says, perhaps hoping to jar the memory banks a bit more. “I wrote 11 songs on the Saturday Night Fever follow up, Staying Alive. That’s why I was nominated for the Grammys. I did a lot of soundtrack stuff in the 80s and 90s.”
Audiences in Macau will have something to look forward to when Stallone brings his band to the Bellini Lounge in the first two weeks of February, and Stallone is clearly excited about it. “We have a pretty high-
energy show,” he says. “We do a lot of things – big band, acoustic, all different genres. We are known for our diversity.”
As the musician explains, his show is quite an impromptu performance. “It’s an ebb and flow, anywhere from 90 minutes to two hours. I need to feel the audience. Sometimes there will be a bit of chit chat, sometimes we just play. Every night is a different vibe, we gotta always change it up. I play a lot of guitar,” he says.
Stallone says he couldn’t be happier with the venue. “I had a look around and the place looks great. I’m really looking forward to it. Macau is a lot different than I expected. It’s massive. Huge. People will get a good show.” Anthony Lawrance , Special to MDT/Macau Inc. exclusive
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