Fans make their way out of the bitter cold into the warm and inviting State Theatre New Jersey auditorium in New Brunswick, NJ this Tuesday, December 9, 2025 evening for A Winter World of Love concert of holiday classics and greatest hits starring singer Engelbert Humperdinck.
The lights dim and pianist Nikko Ielasi, guitarist Keven Eknes, keyboardist Olivia Morreale, bassist Adam Cohen, and drummer Helen De La Rosa take the stage and play a dramatic overture of “Release Me.”
Engelbert Humperdinck, 89, makes his entrance from behind the curtain singing Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” instantly connecting with the audience as he croons in his velvety baritone voice, “You’re just too good to be true/Can’t take my eyes off of you.”
The crowd applauds and Humperdinck blows a kiss to his fans before taking a seat on a stool and launching into the breezy country-pop tune, “Am I That Easy to Forget,” on an arrangement which features a lyrical piano solo by Nikko Ielasi.
“Good evening! Welcome to the show!” exclaims Humperdinck, announcing, “I’ve got some great songs for you here that I’ve been fortunate enough to record,” as Kevin Eknes’ acoustic guitar introduces Englebert’s seasoned interpretation of Don McLean’s “And I Love You So.”
Audience members whistle and cheer when they recognize a song that Humperdinck says is “at the top of my hit list.” A Latin feel characterizes his 1968 smash, “A Man Without Love,” where concertgoers tunefully sing along with Engelbert on the tune’s appealing “Every day I wake up then I start to break up/Lonely is a man without love” refrain.
Following up with "After the Lovin'" -- a number which went "triple platinum" -- Humperdinck's voice has an edge to it as he croons with feeling and dynamics, "And I know that my song/Isn't sayin' anything new/Oh, but after the lovin'/I'm still in love with you."
Fans cheer and the band plays “The Stripper” as Humperdinck removes his jacket, undoes his tie, and unbuttons his shirt before pouring a drink and suggesting, “I think I have a frog — or a dog — in my throat.”
Explaining that tonight’s show will feature two parts — first, his “classic songs” and, then, a series of “holiday songs,” Humperdinck graciously toasts the audience stating, “Thank you for being at my show.”
Suggesting, “Let’s do something classic!” Humperdinck invites the crowd to sing on the “La la” interlude of his Latin ballad, “Love Me with All of Your Heart,” and follows up by joyfully showing the audience how he learned how to dance to “Ball in the Jack.”
Moving on to his 1968 hit, “Quando, Quando, Quando,” concertgoers sing along on the “Tell me when will you be mine” lyric of this upbeat Latin tune which features Keven Eknes shredding an electric guitar solo as Humperdinck charismatically dances about the stage.
Joking, “At this time I’d really like to sit down…because I’m 49 years old now!” Humperdinck reaches as he sings the 6/8 ballad, “Always My Love,” and the Journey power ballad, “Faithfully.” Putting on a cowboy hat, he belts out a gravelly version of Barry White’s “You’re the First, the Last, My Everything.”
Engelbert talks about a song he wrote 30 years ago for his “darling wife” who is “in heaven now” before presenting a poignant and tender rendition of his lovely ballad, “Everywhere I Go.”
The crowd applauds and Humperdinck follows up with his 1967 hit, “The Last Waltz,” where audience members sway as as they sing along with Engelbert on the song’s “I had the last waltz with you/Two lonely people together” refrain.
Humperdinck gives each of his bandmates an opportunity to shine on his interpretation of Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band’s “Old Time Rock and Roll,” before announcing, “Let’s do the song that made me famous!” and sings his 1967 hit, “Release Me,” his baritone sounding clean and smooth as he croons, “Please release me, let me go/For I don’t love you anymore.”
The crowd cheers and Humperdinck bows, exits, and returns to announce, “I think it’s time to do our holiday songs. Are you ready for them?” An ornate red and gold throne appears center stage where Humperdinck takes a seat and renders a swinging version of “Winter Wonderland.”
After talking about the cold weather outside, Humperdinck reveals that he plans to go home to a warmer Leicester, England for the holidays. Presenting a gentle ballad rendition of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” strings swell and Engelbert inquires, “Isn’t the music beautiful?” to which the audience applauds in agreement.
Concertgoers sway their arms on the pop ballad, “Winter World of Love,” before Eknes’ acoustic guitar is featured on the 3/4 time “Around the Christmas Tree,” which has Humperdinck slowly waltzing across the stage.
Engelbert again proposes, “It’s either a frog or a dog,” as he clears his throat and exclaims, “It’s a dog!” prior to rendering a husky R&B version of Charles Brown’s “Please Come Home for Christmas” from his golden throne.
Striking blue lighting sets the mood as Humperdinck pays tribute to his friend, Elvis Presley, with an engaging country-swing interpretation of Presley’s “Blue Christmas.” Then, acoustic guitar and piano accompany Engelbert as he sweetly ad libs while the audience sings the melody on a slow and peaceful arrangement of “Silent Night.”
Suggesting that his next number is “a great prayer,” Humperdinck prays, “I hope I can do it for you,” as he clears his voice and performs a song he recorded on his first Christmas album. Reaching for notes, Humperdinck ventures a reverent rendition of “The Lord’s Prayer.”
After revealing just how much he loves Christmas, Humperdink concludes tonight’s A Winter World of Love performance with a charismatic and bouncy version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”
While the band vamps, concertgoers avidly applaud as Humperdinck dons a red robe and shakes hands with audience members, tosses red handkerchiefs, and bows with his arms wide in front of the standing crowd, exclaiming, “Bye bye! Happy Holidays!”
As fans exit the auditorium, several share their thoughts on Engelbert Humperdinck’s performance tonight. Comments Bobby from Fredericksburg, VA, “I’ve been following Engelbert ever since I was a kid. My mother loved him and she passed it on to me. He’s absolutely the best — he’s amazing!” Erin from VA agrees, suggesting, “Mankind creates beauty and we enjoy it. I loved the show tonight; it was great!”
Linda from Vernon acknowledges, “I loved Englebert — he sounded a little raspy tonight, but he could just stand up there and sing with us and I’d still be happy.” Cyndy from Chicago asserts, “He always puts on a great show — he gives his heart and soul,” exclaiming, “I came all the way from Chicago to hear him tonight!”
Andrew, a musician from Toms River insists, “I’ve loved Engelbert for years and I always will.” His wife, Joanne, concurs, suggesting, “He can do no wrong. We’ve been following him for a long time and he did not disappoint despite being nearly 90 years old, God bless him.”
Lastly, Natalie from Dingman’s Ferry, PA declares, “Engelbert was absolutely fabulous tonight! I’ve been listening to him for 50 years, and he’s special,” prior to concluding, “There’s no one else like him.”
To learn more about Engelbert Humperdinck, please go to engelbert.com. For info on upcoming shows at STNJ — including The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis on January 22, So Good! The Neil Diamond Experience on January 30, and Dirty Dancing in Concert on March 18 — please click on stnj.org.
PHOTO NOTE: The cover photo for this story was captured at a previous Engelbert Humperdinck concert and not taken during the reviewed performance.
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