Reinventing the Third Act

David Foster, Katharine McPhee, and 1,000 hits

The concept of life having three acts is a popular philosophical and psychological framework. The three acts are often linked to youth, middle age, and retirement.

David Foster doesn’t disagree with the premise—just that third part. He worked in bands as a studio musician and recording artist as his first phase. Phase two was becoming a prolific and hugely successful producer and songwriter.

But retirement? No way. Not now that he can perform with his wife, vocalist Katharine McPhee, doing songs he wrote and/or produced and songs associated with her career. And now he gets the immediate feedback from the audience he never got while sequestered in the studio working with Chaka Khan, Josh Groban, or Madonna.

“I spent so many years in the studio. I don’t make records anymore. It’s my choice,” Foster says.

“David could say, ‘I gave at the office.’ But he’s a social butterfly. He was in this bubble all the years he was a producer. Now he gets to experience the joy of people experiencing the music,” says McPhee.

“It’s been 10 years. I haven’t regretted it,” Foster says, saying he loves the energy of performing for a live audience.

Foster, McPhee, and their band perform songs associated with the twosome, whether from her career, on Broadway or TV, or the thousands of songs he wrote and/or produced for the likes of Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Michael Bublé, or any of the many others he worked with over the course of his five-plus decades in the music business.

Their show comes first to Interlochen July 10 and then to Great Lakes Center for the Arts the following night as part of the latter’s “Night in Noir” gala fundraiser. Tickets for both shows remain available at the time of this writing.

David Foster

Most know Foster from his bountiful successes shepherding other artists through studio, production, and songwriting work. He wrote and/or produced hit records for a dizzying array of artists: Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Andrea Bocelli, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind & Fire, the Tubes, and Natalie Cole. Don’t forget Seal, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Chicago, Hall & Oates, Brandy, ’N Sync, Boz Scaggs, and Gloria Estefan … the list goes ever on.

For his efforts, he’s won 16 Grammy Awards and been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Songwriters Hall Of Fame in the U.S. In 2013, Foster received a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame.

That was then, and this is now. About a decade ago, he embarked on his third act, touring once again as a performer with McPhee and their band, performing songs the audience will likely know from the original hitmakers, now redone by the songwriter/producer and his hand-picked vocalist.

“We think our show is unique,” says Foster. “We’ve all been to a thousand concerts. Ours is very audience-inclusive. We get people to sing, Kat goes out into the audience.”

Foster says while his years as a studio were enjoyable, being cooped up in windowless rooms for years affected his onstage skills to a degree. “I’m not a performer,” he says, before being gently corrected by his wife.

“You weren’t a performer,” McPhee says.

“I had visions of being in a successful band or performer,” Foster continues. It was just that he found such success behind the scenes that it mostly co-opted his desire to perform, as well as taking all his time and rewarding him handsomely for the success of his production and songwriting efforts.

Eventually he decided it was time to leave the studio and experience the joys and challenges of performing live. It turns out that’s not unique.

“The other night at the USA-Paraguay soccer match, Dan and Shay sang the national anthem,” says Foster. “We had dinner with them afterwards. It turns out Dan was his [Shay’s] producer. He was not destined to be a performer.”

So too with Foster, who did the occasional concert while in the midst of his decades spent in the studio. He formed the David Foster Foundation in 1986 and served as the long-time musical director and headline performer for Andre Agassi’s Grand Slam for Children benefit concerts in Las Vegas, which over the years featured several of the A-list performers Foster had worked with.

He released the occasional album, some exclusively in Asia where he’s regarded on the same level of stardom as Celine, Streisand, Bublé, and the rest. His “David Foster & Friends” shows were always among the highest-rated PBS specials.

Foster credits his Canadian heritage at least in part for his success. “As a Canadian you have to work twice as hard to be half as successful,” he says. Working in Canadian clubs as part of a house band meant he had to become knowledgeable and versatile. “I was playing with Chuck Berry at 16. I was exposed to all sorts of music. I had to be adaptable,” he says.

Katharine McPhee

One could go on at length about Foster’s achievements, accolades, and awards. His Wikipedia entry runs an astounding 7,300 words. But in conversation, casual mentions of this record or that artist are just part of the story—a story in which McPhee is not a bystander but an integral part.

The two first met and worked together on American Idol, where he was a guest mentor. McPhee was runner-up on season five of the show in 2006. He then produced her first post-Idol single, “Somewhere Over The Rainbow.” McPhee subsequently went on to record and release six albums.

Along the way she performed on Broadway and the West End in Waitress and starred in television shows, including the NBC musical drama Smash and the CBS spy drama Scorpion. Foster even played piano at her first wedding in 2008, before the two connected almost a decade later after they had both gone through divorces.

Both are well-known for their philanthropic efforts. McPhee has served as an ambassador for organizations such as BuildOn, Malaria No More, and Feeding America. The David Foster Foundation provides financial support to Canadian families with children undergoing life-saving organ transplants. Over the past quarter century, it has helped more than 700 families and has provided millions of dollars in direct support.

Together

The set list for their shows reflects the duo’s versatility, from songs associated with artists Foster produced to favorites of McPhee’s.

Foster typically starts the show with an instrumental, often his theme from the film St. Elmo’s Fire and/or the music he composed for the 1988 Winter Olympic Games that took place in Calgary. McPhee’s songs may include anything from “Cry Me A River”—which the two performed on The Masked Singer—to songs like “She Used to Be Mine” from Waitress and “Don’t Forget Me” from Smash, as well as tunes originally recorded by Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, and even Chicago.

Whatever the setlist or the setting, the two work to deliver a show they’re proud of and that their audience enjoys. The self-critical Foster isn’t always totally happy with the result, but McPhee isn’t as quick to judge it.

“The songs generally work. David sometimes says, ‘That wasn’t a good show.’ The audience experiences it differently,” says McPhee.

Get tickets at interlochen.org/concerts-and-events and greatlakescfa.org/events.

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