There’s something strangely comforting about watching David Foster still chasing the big note. The man who sculpted entire decades of pop bombast—The Bodyguard, Chicago, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston—has spent the last few years reimagining his career as a live storyteller. His latest project, An Intimate Evening, captures that new chapter: a PBS special, a concert tour, and a record filled with reworked versions of his greatest hits, from “After the Love Has Gone” to “I Will Always Love You.”
“I’m just telling my story in a 40-year look back,” Foster says. “I’m performing the songs without the original artists but with some great singers, and it’s been amazing to get that audience feedback.” The show’s concept is simple: Foster at the piano, trading anecdotes about how the hits came together and how he occasionally tricked legends into making them even bigger.
Take the infamous Celine Dion key change in “All By Myself.” “I made her sing that high note eight times,” he admits. “She went hoarse. She hated me that day. But it came out classic.” Or Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” which Foster completely reimagined after hearing Dolly Parton’s original. “I had this vision,” he says. “I knew Whitney could take it somewhere completely different. I rushed to the piano, played it for her, and she went out of her mind. It was a perfect storm—Dolly’s song, Whitney’s voice, my production. You can’t plan that.”
At 70-something, Foster’s too sharp to pretend pop hasn’t moved on. “A song I wrote for Celine 20 years ago wouldn’t work today,” he says. “I love Drake and Ariana Grande, I just don’t know how to make that kind of music. But that doesn’t mean I can’t stay busy. I’ve stopped banging my head against the wall trying to do what I’ve always done. Instead, I’m writing musicals.”
One of those musicals stars an unexpected leading lady: Betty Boop. The project, years in the making, now has a book by Tom Martin and direction from Jerry Mitchell. Its first song, “Something to Shout About,” appears on An Intimate Evening and features Foster’s wife, singer Katharine McPhee. “Somebody asked if I’d like to do a Broadway play,” he laughs. “They said, ‘It’s Betty Boop,’ and I said, ‘Sounds good to me.’ Now I’m working on four of them.”
For a producer known for grandeur, Foster’s self-deprecating humor is part of the charm. “If I wasn’t me, I’d probably buy the record,” he jokes. “Luckily, I get one for free.”
Foster’s An Intimate Evening tour hit the Louisville Palace on May 5, where he promised one more night of key changes, sweeping crescendos, and stories that only the man behind the piano could tell.
Listen to the interview above and then check out the video below.
