THEY sang, they danced, they cheered and some even shed a tear.

Legendary showman Barry Manilow promised that his last ever tour would be an emotional roller coaster and he didn’t disappoint.

Thousands of fans flocked to Bournemouth to say farewell to the living legend who took to the stage at the BIC for The One Last Time Tour.

Dressed in classic black tux and tails at the start, Manilow’s performance, supported by his band of 13 singers and musicians, was everything you would expect it to be - flamboyant, cheesy, magical and memorable.

At times it resembled a West End show with all the carefully choreographed dance routines and visual effects.

But although his hip gyrating days may well be over, the multi award-winning singer who has sold more than 80 million albums worldwide, proved he could still belt out the hits that have made him one of the most successful artists in music history.

Can’t Smile Without You and Looks Like We Made It were among the more familiar songs at the start which also featured some heartfelt ballads and even some rhythm and blues inspired by his home town of Brooklyn.

One of the highlights of the show was Manilow singing Mandy as a duet with himself using the original footage of when he first shot to fame with the hit in 1975 playing on the big screen behind him.

For the last few songs of the night Manilow was joined by members of the fabulous Bournemouth-based Funky Little Choir for a dazzling grand finale which included Copacabana (and a quick outfit change to a suitably jazzy jacket) followed by I Write the Songs which was a fitting finale for a man who says he likes to write the songs that make the whole world sing.

He certainly had the whole audience at the BIC singing their hearts out anyway!