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A Barry ManilowA fan claims he was prohibited from meeting his idol following staff members who alleged his wig and jacket were offensive to the singer.

Wayne Denton and his business partner Janet Martin spent £2,480 on premium packages for the celebrity’s performance in Liverpool, which featured a private meeting.

The die-hard fans have seen Manilow perform over 20 times, including inLas Vegasand Toronto, but had never encountered him.

After a first-row experience at theM&SBank Arena, Mr. Denton, 69, who presents a Manilow tribute show titled Celebrating Barry, felt ‘humiliated’ when the singer’s team denied him access because of his orange shiny jacket and wig.

Ms. Martin, 54, a background vocalist in the tribute group, stated: “When they mentioned losing the wig, I simply said ‘this is truly offensive.’”

It’s an authentic hair wig that mimics Wayne’s natural hair prior to his baldness. I was surprised… I thought, that’s quite personal and a very delicate topic.

What were they hoping we would do? Publicly embarrass Wayne right here in this hallway, pulling off a wig? Can you picture anyone being forced to do that? That’s truly terrible.

In a backstage recording, a man is heard instructing Mr. Denton to take off his wig and jacket.

A different employee stated, “I’m sorry. I’ve been told that we aren’t allowed to provide the wig and the jacket.”

When Ms. Martin stated that requesting him to take off the wig was offensive, the man answered, “It’s actually offensive to Barry, so it’s a definite no.”

The first employee then interrupted, “It has nothing to do with wearing a wig,” after which the second one said, “You are both being offensive to Mr. Manilow. We won’t have this discussion.”

Having tried a compromise by taking off the jacket but keeping the wig, they were not allowed in.

In the recording, Ms. Martin stated that neither the reservation confirmation nor the emails specified a dress code. The employee responded, “Come on, it’s common sense.”

Mr. Denton, based in Stourbridge, West Midlands, proposed that Ms. Martin go to the meet-and-greet without him, but she declined to leave her friend behind.

Employees later mentioned that they would receive a refund, excluding the price of their seats.

Regarding the event on June 13, Ms. Martin stated, “How can anyone consider us offensive?”

We were dressed in this happy and festive attire to celebrate Barry’s return to the stage. He had been unwell, and no one expected him to go on tour.

Created by Ms Martin, hailing from Essex, the jacket is part of a collection featuring eight pieces influenced by the 83-year-old Copacabana performer.

She said, “We had been at the front all night, dancing and having a great time, singing along. Barry was just six feet away. So does he think we’re repulsive? They [the staff] mentioned ‘we’ve been told,’ so who informed them? Or did they come up with it on their own?”

A representative of Mr. Manilow was reached for a statement.

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