Seven down, three to go.  David Foster & Friends will wrap up the final three on the west coast with stops in Los Angeles (Nov. 5), San Jose (Nov. 6) and Vancouver, B.C. (Nov. 8).

David dropped by for an appearance on “GoodDay LA” Tuesday morning to promote the show happening TONIGHT at Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal CityWalk, starting at 8:15pm.  Some highlights from that interview:

“This gift that you have for spotting talent, did you always have it when you were a guy in a band?”

“I don’t happen to think my gift is special, that part of it. I know I have a gift for playing the piano and making music and working with all these singers. But the gift of actually spotting a talent… When I saw Celine for the first time, how could you not? “

“Okay, so how do you go from spotting it to promoting it into that superstardom?”

“Now that’s where I’m a genius. That’s the genius part.” (laughter) Ah, that’s what David does…”

Unfortunately, time ran out in this brief 7-1/2 minute segment just as David started talking about Charice…

Meanwhile, in the San Jose Mercury News…
Record producer David Foster takes the stage
By Mark de la Vina

It’s hard to imagine how Grammy-winning producer-songwriter David Foster can sound even remotely morbid. Foster recently reflected on his enduring status as an in-demand studio whiz. One of his latest efforts, the Foster-produced “Crazy Love” by Michael Bublé, topped the Billboard album charts two weeks ago. And now, the barnstorming national touring, coming to HP Pavilion on Friday, is essentially a celebration of Foster’s 35-year legacy as a songwriter and producer. “It’s kind of like my funeral while I’m still alive,” Foster says by phone from his home in Los Angeles, “and I get to watch as these people pay tribute to me.”

Foster has demonstrated remarkable staying power. Though the 60-year-old Canadian was knocked by the likes of Rolling Stone magazine in the ’80s for his carefully crafted pop confections, his work has consistently charted. The likes of Celine Dion, Mariah Carey and Barbra Streisand have enlisted him to work his magic, and Whitney Houston scored her biggest hit with the Foster-produced “I Will Always Love You.”

Foster’s continuing success can be partially attributed to his ability to adapt to music industry changes. Early on, he recognized the potency of reality TV by appearing on “Popstars” and “The Princes of Malibu” and guest starring on “American Idol” and “Nashville Star.”

And as he has shepherded young artists throughout his career, he has a new diva in the making in CHARICE, a Filipina chanteuse who he’s convinced is destined for greatness.

That passion for nurturing young artists, also via digital means, is at play in “David Foster & Friends” with an unknown performer, discovered through a talent search on the Web site NameDrop.com, joining the lineup each night. An aspiring Bay Area singer also will join the party at HP Pavilion on Friday.

Foster often has his mind on what’s next in the studio, but the tour has offered him a chance to look back on how his life’s work has touched fans. Performers like Houston or Bublé have experienced the immediacy of seeing fans at the concerts respond to the music. For Foster, the shows have given him the rare chance to step outside of the studio and get a sense of how his music has made an impact.

“To get to see faces sing along to your songs — artists get to see that every night — but for a behind-the-scenes person like me, you don’t know who you are reaching,” Foster says.

“That’s pretty great.”

David Foster & Friends concert begins at 7p.m. Friday at the HP Pavilion, San Jose.

VANCOUVER, B.C.  on NOV. 8TH

To celebrate the Grammy Award winner’s homecoming in Vancouver, the Shangri-La Vancouver has put together a David Foster Music Package, available Nov. 6-9, 2009. It includes:

Overnight accommodation
Tickets for two to the David Foster Hitman Tour on Nov. 8 at GM Place
Daily breakfast for two
Daily valet parking for one vehicle
Exclusive gift from David Foster

One-night packages start at $389 CAD per night, two-night packages from $304 CAD per night.

Source: Sue Frause, Travel Vivant

Posted by Eve  (mm, why didn’t I know about this package before I bought my Vancouver tickets?)

You may also like to read:

1. PBS Schedule of Hitman – David Foster and Friends
2. David Foster Talks About Career, US Tour and Charice
3. Press Release: David Foster and Friends U.S. and Canadian Tour Dates Announced