I'll be back,' Paul Anka promises Ottawa: Singer leaves PM teary-eyed after performance of trademark love song

After a triumphant homecoming concert Saturday, Paul Anka left Ottawa yesterday afternoon on his private jet and promised to come back again.

"I'll be back, but I don't know when," said Mr. Anka, a day after his benefit concert - his first public performance in 20 years. The benefit was a fundraiser for the Canadian Liver Foundation.

Before he left town after a four-day stay, Mr. Anka met with civic officials, chatted with his Ottawa relatives, dined at a few restaurants and filmed segments for a CBC documentary. He even got Prime Minister Jean Chretien a little teary-eyed at a dinner at 24 Sussex Drive after he performed one of his trademark love songs.

The private dinner Friday came about after their get-together last fall in Los Angeles, where Mr. Chretien was on a trade mission and Mr. Anka performed at one of the prime minister's social engagements. At the PM's residence, Mr. Anka was joined by his staff, his cousin, Donald Abraham, his wife Alana, and several Liberal MPs and senators.

The dinner, featuring duck consomme, grain-fed veal, saffron risotto and sauteed poached pears, was a hit, but it was Mr. Anka's serenading of Mrs. Chretien that proved to be one of the emotional highlights of the evening, said guests.

"Paul sang Do I Love You? to Aline Chretien and the prime minister got all choked up when Paul was singing," said Mr. Abraham, an Ottawa real estate broker.

As it happened, the dinner clashed with the crucial Ottawa Senators-Philadelphia Flyers game, causing some anxious moments for Mr. Anka, a fervent hockey fan.

"Paul was dying to know the score of the game so at one point he improvised and said: 'I can sing more, but I want to know the hockey score,'" laughed Mr. Abraham.

At that point, the prime minister, anxious to please his guest, rushed out to the kitchen to check on the game and returned with the news of a 1-1 score.

Mr. Abraham said Mrs. Chretien was a "marvelous hostess" who put everyone at the dinner party at ease. Afterwards, Mr. Chretien also got in the musical spirit of the evening, dusted off his trombone and played Summertime for the guests.

"And he wasn't too bad," remarked Mr. Abraham.

He said Mr. Anka was seated close to Mrs. Chretien, while the prime minister was next to his wife, and the conversations throughout the evening covered a wide range of topics.

Mr. Chretien and his wife were expected to attend the concert on Saturday night, but cancelled for what was said to be personal reasons.

"Both the prime minister and Madame (Chretien) had a great, great evening and a wonderful time," said Duncan Fulton, a spokesman in the prime minister's office.

Mr. Anka spent part of Sunday afternoon with a CBC documentary film crew shooting Ottawa segments for a biographical TV program based on his life. The camera crew followed Mr. Anka to his former home onClearview Avenue and on to Fisher Park High School on Holland Avenue, where Mr. Anka reminisced about his high school years with Mr. Abraham.

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