Last time Barry Manilow brought his arena act to town, in 2004, he said that he'd never again take "10 semitrucks around the country and around the world for eight months every year."

He wasn't lying: Mr. Manilow isn't bringing 10 trucks to his concert Tuesday at American Airlines Center. This time, it's 11.

Mr. Manilow quit the road for Vegas (the Las Vegas Hilton, to be precise) where he has been ensconced as the headliner since February 2005. When he gets a night or a week off in Vegas, he says, he likes to perform one-nighters hither and yon.

"You know, we've got a wonderful arena show," he says from his home in Palm Springs, Calif. "It's a blown-up version of the Vegas show. In Vegas, I'm allowed to do between 80 and 85 minutes. Each night I try to squeeze in as much, as many of the big hits as I can. ... But when we go out to the arenas, I'm able to do many more of the songs that people really want to hear."

The Dallas show will be followed by gigs in Sunrise, Fla., and Miami, then back to Vegas, then on to Raleigh, N.C., and Atlanta in March.

He certainly has at least a truckload of material from which to choose. His career as a singer, songwriter and arranger has spanned three decades, with sales of more than 75 million records worldwide and a string of 25 consecutive Top 40 hits starting with 1974's "Mandy." He's been ranked the top adult contemporary artist of all time by both R&R (Radio & Records) and Billboard magazines.

Fans who show up Tuesday for "Manilow: An Evening of Music and Passion" will get a dose of those hits: "Even Now," "This One's for You," "Weekend in New England" and "I Write the Songs" are all good bets. He could also pull from his recent hit albums covering classics of the '50s, '60s and '70s; his Broadway collection, Showstoppers; or his jazzy Here at the Mayflower.

Although he found his niche in pop, Mr. Manilow says his influences ranged from classical music to Big Band to show tunes. He credits his stepfather, Willie Murphy, with "changing my life" at 13, when he introduced the young Barry to artists "from Ella Fitzgerald to Broadway scores, from The King and I to The Most Happy Fella to Sondheim ... in piano lessons, I was memorizing some of the most sophisticated jazz pieces, even classical music. That's where my influences were."

So, he says with a wry laugh, "When I found myself in the world of pop music singing four chords of 'Can't Smile Without You,' it was torture. Quite a challenge to keep both plates in the air."

He seems to have made peace with the dichotomy. "I really never was into just singing a cute little song," he says. "I wanted these songs to outlive me; that's my goal. If elevators are playing 'Could It Be Magic' forever, I would be a very proud guy."

He has enjoyed seeing his fans mature along with him and says of the old songs that longtime fans crave: "They're deeper now. They mean more now; they're not just songs. They probably never were."

And, at 64, he's looking forward to hooking another generation or two of "fanilows."

"I love it. ... I'm not ready to retire; I love creating. The most important thing is when I look out at an audience, and they're smiling."

Tuesday at 8 p.m. at American Airlines Center, 2500 Victory. Ticketmaster.

{TriRight} $9.99 to $175.