If Seth MacFarlane had been around in the 1960s, he would have likely been a member of the Rat Pack, singing duets with Sammy Davis Jr. and cracking jokes with Dean Martin on his television show. But the animator/filmmaker/singer/voice guru wasn’t yet born then. Still, as he showed with his New Year’s Eve concert with the Boston Pops, he honors their legacy as a supple baritone in a nicely curated set of songs mostly made famous by Frank Sinatra, in their original arrangements. And he spliced his set with fast, raffish wit in smooth running commentary between songs.

The nostalgic tone was set at the onset with the overture to the film Robin and the 7 Hoods, which is the only original musical that featured Sinatra, Martin, and Davis. The overture’s medley was comprised of tunes from the jazzy, 1920s-styled score (by Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen) that was conducted with swinging brio by Joel McNeely. (The conductor, a long-time collaborator with MacFarlane, was making his Boston Pops debut.)

Svelte and suavely attired in black, MacFarlane followed with a set of standards (some famous and some not-so-famous) that he performed with effortless style. Early on, he said that of all the orchestras he has played with, the Pops were his favorite, and his rapport with the musicians was evident throughout. Interestingly, his baritone has deepened a bit since he appeared with the orchestra nearly a decade ago, and his stage presence felt more assured.

What makes his concerts so special is his musical scholarship. Not only does he sing in Sinatra’s crooning style, but he honors the great musicianship that is so special about that singer’s remarkable output during his Capitol Records period: namely, the superb arrangements by such greats as Nelson Riddle and Billy May. To hear their work played by an ensemble with the sheen of the Pops is something special, which MacFarlane noted a number of times over the evening.

MacFarlane also paid homage to the great MGM orchestrator Conrad Salinger, whose work can be heard in the great musicals of the Freed era, with the original arrangement of “The Boy Next Door” (with the gender changed in MacFarlane’s vocal), and two cuts from the film version of Brigadoon. Those used to Judy Garland’s driving “Almost Like Being in Love” would be surprised by Salinger’s more lyrical take on it, which included an ample orchestral section during which (no doubt) Gene Kelly danced.

Later, MacFarlane was joined by actress/singer Elizabeth Gillies for a terrific duet of “The Heather on the Hill.” Also dressed in a long, form-fitting black gown, the striking Gillies complemented MacFarlane with a retro vocal style that brought to mind the sultry style of Julie London. Their take on “Something Good,” a song added by Richard Rodgers for the film The Sound of Music, was exquisite. And who ever thought anyone would ever sing the droll “Stereophonic Sound,” Cole Porter’s parody of 1950s Hollywood’s wide-screen mania, in concert? Gillies and MacFarlane turned it into a comic triumph. (Again, in the arrangement Conrad Salinger wrote for the film Silk Stockings.)

For one of his encores, MacFarlane sang the great Harold Arlen tune “One for My Baby,” one of Sinatra’s signature tunes; but interjected it with a bit of Stewie from Family Guy, ending a festive New Year’s Eve concert with his trademark irreverence.

Seth MacFarlane performed with the Boston Pops on December 31, 2025 at Symphony Hall, Boston. For more information on the Boston Pops about upcoming concerts, visit the Boston Pops website.Watch the trailer: