“A record-breaking musician, Diana Krall is the only jazz singer to have eight albums debut at the top of the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. Her albums have garnered two GRAMMY® Awards, ten Juno® Awards and have earned nine Gold, three Platinum, and seven multi-Platinum status albums. Her 1999 release of When I Look in Your Eyes spent an unprecedented 52 weeks in the #1 position on Billboard’s Jazz chart, won two GRAMMY® Awards, and went Platinum in the U.S. and Canada, establishing her as a powerhouse of the genre. Her album, This Dream Of You, garnered critical acclaim and displayed the effortless virtuosity that has become Diana Krall’s musical signature. Krall’s unique artistry and musicality transcend any single musical style, making her one of the most recognizable artists of our time.”
Diane and I last saw Diana Krall in 2022 (you can read my review here). We ordered tickets months ago when we found out Diana Krall was returning. The performance was a jazz-trio format (piano, bass, and drums) with Diana Krall thrilling the audience with her fabulous piano playing.
To be honest, I prefer listening to Diana Krall backed by an orchestra. This striped-down version was more appropriate for a Jazz Club instead of a 1,748 seat theater. The 90-minute performance was punctuated by applause. Diana shared the stage with Matt Chamberlain on drums and Tony Garnier on bass. They came out and did an Encore of “Mrs. Wonderly.” GRADE: B-
SET LIST:
- We Just Couldn’t Say Goodbye
- There Ain’t No Sweet Man That’s Worth the Salt of My Tears
- On the Sunny Side of the Street
- You Know — I Know Ev’rything’s Made for Love
- California Dreamin’
- Wallflower
- Operator (That’s Not the Way It Feels)
- Temptation
- In My Room
- The Look of Love
- I’ve Got You Under My Skin
I like her—and, before my recent CD purge, had several of her albums. Some interesting choices here—“Operator” & “California Dreaming”—and is that the Brian Wilson/Beach Boys “In My Room”?
Deb, yes, “In My Room” by Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys was a complete surprise for me and the audience. As far as I know, “In My Room” doesn’t appear on any of Diana Krall’s albums. As you know, “In My Room” is a sad, sad song.
Well, certainly wistful…and sadder if one knows how things went for Brian Wilson. That does seem a good setlist for a Krall performance
Todd, my only quibble about Diana Krall’s performance at the Center for the Arts is that the venue was really too large for the trio. They were more suited for an intimate Jazz Club.
I know what you mean. We’ve seen people doing shows suited for intimate settings staged in a much too large venue. Some performers can make it work.
For instance, our favorite venue is probably the Beacon Theatre on Broadway and 74th Street, which holds just under 3,000 people. Jones Beach Theater (outdoors) now holds about 15,000. Madison Square Garden has a listed capacity of 22,000 for concerts, but probably more like 18-20,000.
We’ve seen Earth, Wind & Fire at all three venues, believe it or not – at the Garden with Chicago, at Jones Beach with Santana, and at the Beacon. Plus, we saw them twice at Jazzfest, once as a last minute fill-in (with half their outfits missing) for an Aretha no show. They do the same show every time and make it work. We’re seeing them at Belmont Park (indoors, UBS Arena) this summer, with Lionel Richie.
Jeff, EARTH, WIND & FIRE are touring this Summer in our area, too. Most of the audience for Diana Krall’s performance seemed satisfied with the trio. I’m not a fan of stripped-down music…
We’ve seen Mr. Mellow himself, James Taylor, at Jones Beach and at the Garden. With Carole King, he was great, but a couple of times he almost put us to sleep.
We saw Jimmy Buffett at Jones Beach 20 times, 9 times at the Garden, and another 9 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.
Certain artists like – and fit – certain venues. Jackson Browne usually does 4 shows at the Beacon. Steely Dan used to do half a dozen shows there every year. We once saw them at Jones Beach and the place was half empty. We always thought they fit the intimate Upper West Side crowd better.
We’ve seen Santana at the Garden and elsewhere, but he’s also good at the outdoors Jones Beach venue, where we’re seeing him.
We’ve seen John Fogerty at Jones Beach (with Willie Nelson once and Jackson Browne once and ZZ Top once), at the Beacon for his 50th Anniversary tour, plus once at Radio City Music Hall (almost 6,000 seats). This year, he’s playing Jones Beach with Steve Winwood opening.
Jeff, by all accounts, Jimmy Buffett was one of the best live performers in rock ‘n roll history. Everyone I know who attended his concerts raved about his performance.
Je had an occasional off night, but always knew how to keep the audience involved. The best show might have been New Year’s Eve at Barclay Center with Huey Lewis opening, because we were able to park on 36th Street, take the subway one stop and walk one block to the venue, then got a parking spot right across from the house when we got home.
But the most emotional was the 9/11 concert where Jimmy bought 1000 tickets for workers in NYC and donated $1,000,000 from the gate to victims, on November 16, 2001, with Ed Bradley hosting and singing “Sixty Minute Man.”
Jeff, I always admired Jimmy Buffett and his emotional 9/11 concert is legendary!
I love that part of the Buffett story involves getting a good parking space 😂. I used to live in Los Angeles, and I can certainly appreciate finding a good parking spot.
Deb, when Katie was looking for condos in Boston, one of her “requirements” was off-street parking. The other two conditions: air-conditioning and a washer/drier in the condo (not the basement). She finally found a condo that met her requirements and she’s happy we helped her buy it. Katie told Diane on our last trip to Boston: “I couldn’t afford my condo if I wanted to buy it now.” Real estate prices in Boston are astronomical!
Jazz! Not my favorite!
Bob, I’m a Smooth Jazz guy–I listen to WATERCOLORS on Sirius/XM radio when I’m driving around–and I enjoy Smooth Jazz records. This performance was too minimalist for my taste.
I do like Django Reinhardt.