(This one is predated for historical purposes as I am actually writing this one almost a week later -- so forgive the memory lapses ... ironic, that this is supposed to prevent a memory lapse about the show yet the show is not really fresh in my memory)
(Photo from Star Bulletin)
Little did I know that later in the night I would be allergic to Norah Jones' last show on her Feels Like Home tour ... but all joking aside
Norah Jones finally made a swing into our part of the big blue globe Saturday night -- and for an hour and 45 minutes held court in the Blaisdell
I have largely read glowing reviews of this show -- I am not going to pan the show, but say that it was an okay performance ... and admit that sometimes, I just don't get it, feel it, or appreciate some things that other people really vibe to
Norah's vocal performance was very spot on ... in fact it gave a renewed meaning to the old Memorex tape slogan -- I really could not tell the difference between her recorded style and her live performance, this of course is mostly a good thing ... certainly I am not expecting a world class vocal performance, just that classic slowburn vox style ... she delivered that
The set was pretty much the same as she had been playing for months now in her recent tour dates -- I thought the ambience set up by the lights and decor was loungey and comfortable ... something that I would not have immediately thought of as possible in the "arena rock" context -- when I think back on it, that's very cool ... but there also was nods to the arena context, by providing large viewing screens so that those further away could see her upclose and see the guitar soloists upclose as well
Her live band is really great, very solid all around -- and very capable in turning instruments around from classic acoustics to electrics -- there were times when I thought to myself, that I was tired of looking up Adam Levy's constipated solo faces ... but I guess that's all part of the greater show, and I guess Norah is no diva that way, so more power to her
I know that Norah gets knocked for being either shy or lame on the mic with babble ... well, she seemed really comfy up there on Saturday, but SD and I were not as enamored with her banter as we were with Mraz, the most recent performer we saw ... this is just a matter of personal taste, and I'm sure some others thought she was really personable and on that night ... so I chalk that to YMMV
In the end, it was a show to soak up the music -- it wasn't terribly audience interactive, and the make the audience stand up at the end of the show seemed well ... out of place ... and everyone standing had this look like, uh ok we're standing ... now what? LOL
Just sat there soaking it in ... noticed Jan and 9k were soaking it while sleeping, I guess they had a long day at K-Kon earlier in the day -- everything about it allowed for nice pleasant soaking, clear audio, reasonable volume, good mixing
At the end of the day, this was a very diverse performance that had really good execution and balance -- sometimes performances are cathartic, where you explode and go whoa -- this one was like a slow roaster, where you feel warmed but no big pop ... it's not really a criticism, but I guess I wasn't really in the proper frame of mind to really appreciate the show
In the end, I think it was good .... and if I invoke some of the spirit of that TV curmudgeon in the size small gray t-shirt, I was expecting spectacular
I didn't get spectacular ... so to me, this show was a B -- solid all around, not enough dynamic and pop for my tastes that night
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