02.19.11 Chris Botti @ Powell Symphony Hall - St. Louis, MO

02.19.11 @ 7.30p - Powell Symphony Hall, St. Louis, MO 

Chris Botti – Trumpet

Billy Childs – Piano

Mark Whitfield – Guitar

Billy Kilson – Drums

Tim Lefebvre – Bass

Lisa Fischer – Singer

Caroline Campbell – Violin

St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Timothy Muffitt – Conductor
Jeremy Plotnikoff – Tour Manager

Special thank you to Dean Minderman of St. Louis Jazz Notes for the shout-out!

Since this blog is called the Year of Botti I should probably give some details from some of his actual shows.

Powell Symphony Hall

Doors opened at 6.30p. I left the Hyatt Regency St. Louis at the Arch at 6.30p. This was another one of my quick 24 hour trips so on my drive from the St. Louis airport to the hotel I drove by Powell Hall to check out the parking situation so I wouldn't be searching in the dark. Right down the street from Powell Hall is Fox Theatre and lots of other little arts district theaters and restaurants. There are lots-o-plenty all around the St. Louis University campus. I paid $7 and parked in a lot behind the theatre. Parking was a snap. 

I took a couple minutes to walk across the street from Powell to snap pics of the exterior. It's one of the old time Orpheum-style theatres with a vertical marquee. It matches the others up and down Grand. 

Foyer of Powell Symphony Hall

The building has one public entrance right off of Grand. There were 3-4 ticket scanning lines. The load in was quick. No issues. They had scanners more advanced than the ones we use at the Grand Garden. That was kind of embarrassing. Something we had in common: the age of the usher staff. That seems to be the case worldwide. You enter the Powell directly into the main lobby. It's filled with people mingling, merch stands, full bars. You can tell this is a symphony hall just by looking at the glasses in people’s hands. How many champagne flutes do you see being clinked in salut at an arena? The lobby is ornate with a brocade three-story ceiling complete with crystal chandeliers. It's not very big but I think the capacity of the theatre is only around 2,200 so it doesn’t need to be.  

View from the third floor balcony

Before I even got on a plane to St. Louis I followed the St. Louis Symphony on Twitter @slso. I like doing that because sometimes it gives me inside tips or a quick route to communication with the venue. The day before they tweeted back "Check out 2nd level Met Bar - salvaged from Metropolitan Opera house in New York during 1986 renovation." I tried but unfortunately it was closed for a private reception. I went up to the third floor and snapped a pic of the view from the cheap seats. Cool shot but I wouldn't want to see a show from there. It's not that you're far from the stage, but the pitch is pretty high. I wonder what the sound is like up there. The staff there was incredibly friendly and accommodating. 

I hit the restroom around 7.15p on the second level. They were clean, ample, nothing fancy but they did have auto flush, sinks & towel dispensers. It's the little things that I appreciate. I didn't have to wait. When I went to check out the ladies room on the first floor the line was about 15 deep.

7.20p I took my seat. I was in Orchestra Center, row E, seat 105. Pretty much dead center. Great seats but my location did have a downside. I’ll get to that later. I was a little worried about being in the middle but I forget that orchestra halls aren't like arenas. They actually have comfortable seats with individual arm rests and plenty of legroom. When I got to my row the first thing I saw was a woman with a cane and three people next to her. I felt bad for making her get up so I could get to my seat; clearly it was challenging for her but she was gracious and all the folks smiled as I shimmied by. 

Seated next to me was a lovely couple in their 60s from St. Louis. They were well traveled and didn't seem to be worried about their 401k savings plan. We made small talk about Botti. "Oh who is that other guy who's got the band? He's from New Orleans?" she said. "Wynton Marsalis," I offered. "No, not him." "Harry Connick, Jr?" "Yes! That's the one. You're good!" she said. Little does she know one of the last HCJR shows I saw was about 15 years ago when I followed him around the country too. Botti's not the first artist whose music inspires me to travel. I had the bug as soon as I turned 17. I think that's how old I was when I went to NYC solo to catch Harry. Somehow I even worked out a backstage pass for a meet & greet. Looking back, knowing what I know now, it's kind of impressive that I made that happen. Anyhow back to Botti. 

The average age of attendees was probably 60. Lots of older couples, a few younger ones. More single women there together than younger couples I think. That's a testament to how friggin' cute Botti is. I count myself among the throngs of females (and males I'm sure) who think he's gorg. I'm not too cool to admit it. Hey, he's figured out that being talented may make you good at playing the trumpet but being talented AND good looking sells tickets.

At about 7.30p the lights dimmed and the orchestra started warming up. After a brief schpeel from someone from the St. Louis Symphony hyping their upcoming events the lights went dark and the conductor, Timothy Muffitt, came out. Just like the Live in Boston DVD the orchestra starts without Botti. It's a slow, soft crescendo building for Ave Maria. Botti comes out quickly and here we go. First two songs sound pretty identical to the DVD - Ave Maria rolls right into When I Fall in Love. Following is his lovely rendition of Time to Say Goodbye (Con te partiro) and it was spot on.

Flamenco Sketches isn't my favorite but it's fun to watch how athletic he gets when playing runs or squeaking out those impossible high Cs and Ds he’s famous for. He's squats and winces and looks like he's passing a kidney stone. Botti's got two colors: pasty white and beat red. It just depends on what note he's playing. 

Hallelujah is a fan favorite and once you hear it you know why. It's a short, simple duet with Botti and Mark Whitfield on guitar. Known more popularly as the love theme to Shrek (he often jokes) it's his interpretation of this Leonard Cohen composition that is moving and makes you wish it lasted longer. 

Botti and Fischer

Next out comes Lisa Fischer. She's toured with the Stones and several years back won a Grammy for Best New Artist. When you hear her sing you know why. She's like Chaka Kahn meets Diana Krall mixed with a little Winans. Controlled power with such silky smoothness. The Look of Love is one of my favorite songs but honestly I wasn't grooving on this version tonight. It was too fast. Seemed like the orchestra tempo was too fast and Lisa was struggling to keep up, forcing it. I think if they'd slowed the pace a little you'd get to hear more of her sound. And Christ does she have sound. 

Next up was a pulse break to bring out violinist Caroline Campbell. She's strikingly thin, like ridiculously wafer thin, but gorgeous. She reminds me of her violin bow. Botti & Campbell play Emmanuel almost verbatim from the CD. 

At 8.35p intermission. I was surprised actually. The two shows I've seen previously he played straight thru. I'm not sure if it's because the orchestra needs a break or if they do that considering the age of the audience or because that's just what you do with a symphony. Either way it was fine. I got to stretch out a bit and catch up on my notes on my CrackBerry.

We're back at 8.55p. He starts the second set with my favorite part of the show. The Very Thought of You was my favorite song long before I ever heard of Chris Botti. A friend of mine from eons ago, Peter, bought me a CD that changed my life. Coltrane & Hartman on Impulse label. It's simply put the best vocal jazz CD. Botti changes up this tune a bit and makes it something unique to him. Lisa Fischer joins Botti for this song and what makes it unforgettable is he has the audience snap along. I know it sounds corny but they bring the tone down, volumes down, mood down and it changes the place from grandiose to intimate. At the end of the song Lisa stops singing, Botti stops playing and all you hear are the faint seven notes of Mark Whitfield's guitar and 2,000 people snapping. Every time I hear that I get chills. It is my single most favorite part of the show. It’s what keeps me coming back to see the same set time an time again. I don't know why. But it does. I doubt I'm alone. 

Lisa stays on stage to sing Italia (of Andrea Bocelli fame). She goes down about two octaves from where she normally sings. Back to my earlier comment about the good & bad of my seat. Here's the bad. Because the speaker clusters are set for the 2/3rds of the audience that are not seated in the middle the mix we get from Lisa's mic is kind of washed out, bounced around from the room. It's audible but not nearly as clear as if you'd heard her at the Blue Note in NY. But she's still phenomenal. 

Botti applauding Campbell

Caroline Campbell is back out to play another Botti fav the love theme to Cinema Paradiso. Ok, another Zopfi Truism: Cinema Paradiso has been one of my favs since it won an Oscar for best foreign film in the year I graduate high school. The song playing over the credit roll (Toto & Alfredo) is what I want to play as I walk up the isle hand in hand with my new husband at my wedding. But I digress. This version of Cinema Paradiso is clearly the best sounding song of the night, both stylistically and acoustically. Pure Ennio Morricone. This one got me choked up. 

Botti is great about sharing the stage but he clearly knows people paid $100 to see him not the band. He’s managed to have a great balance knowing when to let others shine. He stepped aside to let Caroline show off her stuff. I don't know a lot about the violin but I don't think you have to in order to see how talented she is. Of course her model-good looks and thrashing about on the stage doesn't hurt either. I think of her as the Monica Seles of the tour. She grunts a little when she's playing. It's quite a juxtaposition to see this delicate woman writhe with such power & command. Quel sight. 

Botti spectating Kilson

Billy Kilson, drummer extraordinaire, is up next with his solo as a part of Indian Summer. I'm not a big drummer fan but this guy is something special. I’m sure he’s technically one of the best around but what makes him such fun to see is are his expressions. He makes the corniest, best faces! It's almost like he's taking a shit sometimes or wincing in pain. That, paired with his gum chewing, like he's biting the life out of it is so comical but somehow fits into his whole persona that you don't even notice it after awhile. Botti calls Kilson the reason he received Sting's initial kudos because apparently Sting's a drummer snob. I think Kilson would be fun to hang out with. He looks like that kind of guy.  

Carol with Kilson on the drums
Plotnikoff as backup

Last song before the encore is Nessun Dorma. It's one of the most popular operatic tunes around. A couple weeks ago Botti performed in DC and former Chief of Staff Madeleine Albright was invited on stage for this very song to play the drums with Kilson. He mimicked this tonight by bringing up a woman named Carol. She and her husband Bob were sitting in the front row and were the subject of Botti’s crowd interaction several times throughout the night. She got on stage and rolled what would have been the timpani for the end of Nessun. It was a fun little audience participation moment that was better for Carol than the rest of us. I'd prefer to leave Nessun to the professionals. Save that gag for a campier song. 

Botti & Childs, My Funny Valentine

Finally after standing ovation (when doesn't he get one?) he and Billy Childs remain to play one final song. There was a comical exchange just before the encore. He excused the orchestra and said, "I know some of you wanna get out of here and go hit the bar." They didn't get it. He mockingly looked at the audience and said, "They don't trust me." Slowly one woman stood up with her violin and then another and another until they all got the picture that he wanted them to exit the stage. It was one of those unplanned, unrehearsed moments. Botti & Child's My Funny Valentine was so delicious I didn't want it to end. Almost acoustic. Soft, sultry, just the way I imagine Miles playing it.  At 10.00p the ovations were over and house lights went up.

Fans lined up 4 deep around the foyer

The night ended like most. Botti announced he was signing CDs in the lobby after the show. The theatre unloaded at a pretty quick pace but once I got to the lobby there were several hundred people wrapped everywhere. It was a bit unorganized but people were very considerate. That’s the difference between a Botti autograph signing and a rock band one. Sophisticated, upscale crowd. The staff did their best to snake the lines and make sure everyone got their turn. They even announced that Botti was only “signing” right now but if you stuck around after everyone had gone thru the line he’d be happy to take pics then. What musician of Botti’s stature does that? Yes, I realize many people haven’t heard of him and it’s not like he’s selling out the O2 but come on. That’s pretty remarkable. He does this for every show.

Doing his own meet & greet by the merch table was multi-Grammy winner Billy Childs. He's remarkably humble and soft-spoken (and on Twitter @billychilds). He's the kind of guy you want to be your neighbor. He'd let you know there was a FedEx at your doorstep so that someone didn't steal it. Caroline Campbell was there mingling with the fans too. If she weren't a violinist she looks like she'd be a ballerina - or maybe a yoga instructor.

Year of Botti: Show #1

I bought my overpriced CD filled with songs I’ve already downloaded from iTunes just to get it signed. Then when it was my turn to get my picture taken I asked if he’d hold up his finger like “#1.” He didn’t even question it. Just did it. I said, “It’s because this is the first of many shows I’ll be at this year.” He said, “Really? When do we see you next?” “San Fran, no wait, Riverside first.” “Oh right. See you then.” The guy knows how to connect with his fans. 

For photos go to my Facebook photo link.