07.06.12 Chris Botti @ Smith Center - Las Vegas, NV

Smith Center - Reynolds Hall

Aside from the intimacy of seeing Chris Botti at the Blue Note, this may have been the best Botti show I've seen, sans orchestra. Granted, I haven't seen as many shows as some but I've seen my fair share. 

Botti in the audience

The Smith Center is beautiful at worst. I'm a venue brat at the MGM Grand Garden Arena so I have a fine eye for event management. Their staff was amazing and gives me ideas on how to improve the arena. Granted, they've prob only got 50 employees and I have over 300+ but given the way they took care of me, I learned a great lesson. Great lesson. Only they know what I mean when I say a sincere, "Thank you."

On stage at Smith Center

Botti is a ridiculously great performer. Yes, he's a genius at the trumpet, grammy nominee, sought-after entertainer, blah blah blah - but what makes him a great 'performer' is his relationship with his audience. He's warm, familiar, funny, kind and giving. Like the perfect boyfriend. And beyond that is what he does to his audience. His temperament makes the rest of us want to make friends with our seat-mates. I have no idea how this happens but it does. At my first 2 shows I was so vain as to think it was me who made this happen; the people sitting next to me wanted to talk to me because I was so charming. It wasn't until 4-6 shows later that I realized it was him who made this environment happen. I'm just an average schmo. Botti makes the camaraderie. That's a talent. The naive me would say he doesn't even know he does this but he's a marketing machine. He knows. Otherwise he wouldn't be as successful as he is. Smart man. Smart tour manager. Smart agent. 

Backstage @ Smith Center 

I could babble on an on about his great performance, the set list and the amazing ensemble but - been there, done that. What made this show extraordinary was the sound and the atmosphere of the Smith Center. I will never pay for a Botti show anywhere else in Vegas unless he's playing the Smith. No disrespect to my colleagues at Station Casinos but you simply cannot beat an orchestra hall. Cannot.

He's so accessible

On a personal note, I had an amazing time. Botti's tour manager Jeremy was nice enough to give me a quickie tour of the place before the show and do a quick M&G with his artist. I put my foot in my mouth (shocker, I know) by saying to him something like, "Go kick some ass tonight!" I don't think Botti appreciated my vulgarity given the fact there were other people in the room, including a little old lady, but he was a good sport. 

I sat next to an amazing couple who couldn't say enough about Botti. "I told my grandson I was going to see Chris Botti. He was like, 'who'?" He wanted to bring him to the show to let him hear a different genre of music but it wasn't to be… this time. They were prob 55-ish, successful, articulate, adorable, unpretentious & fun. I love meeting people like this. It's not often you see this calibre of concert-goer at, say, Deadmau5.

Back to the show… there were some regular faves like The Very Thought of You (with 'the snaps'), Hallelujah, The Look of Love & My Funny Valentine & Nessun Dorma but he also had some of his new stuff from the album Impressions. As many times as I've seen Botti, I never bore of him. It's like peeps following the Grateful Dead or Dave Matthews or 311 - only we bathe & don't smoke pot. It's not necessarily Botti himself; it's the sound & feeling that comes out of his horn and the relationship he creates with his audience. My friends all call "bullshit" when I say this because, let's face it, the guy's gorgeous, that's why scores of girls drag their boyfriends to see this "jazz dude." But beauty eventually fades and you come back to the talent; you come back to the sound. This is why Botti keeps selling out venues across the world. When he's 70, ok, maybe girls won't swoon but he'll have some fucking great stories to tell! (Actually, I still swoon @ Tony Bennett so… maybe? Christ, I named my dog after him - Bennett, not Botti.)

Caroline Campbell & me

After the show I was fortunate enough to get a pic with Caroline Campbell, violinist extraordinaire. Normally I loathe beautiful, blond, thin, talented girls like this but she's so kind and warm, I couldn't help but adore her. Yeah, I'm a jealous, superficial, prejudiced idiot. I admit it. I wish I looked like her and had her talent. But I love being proved wrong. She was not only lovely but put up with my antics. Again, class act. My only contribution is hopefully I can be the butt of a joke they talk about on the road; I deserve it. 

The bow

I know there are only like 5 people who read my blog (especially since I took down all of my posts about the Grand Garden Arena shows) but if you do and haven't seen Chris Botti - go. GO. GO! His ticket prices are affordable, he puts on a truly unforgettable performance and some of his songs will bring you to tears, not in a sappy way but in an I-never-thought-I'd-be-moved-by-music kind of way.

And a very sincere, special thank you to Jeremy - you know why. Love you kid. 

03.26.11 Chris Botti @ Fox Performing Arts Center - Riverside, CA

03.26.11 @ 8.00p - Fox Performing Arts Center, Riverside, CA

Botti

Chris Botti – Trumpet

Billy Childs – Piano

Mark Whitfield – Guitar

Billy Kilson – Drums

Tim Lefebvre – Bass

Andy Ezrin – Keyboards

Lisa Fischer – Singer

Caroline Campbell – Violin

Corona Symphony Pops Orchestra, Walt Straiton – Conductor

Jeremy Plotnikoff – Tour Manager

Fox PAC - Riverside, CA

6.30p I made it in ridiculous time. 3:03 from my doorstep (actually from the gas pump) to the Fox. Riverside is a quaint little town nestled in the midst of some not so modern digs. Since I drove I wore shorts and a tee and had to find a McDonalds or something to change into my obligatory black. I found one at the corner of Eucalypus & University. It's a new, swanky Micky D's with wi-fi, Miles Davis muzak, modern furnishings, frappa-mocha-crap on the menu & a LEED certification in the bathrooms. There are a couple of homeless people in here; I don't blame them. I'd rather spend my time tapping on my Air in here than in the Applebys I passed earlier. Across the street is a tattoo/piercing place. Maybe the ideas is to get drunk on a McCafe and go get a tat of Tweety Bird. Yeah, there's a better chance of me discovering the origins of the universe pre-Big Bang than getting a tattoo. At least this month.

Fox PAC - Riverside, CA

It's 6.46p. Doors for Chris Botti's Fox Performing Arts Center show in Riverside, CA are are 7.00p. Show set to being at 8.00p. I expect the same set list but hope that there's a little something different than in previous shows. There seems to always be a little local flair. I believe he's playing with the Pops Orchestra tonight so maybe that will jazz things up a bit, different than the orchestra in St. Louis. I've only seen Botti a handful of times. Apparently there are people who have seen him north of 100 times. Now that's commitment. 

I park in the lot on the corner of Mission & Market. I checked out the Fox PAC website and this was one of the lots listed. The gates were up so it was a free for all. Plenty of parking, although I'm not always wary of things that are too good to be true. Oh well. They can't tow 300 of us in 2 hours. I hope.

Balcony house right

Fox Performing Arts Center looks like an old Spanish fort. It's got an old time ticket window out front that is more for decortation than functionality. From the outside it doesn't look like a proscenium is inside. Fox is tiny. Probably seats about 1,500, a perfect setting for this kind of act. Since I'm a venue geek I like to roam around to check out the digs. The thing I was most impressed with? The bathrooms. They were clean, sleek, still had old time charm with the white subway tiles but the thing that stuck out was the cavernous feel to them. It's not often you find this kind of space in a venue bathroom, much less an older venue, much less a WOMAN'S bathroom. Kudos Fox. 

View from the FOH mix

There were a deceiving number of levels to the theatre but only 2 for seating: the balcony and the main floor. At 7.35p I head to the balcony where a 25 year old usher tells me I can take a pic but that pictures are not allowed "at all" during the performance. How adorable. Yeah, whatever sweetie. The balcony was cozy and a comfortable distance to the stage. Not terribly deep either so I'm guessing the experience from there wasn't bad for the price. If I weren't a snob I'd buy balcony seats for one of these shows just to get the experience. Maybe if I hit a 2-date stop I'll check out the cheap seats for one of them. The only complaint I had was that the ushers didn't wear nametags or anything that identifyed them as ushers. They were good about making sure you knew who they were but when I had a question it was awkward to interrupt their conversations with patrons hoping that they were in fact ushers. 

Botti (but look at Lefebvre. Hee hee)

They had 3-4 ticket takers scanning tickets at the door. At first mine scanned "stop." It's funny, I know full well my ticket had never been scanned because I was the original purchaser and I didn't resell it so in theory there should only be one unique barcode. We have issues with third party brokers reselling multiple copies of the same ticket scamming people so I found the whole excercice entertaining and interesting. In the end the ticket taker just switched the device to scan me back out and in again. All's well. 

Botti on Caruso

7.47p I head to my seat. Section VIP, Row 2, Seat 101. House right, on the end. Perfect. I have to tell you that in my environment it's unheard of that a regular patron can just go on Ticketmaster and get this seat. But that's exactly what I did. I come from the world of casino & promoter ticket holds - meaning the casino and the promoter hold back most of the prime seat locations for their guests, VIP fan clubs, ticket packages, whatever. The closest Joe Schmo can hope to get when casually buying off Ticketmaster is the upper deck. I am always shocked at the availability Botti gives his fans, either via tickets or personal accessibility. Shocked. I take the long walk down the isle to the orchestra pit. There are 2 rows right off the stage separated by a partial barrier to the first row. I'm on the end so even though I'm in the 2nd row there isn't anyone sitting in front of me. I'm 4' from the stage which is only 3' high. I don't suppose Botti gets too may stage divers. Being so close is fun because you get to see things that you wouldn't from 20 rows back but it does have it's drawbacks. I'll get to those later.

Campbell, Fischer & Botti on Nessun

Around 7.50p Jeremy Plotnikoff is checking out the stage, places water and Botti's mute. I'm continualy amazed that they just drop that thing, wherever, however. Sorted musicians start hitting the stage, quietly warming up. The cellist on the end is scrolling thru her iPhone. Maybe she's Tweeting like me. She's prob emailing her manicurist for an acrylic fill on her nails. They're enormous. 


Botti crowds don't vary too much. Upper middle class, predominately older couples but this time I see more younger ones than in St. Louis. 80% white, 5% African-American, 15% other (and yes I'm in the 'other'). I happen to notice the current walk in music is Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now.  


8.00p and Jeremy is darting thru the orchestra pit and around the stage. Clearly something was either missed, missing or messed up. I wish I knew. I find that just as interesting as the music. But that's because, like I said, I'm a venue geek. (Turns out the audio engineer hadn't brought Botti's mic back to the dressing room so he was running around trying to find it.)

Campbell & Botti on Emmanuel

8.04p Conductor Straiton & band hit the stage, spattering of applause. Then Botti walks on and full on crowd eruption. Begins like all shows with Ave Maria into When I Fall In Love followed by Caruso.


The set list is the same so I like to take note of things that are different. After Caruso Botti introduces Caroline Campbell. Everyone looks stage right for her entrance. Nothing. I see Jeremy look quizzingly and dash away. Botti realizes he's confused his set list and it turns it into a great comedic diversion. That's the beauty of him. He's comfortable winging it on stage. I'd imagine it's because he does it with his instrument every night. So in lieu of Caroline he corrects himself with the story leading up to Miles Davis' Flamenco Sketches. 


Up next is a favorite of all the Live In Boston fans, Hallelujah. Because Whitfield was literally right in front of me, I had the best vantage for this tune. So cool and intimate to actually hear them take breaths or hum or shuffle their feet. 

Look Of Love with Lisa Fischer is after Hallelujah. So beautiful. Because I'm so close I noticed things I didn't before. Tonight was shoes. Lisa has some serious high strappy sandal platforms. Like 4' high, high. Caroline doesn't wear shoes, Botti's got military-shiny buffs on his and Whitfield has on military boots that were so substantial that I tried to take a pic of them. It didn't really turn out. Where do you even get a pair of boots like that? Like I said, I'm noticing things I don't normally. Sorry.

Whitfield: bad boy of jazz
has some bad ass boots on!

Finally Botti gets to officially call out Caroline Campbell for Emmanuel. She's in a gold lamay v-neck sleeveless gown. She's so thin you can see here sternum bones. You know how people say their dogs resemble their owners? This is a case of a violinist resembling her instrument. I'm just jealous. I'd love to be that defined. 

9.05p Intermission. Sitting next to me is an adorable couple who look to be in their 70s. She's got a fur on so once again, my seatmates are not worried about their social security benes running out. They're from San Diego and drove up to see the show. Turns out they saw Botti at his Vegas date at Texas Station last year when I did. We reminisced about how great that show was, how the energy transformed the place despite the lack of an orchestra. He commented on Chloe, the guest singer Botti had that night. "What a voice." They've seen him a couple other times too. That's what I wanna do when I'm 70. Travel with my hubby to see great music, at my leisure. Now all I need is to find a hubby. But that's another post entirely. During the performance I was sneaking pics. The cute couple asked, "Did you get any good shots?" No, mostly thought because I'm using my BlackBerry. I hate this phone. I may have to bite the bullet and buy my own iPhone and just use the CrackBerry for work. The thought of carrying around 2 phones makes my stomach turn though. 

Botti & Childs after encore

Jeremy is going over things with the stage manager (presumably). Something was going wrong with the audio during the show. Luckily I'm so close I hear the music directly from the instruments and the fill speakers in front of me so I don't notice much. I did hear a couple of audio pops but the casual listener wouldn't really care. Speaking of Jeremy, looks like the kid got his haircut. He's got that fresh, clean cut look tonight. 

So back to my comment about pros and cons of being this close to the stage. It's good for all the obvious reasons. But what I didn't anticipate is how you miss out on the group dynamic. There are 1,500 people behind me and instead of feeling like I'm with them, I'm separated. I couldn't gauge the overall energy of the theatre. Yeah, I know. Boo hoo. Poor me. But it's an odd sensation. I don't like not knowing what's going on behind me.


9.17p The orchestra is heading back to the stage. The cellist is back on her iPhone. Jeremy & the house guy are still milling around the stage, fussing. (I heard after the show when I walked by the mix, the stage manager said, "It's the sound guy's fault." They were unaware I eavesdropped on their comment and said, "Isn't it always.")

Hallelujah

9.20p They're back with the song that keeps me paying for a ticket to the same show: The Very Thought Of You. The Snaps. This time Botti & Fischer head out to the audience. They start out house left but at some point Botti meanders to house right, right next to me. It's weird though. When he's so close I don't feel like I can actually look at him. Like it would be rude. (For the prudes, skip immediately to the next paragraph!) Plus I'm sitting and he's standing and he arches his back sometimes so his junk is like right there. Yeah, I know some girls would be thrilled but I'm a little more subtle than that. Quite awkward.


Botti gave his standard line, "Where'd ya go?" referring to the audience that has stopped snapping. They immediately start back up again. Botti & Fischer head back to stage and finish up with Whitfield fading to delicate silence. 

Kilson chomping gum

Botti introduces and thanks the conductor Walt Straiton and the Corona Pops Symphony Orchestra. I have to say Straiton looked like he was having a blast. He's got a warm smile. He kinda looks like Terry Fator, the ventriloquist who won America's Got Talent a few year's back and now has his own gig at the Mirage. I wish I could have spoken with him.

Cinema Paradiso is next. Always a favorite. Even when you hear it hundreds of times it's so wispy and nuanced that one never tires of it. At least I don't. For me it brings back the images of the movie. Of Toto and Elena in love. Of Toto on the handle bars of the bike. The end kissing scene is perfection. 

Lefevbre on bass

Kilson kills it on Indian Summer. I Tweeted to Tim Lefebvre that he and Kilson both make faces like they're on the shitter. (Hey, this is a blog not a NY Times review.) But they do. Lefebvre looks like he's in a death metal band but plays with such tenderness and touch that sometimes I have to close my eyes to not get distracted by the juxtaposition. He makes me laugh. He's like 10' tall, lanky and looks like he just got done puking in a trash can from a previous night's exploits. People like that are always the most fun to hang out with. 

Joann & Plotnikoff on Nessun Dorma

Take a bow, Joann. You deserve it!

Had to get a pic with superstar Joann!

For the Nessun Dorma gag Botti calls an up audience member named Joann. She's had her arms up in the air with her 'Amens' all night praying to the temple of Botti. She's even had a couple conversations - mid show - with him. Totally comical. He calls her up on stage to take the sticks and she just hops right up, hugs him, goes to the mic and talks to us, almost like she's a plant, not a real audience member. Whitfield has to grab her arm and drag her to the drums. Adorable. This girl's got spunk, no fear. She does her thing and takes a bow. I wasn't a fan of the Nessun gag but after seeing Joann, I've change my mind. I guess it completely depends on the person he picks. If (s)he's got personality, the gag works. If not, it's a dud.


Botti ends by asking the orchestra to take a bow and hit the bar. He finishes up with Childs on his childhood inspiration My Funny Valentine. This song has now become a toss up for me as my favorite. It's Valentine, Paradiso & The Snaps. 

Money shot

10.27p The show ends and Botti announces quite casually he'll be signing CDs in the lobby. Place clears out quite quickly. I originally get in line for an autograph and realize that I don't actually have anything for him to autograph. I refuse to buy another CD with music I already got off of iTunes and signing a Ticketmaster print-at-home ticket is not exactly save-worthy so I hop into the "picture" line.

Autograph/picture line in lobby

After he's done signing autographs he does quick pics with people. This never ceases to amaze me. But this time what I realized is how conscientious Jeremy is. He's actually the one taking the pics. He takes your camera, YOUR camera, and takes the pic for you. He's been doing this so long and seen so many different smartphones, PDAs & digital cameras that he knows them all. How to focus, zoom, reset. He actually retook pics for people (including me) when they didn't turn out so well. For one sweet Asian couple he actually set them to the side to see if they could clean their lens and let them come back and redid their pics. This is unheard of for someone to do, much less a tour manager. When it was my turn he took a pic of me with Botti. Then he said, "Wait, let's do it again," and took a second. On my way out I looked at both and was grateful once again. The first one was ok and would suffice but Jeremy took the time and care to snap another knowing full well there were 100 people in line behind me. These guys know how to create an experience for the people shelling out $100 to see their show. 

Childs & Botti My Funny Valentine

I was thinking there's a distinct similarity between the 2 shows I saw within a 24 hour period: Lady Gaga & Chris Botti. They both have a remarkable ability to connect with their audiences and on a deeper level with their fan base. While Gaga didn't announce on stage she'll be signing autographs in the lobby after her show, she did do a m&g with about 50 people backstage after her Grand Garden Arena show. I watched how she interacted with them. This wasn't just a part of her job. She gets something out of this. At one point one of my guests was about to leave after the pic and autograph and Gaga stopped her and asked her assistant to go grab some bracelets to give to them as a gift. It wasn't like it was a big deal but it was a small gesture that my guests will remember for a lifetime. Jeremy taking the time to get quality pics for us is the same thing. It shows they get that this is an experience for us, as ridiculous as it sounds. And it makes me better at my job too because I see how happy it makes people, me being one of them, so I try to do the same even when I'm a crabby brat and all I wanna do is get these people out of my venue and go home.

AZ CB M&G

Got my pic done around 11.00p and after a quick potty break I'm on the road back to Vegas by 11.11p. The air from Riverside thru the Cajon pass was thick with fog. I brought my 4-disk Sinatra Reprieve collection and sang my ass off to pass the time. It's funny, I can't remember what time doors are for the ACMs but can remember the words to virtually every track on that box set. I made it home by 2.25a - just over 3 hours. Not bad. Not a bad night at all.


For more photos (albeit crappy) head to my Facebook page. 

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.