Las Vegas, NV, Pearl Concert Theatre, 8 August 2009

[narrow daylight]

Tickets: http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/17004 ... norcatid=4

[jazzanddianafan]

I got tickets to this show.... my daughter lives in LV and we are going to go to the show together (her first time seeing DK).... my tickets are in the second row, on the isle, on the piano side of the stage (hopefully, unless Diana changes her usual setup)..... anyone else going to join us in Las Vegas ??

[mapache61]

I got third row, piano side as well. Look for me, jazzdkfan. In honor of Vegas, I'll be the guy dressed in DK drag.

Hoping to land a pair of more centered, close-up seats for San Diego, Rancho Mirage or Pala. We'll see...

[jazzanddianafan]

mine are in what they call section 104.... on the isle towards the middle.....there is a good seat layout on the Palms website..... is that the same section as yours ?...... I am not staying at the Palms - my god, the rooms started at $299. per night !!!..... I am going to be over at Harrah's (my daughter and her boyfirend are in LV but I don't like imposing on thier small apartment).... hope to see you at the show !! (I am sure I will find you if you are dressed as you say !)

[mapache61]

Nope. I'm on the other side, 102. Guess I misunderstood your "piano side." No matter. Should be a great show.

I just spent a week in Vegas on business. Won some nice money at The Palms. Tried to check out the Pearl interior, but security stopped me. Nice lobby. No DK posters up yet.

As for Harrah's, it's lookin real tired these days when comapred to the flashy new Wynn resorts. I'm talking the casino. I didn't see a Harrah's hotel room. Should be fine though.

If you're looking for something within walking distance, the divey Gold Coast across the street is cheap. Rio is a longer walk, but still do-able. Anything else, you'll need a car or cab.

[jazzanddianafan]

Hopefully, I am not all messed up on the wrong side, but I think DK usually puts the piano on the '104' side of the stage as opposed to the '102' side ????

I understand Harrahs is not as flashy as the Palms these days - but I am not as flashy as the Palms these days eitther !!!.... I kind of like Harrahs beacuse it is in a nice part of the strip and it is reasonably priced...... you know, at one time rooms in Vegas were pretty reasonable - they brought you into town with good room rates and cheap food and hoped you would spend your mortage money on the tables..... now they take you at every opportunity !!

Anyway, I will take a cab or whatever over to the Palms for the concert and stay in my comfort zone !..... hope to see you there....

[Bud]

Probably don't need this, but here's a refresher on her setup:

[mapache61]

I'd say that piano is on the 102 side. You should have an optimum view of the band and DK's keyboard action. I'll likely have a nice view of DK's face while she's singing and a piano-obstructed band view.

Yeah, Vegas prices are out of control. I didn't even bother checking The Palms' rate for a Sat night. I knew it'd be out of my range.

[jazzanddianafan]

your right about the set up - now I remember why I pick that side..... I like to watch her hands on the keyboard as opposed to just seeing her face above the piano...... It's been 2 years since I saw her last, but you'd think after seing her live 14 times I would remember why I picked the side I picked !!!....

[imnoangel1975]

If you guys are looking for a nice place to stay that's not too expensive, I usually stay at The Jockey Club when I'm in Vegas. You can't beat the location: it's right on the Strip, next door and slightly set back from The Belagio (across the street from Planet Hollywood). Some of their rooms have windows overlooking the Bellagio Fountains. All of the rooms are 1 bedroom suites and they're more homey than a regular hotel room (they've got kitchens in every room). It's a rather undiscovered little gem that no one knows about.

Their parking lot is under construction right now but I never heard any construction while I stayed there. If you're interested in checking it out: http://www.jockeyclubvegas.com/contact.asp.

Enjoy the show! Wish I could join you.

[mapache61]

Thanks for the tip, angel. I do know the Jockey Club, but have never stayed there. Looks nice and mellow. Will defintiely try it someday. But this time I think I'll go with Gold Coast. Cheap and a quick stroll across the street to Palms.

If you haven't been to Vegas lately, that massive City Center project between Bellagio and Monte Carlo is still in full around-the-clock construction swing. A friend who stayed at Monte Carlo recently said it was very noisy. Don't know if the noise is affecting Jockey Club though.

[Bud]

Diana Krall: A rock star on the piano

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/au ... tar-piano/

[jazzanddianafan]

A WONDERFUL show in Las Vegas !!!......

Being close to my daughter's birthday (she lives in LV), I invited her to join me for her first DK concert Saturday night. I had never been to the Palms Hotel..... very much a 'party hotel' - having the only Playboy Club left in the US and many other fancy night spots on the premises..... My daughter and I had dinner at a very nice Italian restaurant there on the 51st floor of the Palms called "Nove"...... excellent food and a great view !!..... then it was off to the show,,,,

Diana came out looking fantastic in black with the famous - and very striking - 6" hot pink heels !..... I thought she was very relaxed and playful and I loved the set list which had old and new songs included..... my favorite of the evening had to be a wonderful 'Body & Soul' !! The Pearl Concert Theater I thought was a very nice venue and they had two large screens on either side of the stage which showed great shots of her and the group. I very much enjoyed seeing Anthony again work his magic on the guitar and Jeff did his usual first-rate job at the drums. I loved her work at the piano - from my seat on the 3rd row isle I had a great unobstructed view of the her hands on the keyboard. She did talk about the twins a bit; saying they were having fun upsatirs demolishing one of the rooms and even enjoyed a dip in the pool.....

After the show I was lucky enough to be able to stay behind with maybe 8-10 others and say hi to Diana and introduce her to my daughter. Diana was very gracious and friendly with us all - even as we were leaving when I gave her a hug and called her by her sisters name !..... "that's ok", she said, "there are always more than a few Kralls around in this group."

I thought the show went by way too fast, but it was a very wonderful evening and my daugher and I both had a great time.... Thanks again Diana !

[mapache61]

Diana in Vegas: The Girl In The Hot Pink Pumps
Set List
1. I Love Being Here With You
2. Let's Fall In Love
3. So Nice
4. The Night We Called It a Day
5. Deed I Do
6. Walk On By
7. Jockey Full of Bourbon
8. Body and Soul
9. The Frim Fram Sauce
10. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You
11. I'm Walkin'
ENCORE
12. Where or When
13. Quiet Nights

For the life of me, I can't remember #8. Or maybe there wasn't a #8?
EDIT: There you have it: Body and Soul. That was one of my 2 choices, but I wasn't 100% sure.

Anyway, great show. Short review coming soon...

[jazzanddianafan]

I wasn't hallucinating was I mapache61 ?...... "Body & Soul' MUST have been #8, right ???

[mapache61]

Review: Diana Does Vegas

We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the DK fever began to take hold. I remember saying something like “I feel a bit lightheaded; maybe you should drive…” And suddenly there was a terrible roar all around us and the highway was full of huge SUVs, all swooping and cutting us off and speeding past the car, which was going about a hundred miles an hour with the top down to Las Vegas. And a voice was screaming: “Holy Jesus! These goddamn SUVs think they own the road!”

It was almost noon, and we still had more than a hundred miles to go. They would be tough miles. Very soon, I knew, we would both be completely twisted and enjoying Diana at the Pearl Theater. We had no mescaline, blotter acid, salt-shakers full of cocaine or raw ether. But we did have a CD case full of Diana discs and a gallon of gin in the trunk, and I knew we’d get into that rotten stuff pretty soon.

We pulled up to the fabulous Gold Coast Casino Hotel around mid-afternoon, checked in to our plush 9th floor room and gambled for a few hours. Later, and a few bucks richer, we walked across the street to the hipper-than-thou Palms, favored hangout of micro-mini-skirted tabloid queens and hipster dorks with strategically mussed hair.

We’d been on the liquid “Leaving Las Vegas” diet for a few hours, and didn’t have much of an appetite, but figured we’d better eat. We settled on Gardunos, the Vegas outpost of the famous Albuquerque, New Mexico restaurant. Food was good (though the sopaipillas were a joke), prices were reasonable and service was quick.

Off to the show. Our seats were third row on the piano side of the stage. As I feared, the Pearl’s floor is level, and the stage a bit too high for seats this close. Yoshi’s, this ain’t. The piano obstructed our view of Hamilton and Hurst completely. But what the hell, there were two big video screens on either side of the stage. Plus, I figured I’d get to watch Diana’s face while she’s singing, which I almost never do because I always seem to be sitting on Anthony’s side – which is where I’d be in San Diego two nights later.

Diana hits the stage wearing a black top, puffy black chiffon skirt and SEXY hot pink heels. She looks stunning, but baby, I can’t take my eyes off those pink pumps. They’re positively hypnotic.

The music? Oh yeah. The band launches into the standard opener, “I Love Being Here With You”, and man does it swing. Diana’s fingers fly up and down the keyboard, and I’ve got a dead-ahead view of those pink pumps workin’ the pedals. I also have the main stage speakers just to the right of me, which means the sound is nice, loud and crisp. So often, I find the volume is way too low and muddy at mid-to-large venues (I’m looking at you Hollywood Bowl).

“ Let’s Fall In Love” is next. Loose vocals, funky piano (love those high-note flourishes in the middle section), groovy Anthony guitar solo. I’m a fan of the “So Nice” album version. It’s even better live. The vocals, less breathy. The piano, a bit looser.

Diana says it's good to be back in Vegas, and mentions she’d taken the twins down to the pool that afternoon and they’d filmed their first music video, which got a good audience laugh. Then she said “I always think of Frank Sinatra when I come here”, and eased into a gorgeous “The Night We Called It A Day.” We got more wonderful piano, which actually took a backseat to the soulful vocals on this number. At this point, I’m loving the view of Diana tilting her head back, staring off into the stage lights and singing: “I hadn’t the heaaaart left to praay…”. Beautiful.

I’m despising the view during a swingin’ “Deed I Do”, which features plenty of fantastic Hamilton and Hurst soloing. Since my view of them is obstructed by the Steinway, I’m forced to watch the video screens. Note: A reviewer in another thread said the video director was off when it came to the band solos. I didn’t notice that. Ok, maybe a few seconds lag time. But come on, this is jazz. Not American Idol. If the video was spot-on synched with the solos, I’d be worried.

Walk On By. I’m not the biggest fan of this song, but it really shines here in Vegas. I’m ready to jump out of my skin on the “Make me cry!” line. Unexpectedly, this is the highlight of the night for me.

That rotten old gin and the beer guzzled at the restaurant have caught up to me, and I reluctantly run for the bathroom. I miss half of “Jockey Full of Bourbon”, a fun tune that I would hear in its entirety a few nights later in San Diego.

Jazzdkfan says “Body and Soul” was next, and I’m almost positive it was. At this point, I’m trying to get re-settled with two glasses of champagne, and whipping out my paper and pen is the last thing on my mind. If anyone has ever tried to keep track of the set, you know it’s extremely difficult.

Diana speaks lovingly of Jimmy Rowles, and then “Frim Fram Sauce” kicks the proceedings into swing mode again. I’m instantly transported back to the old DK days -- circa 1999. Very nice stuff from Hurst here. Also, Anthony’s subtle/dazzling playing on this is always an underrated treat.

In my book, Gee Baby is the second highlight of the evening. Damn, is there a better song than this? Not at this particular moment. The band does their thing. Diana does hers. The audience is putty in their hands.

“I’m Walkin” rounds out the main set. I always seem to hear this number. And I’m not complaining. The band really seems to enjoy playing it, but I was hoping for Cheek To Cheek, which again, I would hear in San Diego.

The encore is surprisingly subdued. “Where or When” is short, but Diana’s vocals here are stellar. And a sublime “Quiet Nights” (far superior to the album version) ends the night on a hushed note. And then, just like that, they’re gone baby, gone.

A savage journey to the heart of the American jazz dream? Not quite savage. But definitely a dream.

[Coda]

Thanks for your detailed review. Sounds as if you had a wonderful evening.

[Bud]

I'm back from a short vacation to the Grand Canyon, and, well, Las Vegas. Unfortunately, couldn't be there in time for this concert I stayed at the Jockey Club in Las Vegas, as recommended by imnoangel1975. It’s a great value, in a fine location, and I definitely plan to stay there again. Thanks, Ang!

Appreciate the outstanding review, mapache61!

That rotten old gin and the beer guzzled at the restaurant have caught up to me, and I reluctantly run for the bathroom. I miss half of “Jockey Full of Bourbon”, a fun tune that I would hear in its entirety a few nights later in San Diego.

This is the reason I stop any liquid intake at least one hour before a Diana concert! Especially, as we all know, there is no intermission.

Jazzdkfan says “Body and Soul” was next, and I’m almost positive it was. At this point, I’m trying to get re-settled with two glasses of champagne, and whipping out my paper and pen is the last thing on my mind. If anyone has ever tried to keep track of the set, you know it’s extremely difficult.

I agree. Recording the set list is not easy.