REVIEW: Burt at Mountain Winery in Saratoga, California
Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2004 1:17 am
About the only thing I didn't like about the concert tonight was the lady sitting next to me. The music got underway about a half hour after the scheduled 7:30 start, and that was bearable--the venue was this nifty little open-air theater in, well, a mountain winery, and the weather was lovely--but I had to listen to 30 minutes of this woman griping. And then Burt appeared and the concert began, and all was well.
I went to the NYC "One Amazing Night" show (and sat in a nosebleed seat where I could hardly see or hear) and have seen Dionne in concert, but this is the first time I've been to a full-blown Burt show. It's amazing. And *he's* amazing. Both the music and the man (supposedly 75, but it's hard to believe) seem stuck in some time warp that lets them get only fresher, more relevant, and entertaining with age. And Burt was a most affable host.
The problem, of course, is that there are just too many songs--so many of them were played in lengthy medleys, and some got left out. Highlights included the Blob (and Burt's discussion of the movie), a bit of instrumental music from _Casino Royale_ whose name I'm forgetting, and one of the best renditions of "The Look of Love" I've ever heard (even though it was incomplete). The musicians were excellent, as were vocalists Donna Taylor, Josie James, and John Pagano (especially the ladies).
And towards the end of the night, Burt began to sing. He sang "Wives and Lovers" (!--a great rendition, both vocally and instrumentally), "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," "Alfie," "A House is Not a Home," and, most movingly, "The Windows of the World." I've heard Burt sing before, of course, but never so much all at one time live--and it gave me a new appreciation for the man as a singer. The voice may lack range, it may crack, but it gives you new insight into the music.
Sorry if this sounds more like a love letter than a review--but I'm still on a high from having seen the concert. I've always found Bacharach/David music to be a sort of tonic for what ails me, and it's never more potent than when it's live.
-- Harry
I went to the NYC "One Amazing Night" show (and sat in a nosebleed seat where I could hardly see or hear) and have seen Dionne in concert, but this is the first time I've been to a full-blown Burt show. It's amazing. And *he's* amazing. Both the music and the man (supposedly 75, but it's hard to believe) seem stuck in some time warp that lets them get only fresher, more relevant, and entertaining with age. And Burt was a most affable host.
The problem, of course, is that there are just too many songs--so many of them were played in lengthy medleys, and some got left out. Highlights included the Blob (and Burt's discussion of the movie), a bit of instrumental music from _Casino Royale_ whose name I'm forgetting, and one of the best renditions of "The Look of Love" I've ever heard (even though it was incomplete). The musicians were excellent, as were vocalists Donna Taylor, Josie James, and John Pagano (especially the ladies).
And towards the end of the night, Burt began to sing. He sang "Wives and Lovers" (!--a great rendition, both vocally and instrumentally), "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head," "Alfie," "A House is Not a Home," and, most movingly, "The Windows of the World." I've heard Burt sing before, of course, but never so much all at one time live--and it gave me a new appreciation for the man as a singer. The voice may lack range, it may crack, but it gives you new insight into the music.
Sorry if this sounds more like a love letter than a review--but I'm still on a high from having seen the concert. I've always found Bacharach/David music to be a sort of tonic for what ails me, and it's never more potent than when it's live.
-- Harry
Bonjour Harry;