Photos ant review by Ilya Mirman
Show photos HERE
Krall’s Warm Embrace Heats Up New England
As Diana Krall embarks on her WALLFLOWER world tour, I had the privilege of attending two of the early shows – the first show of the tour (2/25 in Boston), and then Thursday 3/5 show in Portsmouth, NH.
What a treat!! It felt like we were in Diana’s living room and she was playing just for us. (Until, that is, the sold-out crowds erupted in thunderous applause throughout both nights.)
Her talent filled the concert hall as Krall played piano and sang tunes both familiar and from her new album, Wallflower. While both nights were magical throughout, I loved her classics the most. In addition to the soulful ballads for which she is most adored, Diana included a terrific assortment of covers from The Mamas & the Papas, Paul McCartney, Jim Croce, Tom Waits and The Band – and entranced the entire audience with a soulful rendition of Joni Mitchell’s A Case of You.
Midway through the show, the band leaves the stage and Diana performs solo (LET’S FACE THE MUSIC AND DANCE, AS TIME GOES BY, & PEEL ME A GRAPE). She gave her all, and it was outstanding.
Krall certainly makes it look effortless, and you could tell that she was having fun during the show. One of the things I particularly loved was the interplay and mutual respect between Diana and her band. Nothing beats a live performance to catch those nuances – a moment when drummer Karriem Riggins made Diana laugh; an amused Diana telling stories to the audience about her twins playing at home; or the witty exchanges with Stuart Duncan (who was masterfully handling fiddle and ukulele duties). Diana has so much respect for her bandmates, and that was shown time and time again.
With dozens of shows throughout the world in 2015, Diana Krall is likely coming to a venue near you. So catch her and her band, and forget about everything else for an evening.
Musicians
• Diana Krall (piano/vocals)
• Anthony Wilson (guitar)
• Karriem Riggins (drums)
• Dennis Crouch (bass)
• Stuart Duncan (fiddle, etc.)
• Patrick Warren (keyboards)
Set List (Portsmouth)
1. WE JUST COULDN’T SAY GOODBYE
2. SWEET MAN
3. SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET
4. JUST LIKE A BUTTERFLY
5. EVERYTHING’S MADE FOR LOVE
6. TEMPTATION
Solo Section
7. LET’S FACE THE MUSIC AND DANCE
8. AS TIME GOES BY
9. PEEL ME A GRAPE
10. SIT RIGHT DOWN AND WRITE MYSELF A LETTER
11. CALIFORNIA DREAMIN
12. OPERATOR
13. IF I TAKE YOU HOME TONIGHT
14. JUST YOU, JUST ME
15. DEED I DO
16. A LITTLE MIXED UP
Encores
17. WALLFLOWER
18. I’M NOT IN LOVE
19. OPHELIA