Sanders Theatre

Great show. Listening to the concert was pure joy. Sierra influenced me because I just ordered my first mandolin

Awesome concert.

Amazing concert. Fourteen Reveries and Suite: April 2020 were dark and foreboding. Mehldau delved into the deepest reaches of his psyche, touching on fears that Covid had changed the lives of so many and the continuing uncertainty that we still face in our troubled world. He then played a long series of encores which lifted the mood of the audience: many Beatles songs, Mitchell's "Both Sides Now' and Dylan's 'Don't Think Twice' elicited a delighted response from the enchanted crowd.

What an interesting experience. The first third of the show was Mr Mehldau performing "Fourteen Reveries", a commissioned piece that was experimental and modern, showcasing technical talent anchored by an abundance of ostinato. It wasn't really my area of expertise or interest but it was, even to my ignorant understanding, a very ethereal experience, pulling me into the Reveries. The second third of the show, following the intermission, was selected pieces from Mr Mehldau from his own and others' compositions, ending with selections from his "April 2020". This section of the show was a bit more engaging for me as the April 2020 pieces in particular invited me to imagine how the piece and the title matched up and informed each other: how was this piece "Keeping Distance" about that experience? Most of April 2020 was thought-provoking and slower except for the selection "In the Kitchen" which I imagine was something charged and fun: I wanted to ask him after the show what, exactly, was going on in that kitchen that was so engaging but, eh, I didn't have the opportunity. I mean really. Was it sexual? Just enjoying cooking? For whatever reason I'm really engaged with this question since the piece was so out of the style of the rest of the selections. Then the concert ended, and the final third of the show began: seven (eight?) single-piece encores, each time Mr Mehldau coming out to play something more and more fun. The silent listening and consideration of the first third, the contemplative second both disappeared and this section of the show was just a blast: Mr Mehldau cranking out fun tunes and having a great time, the audience hooting every time he came out once again. It totally transformed the show and went from 4 to 5 stars: Mr Mehldau had done some gripping technical work earlier but now he was having more fun with it in pieces that encouraged that playfulness. The whole of the experience really ran the breadth of the man's skill and it was wonderful.