{"id":1448,"date":"2014-11-13T23:47:00","date_gmt":"2014-11-13T23:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/?p=1448"},"modified":"2024-04-12T23:48:15","modified_gmt":"2024-04-12T23:48:15","slug":"big-venues-small-approaches-and-turnout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/?p=1448","title":{"rendered":"Big venues, small approaches (and turnout)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Arena blues<\/strong>: When I told friends about my destination last Tuesday night\u2014the Black Keys<\/strong> concert at Sleep Train Arena\u2014I got a lot of initially excited responses. Like, \u201cAwesome! Love the Black Keys!\u201d followed quickly by, \u201cWait, arena<\/em>? Really?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ohio-born duo of guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney did, indeed, pack Sleep Train on election night. But for some reason, the casual listener doesn\u2019t think of the Keys as being arena-level famous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It all arguably started with the band\u2019s sixth record, Brothers<\/em>, which nabbed the Keys three Grammy Awards. The 2011 follow-up, El Camino,<\/em> went platinum in the United States and double-platinum in Australia, New Zealand and Canada, winning a few Grammys as well. The band\u2019s latest release, Turn Blue<\/em>, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many credit this dramatic rise to the Keys\u2019 partnership with producer Danger Mouse, which started in 2008. But the band\u2019s sound hasn\u2019t exactly stayed stagnant since then, either. Turn Blue<\/em> saw the Keys enter psychedelic territory in a subdued fashion\u2014groove-driven, thematic, cohesive and devoid of any real hit singles. Rolling Stone called it the band\u2019s best yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fans were definitely stoked<\/strong>, and the set was filled with hopelessly catchy, crowd-pleasing hits\u2014\u201cGold on the Ceiling,\u201d \u201cHowlin\u2019 For You,\u201d \u201cEverlasting Light,\u201d \u201cTighten Up\u201d\u2014and even brought out the band\u2019s debut album with \u201cLeavin\u2019 Trunk.\u201d My favorite song all night was the grungy, slightly psychedelic \u201cStrange Times\u201d off Attack & Release<\/em>, a welcomed break in pace. The audience\u2019s favorite was, obviously, the Keys\u2019 smash hit \u201cLonely Boy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was the perfect high-inducing song to end on. But then the Keys came back for a strange encore with two slow-burning tracks off Turn Blue<\/em>. The high dissipated, slightly salvaged by an acoustic-to-electric version of \u201cLittle Black Submarines.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Auerbach didn\u2019t say much beyond \u201cThank you\u201d and \u201cCome on, Sacramento<\/strong>\u201d a couple times. There were lights and some video\u2014mostly blue-tinted, obviously\u2014but the biggest visual effect was merely a curtain falling down. To reveal, ahem, more lights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite achieving that arena level, the Black Keys do not make a great arena band. Arena rock in general is just so boring<\/strong> unless you\u2019re standing front-and-center. No matter how great the music sounded, arena shows require more infectious energy, more spectacle, more production value. Especially when you\u2019re spending $80 for general admission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rock band ethos, however, requires a no-frills show. The two don\u2019t line up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Janelle Bitker<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Energetic piano<\/strong>: Classical music has long proven to be one of the biggest draws at the Mondavi Center<\/strong> since its 2002 opening. Season ticket holders get the first crack at seats, which means many events are often sold out or nearly at capacity before the general public can even attempt to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last Wednesday\u2019s show with Jeremy Denk<\/strong> was his first solo appearance here after accompanying renowned violinist Joshua Bell. The turnout for the event was much less than expected, but those in attendance were treated to a playlist well-worth the price of admission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arguably, Denk is already a household name in the classical world for his wonderful interpretations and boundless energy. With little fanfare, he introduced his first number without a microphone and launched headfirst into a set that included classical pieces by the greats, such as Schumann, Mozart and Beethoven, as well as two other equally compelling pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the opening notes of Joseph Haydn\u2019s \u201cSonata in C Major, Hob.XVI:50\u201d to his thought-provoking interpretation of Brad Mehldau\u2019s \u201cSonata,\u201d Denk played with an unmatched fervor that could be felt across the half-empty auditorium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sidenote: Jazz pianist and composer Mehldau will also grace the Mondavi Center on Thursday, December 4. Tickets are still available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mondavi\u2019s setup for Denk was minimal, though appealing. He was dressed in a sleek black suit, matching the black Steinway & Sons piano with gold trim. The only other visual stimuli on the stage were four sets of plants placed equal distance apart at each corner of the stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even for a Wednesday night and a light turnout, Denk proved he deserves to headline venues as esteemed as the Mondavi Center. His playing was exuberant and exciting; mesmerizing and titillating<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only thing missing, of course, was you\u2014and maybe a couple hundred more concertgoers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(SN&R)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Arena blues: When I told friends about my destination last Tuesday night\u2014the Black Keys concert at Sleep Train Arena\u2014I got a lot of initially excited responses. Like, \u201cAwesome! Love the Black Keys!\u201d followed quickly by, \u201cWait, arena? Really?\u201d The Ohio-born duo of guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney did, indeed, pack Sleep Train on election night. But […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1448"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1448\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1449,"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1448\/revisions\/1449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/acloserlookmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}