Review: Harry Connick Jr. at the Beijing Exhibition Theater

Mar 11

Harry Connick, Jr.
7.30pm. Beijing Exhibition Theater (6835 4455)

Cui Jian doesn't seem to have much to do these days, his permanently red-capped presence being a regular feature at every major Beijing concert. Last night was no exception, with Lao Cui being among the crowd that headed over to the Beijing Exhibition Theater to catch a a short but enjoyable show from popular Jazz pianist and crooner Harry Connick, Jr., accompanied by a 15-piece big band. As might be expected, the crowd was dominated by foreigners, and although the Chinese media reported that 90% of the Beijing Exhibition Theater's 2,700 seats were filled for the show, others thought this estimate a little high, putting it closer to 80% noting: "we were in the very last row of filled seats and there were three rows behind us that were completely empty."

With no opening act, the show started at 7.30pm sharp and finished just short of an hour and a half later. Connick, Jr. used the occasion to demonstrate his skills as a mature band leader and skilled pianist rather than as the cute "When Sally Met Connick, Jr" crooner that some might have been expecting. Perhaps because he was playing to the hall (with tiered, concert hall-style seating) there were not so many in the way of dance tunes, the play list tending more to standard jazz and big band numbers. That said there were still a few swingin' tunes that had a some people dancing in the aisles.

During some of his between-song banter, Connick, Jr., revealed that he had been really keen to visit the Great Wall with his two daughters, until he found out it would take about three hours to get there. Instead he spent yesterday afternoon looking around Tiananmen and the Forbidden City.

There was a little dissatisfaction with the venue; surely smooth jazz goes best with smoky bars and room to dance rather then a concert hall with tiered seating? Some audience members were also surprised to discover that despite forking RMB 500 on their tickets, they still weren't guaranteed to be close enough to get decent photos. That said, there aren’t many options in Beijing, especially places that can seat an audience of more than 2,000 people.

The band not only played plenty of Harry's original works (both old and new), but also a few jazz standards like Only You and Little Jumble. As for the singing, some in the audience were a little surprised that he didn't sing more, with a few going so far as to suggest that, like the long distance runners come August, poor Harry had been affected by Beijng's "blue skies"; his voice sounding a little off. The show ended somewhat abruptly at just before 9pm, and, despite the sustained calls for an encore continuing after the house lights had gone up, the thick velvet curtains of the hall remained closed and Harry was not to emerge again.

Still, most people enjoyed the show. Impressed by both the big band (trombonist Lucien Barbarin was a particular crowd favorite – a real show man who knew how to work the audience) and by a mature Harry Connick, Jr., who shone not so much as a crooner, but as band leader and pianist.

Update: According to this review of Harry Connick, Jr.'s Shanghai show by JQ Whitcomb:

"players in Connick's band told us that the government people showed up an hour before they were to play and went to town on their set list, crossing off a number of tunes they disapproved of (what was Harry thinking, trying to play all that counter-revolutionary garbage anyway?) and replacing them with "safer" tunes."

Read the full review of Connick, Jr.'s Shanghai show at the Shanghaiist or Shanghai Jazz Scene. Thanks to Jeremiah Jenne, author of Jottings from the Granite Studio, for sending through the link.

Links and Sources:
that's Beijing: The Man with the Golden Voice
The Beijinger Forum: anyone go see Harry Connick last night?
Sina: 小亨利康尼克北京演唱会落幕 崔健低调捧场(图)
The Beijing News: 小亨利·康尼克 卖一张票也是荣幸
QQ: 老牌爵士登陆北京 哈利-康尼克唱《Only You》