Cast Your Fate - Herb & Lani Live In Santa Monica 2011*

[CherryStreet]

"Cast Your Fate To The Wind, finally made it's debut here after being scrapped back in February at Vibrato. And boy was it worth the wait! One of the standout highlights tonight.

And after a 6 year wait, we finally got to hear Herb do "My Funny Valentine". Thank you Herb!! He broke down "Laura" and as it slowed went into it. I still have goosebumps.

And how about a totally new & reinvented "Anything Goes"?! As if that were possible. But any thing is possible with Herb & Lani and Bill Cantos at the Steinway grand.

To top it off, we got an extended "If I were a Rich Man" almost 1 minute long and two takes 0f Taste of Honey!

I'll post a full report in the next few days.

Herb Alpert & Lani Hall Live The Broad Stage Santa Monica 2011

1. Besame Much
2. Pararaio
3. Moondance
4. Fever
5. Viola
6. Let's Face The Music
7. TJB Medley
8. Anything Goes
9. Opato
10. Mornig Coffee
11. Paper Moon
12. Blackbird - Berimbau
13. Cast Your Fate
14. I've Got You Under My Skin
15. Laura
ENCORES:
16. Night & Day finished into What Now My Love
17. Jobim Medley

 

[JAZZ4JEFF]

I attended the Costa Mesa show on May 20th and the set list was identical to Santa Monica. Herb & Lani were in great spirits and had a lot of fun on stage. Their grand daughter came out and did a dance to Opato. She was fabulous. At 14, she is really a skilled dancer. Herb also visited "If I were a rich man" four different times. It was a running gag. You really see the love Herb & Lani both have for each other on stage. After three decades of marriage, bravo!

I do think there is a problem with the set list. Don't get me wrong, Herb & Lani have the right and creative freedom to perform any tunes they like. They certainly don't need to be performing, and we should be happy that they tour at all. In a small club, this set list would be dynamite. However, in a large, three thousand seat venue like the O.C. concert hall, most of the audience came to hear the hits. They were older (60 plus) and had great memories of the TJB. Every song they performed was greeted with nice applause, but the audience roared for the TJB medley. People screamed out for him to "play it again". I love the way Herb has re-imagined the hits. But, for this type of crowd, there needs to be more. This is why they came.

I am just a "Friday morning quarterback", and I trust Herb & Lani to follow their hearts & musical tastes. But, you must know your audience as well. A few more TJB tunes, a few more Brazil 66 tunes to accompany the two new CD's and everyone leaves happy. I don't think Paul McCartney still enjoys performing "yesterday", but at least he always performs it. I just think their concerts would be even greater with a few more looks to the past. The audience wants more.

 

[CherryStreet]

Jeff,

This obviously must have been your first time seeing Herb & Lani live since they started playing live.
Funny, I thought people came to see Herb & Lani? I went to see them last year in the same venue and their granddaughter did the exact same dance. Personally I can't stand the joint. Way too big and most of the good seats go to subcription series buyer and most of those folks could care less what they play, they just buy seats to the series and go to the shows.

 

[A&Mguyfromwayback]

It was a different dance than last year - last night she danced not to "O Pato" but to "Blackbird" (I don't remember what song she danced to last year).....it's Dore's daughter Emily and they live in the area, hence the fact that she's performed in the same venue two different times. Honestly, she's very good, and the people there got to see something nobody else in the world does at an H&L show. Part of the fun for me was seeing the looks on Herb & Lani's faces, beaming with grandparently pride.....

 

[CherryStreet]

Sorry, didn't mean to infer that the routine danced last night was the same exact one she did last year.
I never meant to imply that. And yes Herb & Lani's grand daughter is very talented, reminded me of Aria dancing during the "Bullish Tour" in 1984.

I still don't like the venue though. I always picture John Lennon peering throughthe lights at RHA and saying "The rest of you can just wiggle your jewelry" Too big & stuffy for me. What do you think about
Jeff saying you should play more hits in venues in that size?

BTW folks, Bill Cantos was on fire Thursday night on the Steinway grand at the 499 seat Broad Stage in Santa Monica. You really looked like you were having a blast. How was the recent tour? Any good stories?