Bruce Hornsby

Fact: Bruce Hornsby is a damn good pianist.

I learned this a few nights ago at the Sheldon, where he played a solo concert.  I couldn't find anyone who wanted to go with me, so I snagged a great seat in the first row of the balcony, just left of center, and took myself to the show.

But first things first.  I arrived with enough lead time to check out the very neat, if small, exhibit on architectural drawings: American Buildings: Architectural Drawings from the Collection of Kyrle Boldt III.  I have no idea who Kyrle Boldt is, why he has such a fancy name, or why he has so many nice drawings, but it was kind of him to share them.

Once I saw the entire gallery (that's right, one whole gallery!) of  architectural drawings, it was time to head for the concert.  (Note: if you have a seat in the first row of the balcony at the Sheldon, especially if you're near the center, do not plan on leaving  your seat during the show.  There are no aisles, so you have to get all the way to one side or the other in order to escape!)

There was a Steinway in the center of the stage, and out came the man himself.  He started with "Preacher in the Ring," and the crowd went wild.  Feeding on the energy, he played one of his high-energy songs, "Where's the Bat?"  He followed with his solo version of the Don Henley classic, "The End of the Innocence." As it turns out, it's not a Don Henley song.  It's a Bruce Hornsby song.  Who knew?

There was lots of talking between songs, very casual and easy.  And riffing on the piano between phrases too.  At one point, Bruce started tapping out "Friend of the Devil," but forgot the words and just went back to talking, probably about his years with the Grateful Dead.

He played a number of requests, including "Sugaree" (another Dead number), "Lost in the Snow," and "Pastures of Plenty."  Bruce started chatting again, and mentioned, "my old friend, the
Cincinnati Bengal," and someone in the audience shouted out, "Mike Reid!"  Sure enough, he was introducing the Bonnie Raitt song "I Can't Make You Love Me," which Bruce played piano on when she recorded it.  A couple of songs later, another reinvented classic showed its face, this time his own: "Mandolin Rain."

There was a lot more talking, jamming, humming along while he played, just generally having a good time.  The concert ended (supposedly) with a piece called "La Grive Musicienne," inspired by Olivier Messiaen's classical pieces inspired by bird songs.  He stood to leave the stage and got a standing ovation.  He smiled, bowed, got about halfway through the door to leave the stage, and changed his mind.  "Normally we do this dance where I leave the stage, but we're just not gonna mess with that.  More music?"  We got a three- or four-song encore, including "The Valley Road."

I didn't realize how many other great musicians Bruce Hornsby has played with.  I mentioned Bonnie Raitt, the Grateful Dead, and Don Henley.  But there was also Ornette Coleman, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Robbie Robertson, Phil Lesh (independent of the Dead), and loads of others.

In a nutshell, it was a great show!  (But I'm not going to link all those songs and other bands, because it would take forever.)