I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about skipping out on last night’s show. It was beyond hot out here yesterday and the show was outside. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a nice and warm summery day but yesterday was a bit too much. That being said, I was excited to see Leslie vincent for the second time and, the more I thought about it, the more I just felt silly for even thinking about skipping the show. Here I was complaining about having to sit outside in the heat with a cold drink in my hand while Leslie was sure to be on that stage, singing her heart out in this heat. One night in the heat wasn’t going to kill me and I’m not one to skip out on shows so my friends and I made our way down to the beautiful Crooners Supper Club for the show.
Thankfully, the setup at Crooners is brilliant and somehow they had created an atmosphere under a tent that helped you forget the heat. A cool breeze came off of the lake that sits right next to the stage and the tent kept us shady and cool. As soon as we got to the show and Leslie took the stage, I was eternally grateful I hadn’t skipped out on the evening because it was beyond perfect.
I’ll be honest, I don’t know jazz and there are times where I just flat out don’t understand it. My dad’s heart is probably breaking as he reads that statement because he is jazz. He is obsessed with it and, growing up, there was always jazz blasting through his house (don’t worry, I always tried to counter it with some Slipknot or something through my closed bedroom door). That being said, there’s something about Leslie Vincent. I had the honor of seeing her perform at this same spot last year and got to review her debut album ‘Foolish Little Things’. Although I still don’t think jazz is for me, the way Leslie does it and the amount of passion that comes through her music is staggering and something I wish I could experience every night of my life.
Last night’s sold-out show was full of jazz standard covers, original tunes, and smiles that stretched from ear to ear. Song choice-wise, there were a lot of highlights for me including a stellar performance of Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and one of my favorite tracks to hear from Leslie Vincent, “Rhode Island Is Famous For You” (originally by Blossom Dearier). Every song brought something different to the table. There were some jazzy numbers and then some more indie vibes coming from songs that Leslie did with Emily Dussault (who, together, are known as The Champagne Drops). I think that is the reason I crave seeing Leslie live. Although there’s a lot of jazz in her set, there’s so much more and it helps someone like me who knows very little about jazz, feel more comfortable at her shows instead of having them feel stuffy like some of the jazz shows I have been to.
I’m getting off track here and I’m sorry- I’m still in excitement mode with every show I go to but you guys should be used to that by now. Regardless, I bring up the song choice because there was one song that truly stood out to me and that was the mash-up/ cover of “Rich Girl” by Hall & Oates with “Dirty Work” by Steely Dan. The mash-up was arranged perfectly (and by the guitarist if I remember correctly) and really shined a spotlight on Leslie’s bubbly personality. You can hear, see and feel her positive aura the second she takes any stage or even walks into the same room as you but something about this song just really had her letting loose in a truly beautiful way. Rightfully so too. This mash-up was so fun and I am crossing my fingers that they can get it on a recording or something soon!
I just realized I have yet to mention Leslie’s amazing band. These guys seriously killed it. Being me, I think I was ordering another drink as she was introducing the band so I didn’t catch names but they are all so amazing and make such a tight-knit group. One of my favorite moments of the night is when the band was going hard on one of the last songs and you could just see Leslie’s appreciation for having these guys on stage with her. It was almost like she wasn’t expecting the instrumental break to be so powerful or something and, at the end of it, she took the microphone and shouted, “Now that’s freaking jazz!”. Although I think my father would beg to differ on that being jazz or not, it was one of those moments that just filled my heart to the brim. This band knew the parts and knew what was going to happen but it was like they didn’t realize the power that they could have or the amount of emotion that would come through the speakers and when it was done, a feeling of admiration was felt throughout the stage and crowd.
The audience was polite throughout the evening and just taking it in as my friends and I were. Although a far cry from the mosh-pit-filled metal show that I am craving so bad right now, I loved the feeling under the tent. Every solo was followed by a roar of applause and every song was followed by an even louder applause. Even though Leslie told the audience before the end that she would not be doing an encore because she “is not there yet” (although I beg to differ on that), the audience was shouting for an encore as the final note faded into the air. Whether that was someone joking around and just saying that because we had been told there would be no encore or not, I think everyone in that sold-out audience would have gladly sat in the heat for a little bit longer just to hear a few more songs.
Jazz is not my thing. It never has been and never will be (sorry dad- please don’t take me out of the will– remember, I’m your favorite). But there is something about Leslie Vincent that will keep me coming back time and time again. Thank you, Leslie, the band, the staff at Crooners, and everyone else who had a hand in last evening, for an absolutely amazing Saturday night!
Line Up:
Venue: Crooners Supper Club
Sausage Fest Meter- 5 out of 10
Smell-O-Meter – The Delicious Food of Crooners
Average Age of the Crowd- 50
Crowd Surfers- None
Dance-ability- 7 out of 10
Stage Divers- None
Broken Bones- None
Spotted Flying Through The Air- Nothing
Fights- None Witnessed
Pukers- None Witnessed
Passed Out People- None Witnessed
Idiots Taken Out By Security- None Witnessed
How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-
Leslie Vincent- 1
Celebrity Sightings- Photographer Extraordinaire- Sara Fish
Overall Score- 9.5 out of 10
Show on Deck- TBA
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