We’re After The Same Rainbow’s End

I got to bear witness to a beautiful soprano opera singer on Sunday night. I guess that’s the moment I knew that I wanted to get weird with my week. Rock and roll shows are cool and all, but sometimes it’s nice to mix it up and go see something completely out of left field. If Sunday night with Abigail LaDuke (the soprano opera singer) was from left field, then Monday night at The Dakota with Stella Cole was from right field.

Stella Cole is a young woman who is trying to make jazz standards cool again. Okay, maybe that’s a bratty thing to say. Maybe jazz standards are cool in certain circles, but those are not the circles that I travel in. This is what made this show such a wild card for me. I walked in only knowing that this young woman has a voice and is using it to shine a light on classic and timeless pieces of art that aren’t really my standard cup of tea. I knew this wasn’t going to be a normal show for me, and was quickly reminded that as I scanned the crowd and realized the average age at The Dakota on Monday night was much higher than usual, but I also noticed some young kids. That’s when I started listening to conversations (in a very non-creepy way). I could hear buzz words floating around between the bartender and patrons. Words like “viral” and “TikTok” told me everything I needed to know. Although I’ve been resistant to TikTok and refuse to spend time on the timesuck that it is, that’s one of the many ways that Stella Cole is forging a path and bringing jazz standards to the masses.

The audience was dead silent as Stella’s band took the stage and started warming up just in time for the dazzling superstar herself to take the stage. My heart skipped a beat. It wasn’t just how stunning Stella looked in her gorgeous gown and blue dress; it was her aura. She instantly hit me as a romantic. Scratch that. She hit me with romance. She was soft and delicate with an air about her that screamed professionalism while also giving hints of something a bit more playful and whimsical. Maybe it’s just me, but when I think of people who perform jazz standards, I think of something a bit more stuffy, aged, and stuck in old ways. That was not the vibe I got from Stella. I got a breath of fresh air, and that fresh air is something that I knew instantly I wanted to breathe for the rest of my time.

Stella wasted no time and jumped into her seat, starting with “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. The song was lovely, and Stella and her band performed it absolutely flawlessly, but that’s not what continued to make my heart skip beats. It was more of a choice. As I said, there was this slight sense of whimsy when Stella took the stage, and I feel like this song choice just leaned into that feeling a bit. As the set moved on, Stella moved in and out of decades, movies, and even styles. From Frank Sinatra to “Singing in the Rain” all the way to a selectrion from the best musical ever – The Music Man (and, no, that’s not up for discussion, The Music Man is truly the GOAT), I loved how the song choice throughout the set felt almost random, but each song highlighted a different feeling of her voice. From dark to light, joyous to somber, I really feel like I got to see all of Stella Cole during her time on stage.

It wasn’t just the song choice that gave me a little insight into Stella; it was also the banter between songs. Although she never lost this very professional, very mature kind of demeanor, there were many moments throughout the performance where we got to see inside her brain a little bit. From the way she fessed up to saying “Minneapolis” a few too many times, but, as she mentioned, it’s just such a fun word to say… “Minneapolis.” To reminisce about her obsession with Judy Garland, where it started, and how deep it ran. As I mentioned, jazz standards always make me think of something stuffy, lacking personality, and, quite frankly, boring, but Stella flipped the book on that and brought charm and personality to the show that was as bright as her voice.

I could keep on talking here. I could keep on praising Stella and her band for the flawless performance on Monday night, but I would just be rehashing the same thoughts in different words, and why waste my time (or yours)? Long story short, the biggest takeaway from this show was something that I constantly preach– don’t get stuck in a box. If eighteen-year-old me had been asked to see Stella Cole live, I would have shot it down instantly, blaming it for not being dirty and loud enough for me. Although that is true and this show lacked the mosh pits and sweat that I live for, I’m so glad I didn’t miss this opportunity. The beauty and love that radiated from the stage throughout Monday night were more than enough to keep me hanging on one jazz standard at a time.