Review of Jackie Evancho Concert, Cabot Theatre, Beverly, MA February 22, 2019

 Last night, in the splendor of the newly-restored Cabot Theatre in Beverly, Massachusetts, Jackie Evancho – now almost 19 years old - dazzled the near-sellout audience with a performance that almost defies description. I’ll try, but I’m gonna need the Thesaurus for this one, because none of the adjectives that come immediately to mind come anywhere close to doing the trick.

Let’s see:

“Awesome?” No – this word has been so over-used that it has lost any impact that it might have once had.

“Incredible?” Maybe for some of the audience members who were seeing her perform for the first time, but this word doesn’t work for me any more, because I truly believe that Jackie is capable of taking any song and turning it into a memorable masterpiece.

“Astounding?” Closer, but not quite right, because this word conveys an element of surprise – “suprisingly impressive” is a typical definition – same goes for “stunning” or “shocking” - but frankly, I would only have been surprised if her performance had been ordinary, or lackluster.

“Tour de force?” Yes, but this description is usually applied to an impressive achievement accomplished with great skill.  Apt in this instance, I suppose, but if you just focus on Jackie’s skills - on the technical aspects of her performances – you risk missing out on the most important factor – the emotional impact she has on the audience. Her performances pack a powerful emotional “wallop” that few other vocalists can deliver. And of course, Jackie serves up these emotions with one of the most beautiful voices on the planet, shaped by interpretative skills second to none.

           “Phenomenal?”  Better…

           “Breathtaking?” Now we’re getting closer.

          “Magnificent?”  “Transcendent?”  “Glorious?” Yes, yes, and yes!

Jackie started the evening strong with “Lovers,” and finished her performance even stronger with that almost impossibly high note at the end of “Nessun Dorma,” without so much as a glimmer of fatigue anywhere along the way. Jackie’s voice was crystal clear throughout the evening, and ranged from powerful to tenderly exquisite, and so many points in between, however and whenever called-for by the songs.

I was especially struck by Jackie’s command of every aspect of her performance. Every note, every move, every expression, every modulation of her voice – all were in perfect (and authentic) service to the songs. She was in complete control of her art.  And through it all – clearly evident between songs – Jackie remains one of the most charming, humble, and down-to-earth performers ever to have graced a concert stage.

           I thought it was interesting that Jackie started and ended the evening’s performance with two songs that dated back nearly 8 years to her “Dream With Me” Concerts and CD, namely, “Lovers” and “Nessun Dorma.” In a recent online post, Jackie stated that she wants the world to know that she is no longer 9 years old, but with the inclusion of “Lovers” and Nessun Dorma in this and other recent performances, I believe she is also saying that she hasn’t forgotten her roots - and neither should we.

I was disappointed that there weren’t more songs from her CD scheduled for release on April 12 (“The Debut”), but whatever disappointment I felt was more than made up for by the wonderful set list that included many of her best-known songs from the last several years:

Lovers

The Way We Were

Think of Me

Medley:

       O Mio Babbino Caro

       Con Te Partiro (Time to Say Goodbye)

       Somewhere

       When You Wish Upon a Star

       The Prayer

Say Something (Duet with vocalist from special guest performers “Sons of Serendip”)

Once Upon a December

The Impossible Dream

Intermission

Burn

Vincent (Starry, Starry Night)

Over the Rainbow

Your Love

Hallelujah (Duet with vocalist  from “Sons of Serendip”)

How Great Thou Art

Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again

Music of the Night

Nessun Dorma (Encore)

               I was tempted to say that Jackie was “at the top of her game” last night, but that might imply that she could go no further. This was the 12^th Jackie Evancho concert that I have attended over the last 6 years, and she has consistently “raised the bar.” I’m beginning to think that there is no upper limit to what Jackie can accomplish.

               If you’ve never seen Jackie perform live, you owe it to yourself to get to one of her concerts. You will not be disappointed. You can find her tour dates posted at www.jackieevancho.com

-Stephen K. Fischer

February 23, 2019

Review of Jackie Evancho’s “Debut” Show, Feinstein’s/54 Below, New York City, April 23, 2019

Wow, what a night! We were treated to:

9 out of the 10 Broadway songs from Jackie’s new CD (“The Debut”) - all except “Whispering”;

4 old fan favorites – “Pure Imagination,” “The Music of the Night,” “Some Enchanted Evening,” and “The Impossible Dream”; (note the Broadway connections)

A quick “nod” to “O Mio Babbino Caro” and “Nessun Dorma” (featuring the high notes, of course); and

2 new covers:

“Past the Point of No Return” followed by the Phantom’s partial reprise of “All I Ask of You,” from “The Phantom of the Opera”; and

To cap off the evening’s performance, a killer cover of Queen’s “Somebody to Love.”

Quick note about the venue: “Feinstein’s/54 Below,” a New York City cabaret and restaurant, is so-called, because it is located in the basement of the Studio 54 theater on West 54th Street, and has a creative alliance with Broadway superstar Michael Feinstein. Mr. Feinstein, a singer and pianist, described as a “music revivalist,” is an interpreter of, and an anthropologist and archivist for, the repertoire known as “The Great American Songbook.”

The club is small and quite beautiful. Although it’s only about 7 years old, it has that very elegant “we’ve been around forever” look and feel. Service was fast and unpretentious – very friendly – and the food, reasonably priced for NYC, was excellent. My dinner, with a drink, dessert and coffee, and including the tip, was about $60. There is a $25 food and drink minimum.

Our table for four was described as a “ringside” seat. Quite the understatement. We were practically onstage. The table was pushed right up against the small stage, and because it was the same height as the stage, I could lean my elbow on the stage while eating dinner. Great seats – not more than about 3 or 4 feet from Jackie.

When we entered the club, the first thing we noticed were the instruments on the stage – drum kit, three guitars, and a very nice Steinway baby grand piano. And when the musicians took the stage, the first thing we noticed was how young they were – twenty-somethings, maybe early 30’s. It was quite clear that the days of the child prodigy backed up by a symphony orchestra of older musicians were long gone. We knew we were going to be treated to a fresh, new, exciting performance by some very talented young jazz/pop/broadway musicians, backing up the now 19-year old Jackie Evancho – way too grown up to be called a “prodigy,” but rest assured, still one of the finest vocalists on the planet.

As the house lights dimmed, the pianist began the very soft “tinkly” introduction to… what was that song? And then from offstage somewhere, came “That Voice”: “Come with me, and we’ll be, in a world of pure imagination…” It was a great way to start the show – a dramatic throwback to earlier concerts, but quite in keeping with the Broadway theme. Jackie sang several lines off stage, and it was impossible to tell exactly where she was, or how she would enter the now darkened room.

After the first few lines of “Pure Imagination,” a bright white spotlight was aimed through the darkness toward the entrance to the club, behind the sold-out audience, and like magic, Jackie appeared. The spotlight effect was enhanced because Jackie was dressed all in white (more about her outfit below). As she continued to sing, she worked her way slowly through the audience, weaving in and out of the tightly packed tables, toward the stage.

And then, there she was – on stage – rockin’ a very chic, very sophisticated, bright-white tightly-tailored tuxedo pantsuit, with a low-cut, single-button, pinched-waist flared-skirt jacket, and tight capri-style pants. The “look” was nicely finished off with 4” stiletto heels. Non-flash photography was allowed, so I’m certain there will be some great pictures of the outfit on Facebook/Instagram/YouTube.

Jackie wrapped up “Pure Imagination,” and then proceeded to deliver up a bravura performance of all of the songs on her new CD “The Debut,” except, I believe, “Whisperings,” with a few older songs and some new covers mixed in. More on some of the individual songs below.

As we have come to expect, Jackie performed each song with the requisite type and level of emotion, as and when called for by the music and the lyrics -  At times she was angry and/or powerful (as in ”Burn,” or “She Used to be Mine”), at other times exquisitely gentle or wistful (as in “Once Upon a December,”); sometimes joyful (as in “Pure Imagination”); sometimes a bit sad (as in “Falling Slowly”). Her ability to tell a story through her performances has not diminished in the slightest over the years. It seems strange using that phrase “over the years” when referring to the career of a someone who just turned 19, but of course, Jackie has been performing for at least 12 years.

My personal favorites from the new CD were “She Used to Be Mine,” “Once Upon a December,” and “Another Day/No Day But Today.”

Oh yes, I almost forgot – after what we thought might be the last song of the night, Jackie left the stage in a flash, and ran full speed out of the room - through the audience, weaving in and out of the tables, in the dark, in 4” stiletto heels - quite a “feat” - pardon the pun. We were relieved when the band continued to play, signaling that Jackie would be back. She returned moments later to the stage wearing a very sparkly, very short, uh, dress? jacket? Well, whatever it was, it was quite spectacular. This was Jackie making a statement – as if to say, “Just in case you haven’t already noticed that I’m not 9 years old any more – check this out…”

At this point, she sang the beginning of “O Mio Babbino Caro,” and the dramatic ending of “Nessun Dorma,” briefly reminding us where she came from, and then launched into a high-energy, hard-rocking cover of “Somebody to Love” by Queen and Freddie Mercury, leaving no doubt who’s the boss - leaving no doubt that this is Jackie’s world, and we just live in it.