Harry Connick, Jr. blew into town Saturday night - from of all places Wendover, Utah - where he'd been filming a movie slated for release next year. Sporting a new look - short hair, jeans, T-shirt and Nike high-tops - and a new sound, Connick wowed nearly 1,900 mostly college-age fans with his New Orleans funk music and abundant charisma.
A smattering of thirty-, forty-, fifty- and even sixtysomethings dotted the crowd and stood (there was no seating) through the hour and 40 minute concert as Connick and his band, Funky Dunky, improvised and jammed their way through a dozen songs.Connick was clearly taken by the beauty of his surroundings as he lauded the mountains and reminisced about his few attempts at skiing. He wondered out loud what this place (the University of Utah Olpin Center Ballroom) was called and said, "Why do they need a ballroom in college?"
The multitalented and versatile performer began on piano with the 1994 hit "She" and worked his way to the keyboard, lead and bass guitars, trumpet and drums.
Proving themselves as versatile as their leader, band members each made their way through numerous instruments without missing a beat during the encore.
Although Connick was not the suave crooner who made his mark with the big-band and swing sound, he pulsated a pervasive coolness that permeated the evening, shedding his T-shirt for a tank top as the temperature on stage and in the ballroom increased.
Calling his band, "the best in the land," Connick and his four fellow band members, bassist Tony Hall; drummer Raymon Webber; lead guitar Jonathan Duvall, Jr. and percussion/trombonist Lucien, were clearly enjoying themselves as they strutted the stage and moved forward as each rendition eased into a long jam session to showcase their individual talents.
Following "She," Connick and his band interspersed the set with crowd-familiar numbers: "To Love The Language," "Safety Is Just A Danger Out Of Place," "The Big Parade" and "Whisper Your Name." Other numbers may not have been as well known, but each carried the signature Connick and Funky Dunky sound of New Orleans.
Harry Connick Jr's sound has been called "eclectic" as he has experimented with big-band and now what he calls New Orleans funk, and it will be interesting to see how the not-yet-thirty performer's career progresses. He promised the crowd that he would be around a long time, performing for their children and grandchildren.
Salt Lake audiences can only hope that he'll return soon but that concert promoters will book him into a more enjoyable venue that will allow those who paid the price of a ticket the courtesy of at least sitting down once in awhile.