The concert was great, of course. Harry looked very tired when he came out, and his thumb is still bandaged. From reading about the other concerts, he didn't talk as much in the beginning, but he was very funny later on. Portland is Ben Wolfe's hometown, so Harry gave him an admiring introduction and lots of time for solos, especially on "The Street Where you Live." Harry brought up a sixteen-year-old jazz musician named Christian and introduced him as the Future, noting that young people aren't just playing rock and radio stations never play their music.

When Harry performed "Cry Me a River," he got off the stage and wandered through the audience, but this time there was no bodyguard following. The spotlight couldn't follow him either, due to the upper section in the way. I was a little disappointed that none of the house lights were brought up so we could see him, and my guess is that he was improvising again.

After drinking a Diet Coke, Harry started making fun of Tab. He said people in the 70's were strange because they were drinking it, which was invented by a bunch of stoned guys sitting around a table saying "Hey, let's put a bunch of chemicals in a can and call it Tab." Harry went on to say these same guys were responsible for 7-Eleven frozen burritos. Harry does a great impersonation of a stoner!

After getting warmed up, Harry said they were really in the mood to play some music. He said if anyone had to go the bathroom or anything, they were out of luck because it was going to be "a long-ass concert." This delighted us all. Harry's song list was similar to the previous concerts, but not identical to any of them. I thought his new version of the number from Star Turtle was the best of the evening, and he looked the happiest playing it. His encore was "Come by Me."

After the concert, a long orderly line waited at the stage door for an autograph. The trucks and buses were being loaded all around us. I got Ben Wolfe's autograph while I waited for Harry's. Harry had a smile for everyone, in spite of his obvious fatigue. One fan snuck a photo and was chided by security, but otherwise everyone behaved. I had Harry sign my concert ticket, and I told him I would be writing this review. He smiled and said he hoped I would be kind. Haven't I been?!

He made some jokes about how the drink Tab must have been made by a bunch of stoned execs and was the reason why the 70s were so goofy. He also brought a 16 year old alto sax player up on stage and spoke about how he was the future of Jazz since it didn't get any real radio time. Compared to the other experiences it seemed to be a longer show, at one point Harry said "We want to play music, so if you have to go to the bathroom or something, it's gonna be a long ass night!" The musicians were in good form with Leroy and Lucien strutting around the stage and Benjamin pounding away madly at the bass. The audience was very lively and occasionally some woman would shout some adoring comment and he'd say "that's right baby!" or "I feel like kissing someone!" During "Cry Me a River," he went into the audience however i was on the lower balcony/dress circle so I couldn't see what happened. After the amazing show, a line was formed outside and after about a half hour wait, Harry showed up and signed autographs and shook hands behind a table. I said something stupid about how I liked the parade his Mardi Gras Krewe "Orpheus" put on last February, and completely forgot to compliment him for the current show.

I have little to add except for that in all the reviews I've read on this site, there's much talk of Leroy Jones and Lucien Barbarin (who I agree are great), but no one ever mentions the fabulous work of tenor saxophonist, Jerry Weldon. Jerry performed a number of solos during the Portland concert, including a couple of extended solos where he came out from behind the bandstand to the front of the stage. I was in awe. The man is a tremendous talent and his solo on "It Had To Be You" so moved me that it brought a tear to the eye. If anyone wants to see and hear a beautiful example of Jerry Weldon's work, watch Harry's video of the New York Big Band concert from a few years back and check out Jerry's solo on "They Can't Take That Away From Me."

Looking forward to more West Coast dates being added in the future. As reviewer Stacy reported that she traveled to Portland from San Francisco for the concert, I would gladly make a trip to California to catch this show again.

Now don't ask for a list of songs, because I was so caught up in the show that I didn't even bother to write them down. He opened with "Charade" and followed it up with "I Could Write A Book," and "We Are In Love." The band was fantastic. I didn't expect to see Ben Wolfe, but I couldn't have been more pleased by his performance. Harry dedicated the concert to Ben and his family, because Portland is Ben's hometown. During "On the Street Where You Live" Harry walked off-stage for a good 10 minutes while Ben set the place on fire with the bass.

Harry was really pumped. This was the first concert of his I'd ever went to, but I'd been following his music for a long time. He walked down the aisles while singing "It Had To Be You" and sat with some people in the middle of the 15th row or so. He took pictures with them before jumpiing back on stage and finishing the song. A trombone player left Harry a Tab Cola on the piano and he let everyone know what he thought of that. "Can you imagine a bunch of guys sitting around a table at a board meeting going: 'Dude...let's put a bunch of chemicals in a pink can and sell it.'... I mean... I'll eat anything, but...c'mon." The laughs continued when he kept screwing around with a few band members' computers.

Aside from having the crowd dancing and laughing, Harry just about brought tears to every person in there with a gorgeous rendition of "Danny Boy," which he told us was his absolute favorite song.

Between Harry's voice, exquisite piano playing (despite the broken thumb), Ben Wolfe, and the best band ever assembled, it was a killer concert. I've never been to a show with that much energy and class. It blew me away.

After the concert I was lucky enough to chat quickly with Harry, get "Come By Me" autographed, and my sister did the same with "To See You." Harry was incredibly gracious and polite...just like I had heard from everyone who's talked with him. I wish I had a chance to gab with him longer.

If anyone is ever within 500 miles of a Harry Connick, Jr. concert: GO SEE IT. You can't go wrong. Do the same with Ben Wolfe...the man is amazing. I've never seen two people enjoy music more than these guys.

Thanks for a great show Harry!