The only thing that I found to be lacking in this performance was heart. The band consists of some wonderful players and technically, they really are quite good. This being said, I spent the evening wishing that they would take the notes from the page and make music. I wanted to feel emotions and be swept away by this music and the band had not reached this point in their performance level. More than that, I wanted them to have fun, smile, and enjoy the music that they were playing.
Music is about so much more than the black ink on the page.
I wanted them to each take hold of the music and make it their own. I wanted them to find the essence of every phrase and go beyond the technical side that they had mastered. This was a good concert and I did enjoy the music. My intent is not to make the band feel as though they did not perform well. Quite the contrary.