Bruce Hornsby :: 11.14.09 :: Centre East Theatre :: Skokie, Illinois

Bruce Hornsby :: 11.14 :: Illinois

Bruce Hornsby walked onstage carrying a stack of requests, waived to the audience, and began to play. He started with a jazz-fusion piece that transcended into a comfortable, soft classical style taking the audience from a storm of sound to a comfortable field of swaying grass. Innocence, passion, and play were all accomplished by this master in his opening piece, “Song H."

Hornsby does not just play the piano; he is an extension of it. Through his fingertips, his tapping feet, pedal pounding, bouncing legs, and general body movement, he plays with his heart and soul till it resonates into words sung very eloquently. Hornsby projects the love of his craft by bringing the audience into his world, as if each member in the crowd was sitting on the piano bench with him. The audience responds with the same enthusiasm, which only builds as his performance progresses.

Hornsby's voice was crisp, the piano one with him, and his playing youthful. His setlist came alive from audience requests, with “Song H" followed by “20/20 Vision," “Harbor Lights," “The Good Life," “Heir Gordon," “Invisible," “Mandolin Rain," and “The Valley Road." Showing off his diverse musical talents, he picked up the dulcimer and played “Prairie Dog Town" and “Shadow Hand." He then continued his request set with “Lost in the Snow," “The End of the Innocence," “Death and the Flower," and finally “The Way It Is."

Bruce Hornsby :: 11.14 :: Illinois

Hornsby then stopped and called the lights up for a brief Q&A with the audience featuring questions such as, “What comes first the music or lyrics?" and “How old are your sons?" which he seemed to question but answered politely, and “What was your most memorable experience touring with The Grateful Dead?" He answered all the questions frankly and thoroughly enough to stop any barrage of further questions sparked by the inquiries. Talking about his Grateful Dead experience, Hornsby explained the next song, “Talk of the Town," was one of Jerry Garcia's favorites. “Talk" morphed into “Charlie, Woody and You" and back to finish “Talk of the Town" and eventually his last audience request was “Gonna Be Some Changes Made." He thanked the audience and then reemerged for a special request encore of “Fortunate Son," “Dreamland," and “Spider Fingers."

“As you get older it is all about the process now and not the mass consumerism that was much simpler," Hornsby stated during the Q&A. That said, it is understandable how his music incorporates jazz, classical, soul, folk, bluegrass, gospel and funk all into his sound, i.e. “The Process."

Bruce Hornsby tour dates available here.