 This past Friday night, April 4th, I saw Joe Cocker for the fifth time. The concert was held at the Frank Sinatra Theatre at the Foxwoods casino in Connecticut. The theatre holds an audience of approximately 1800 people and few could be disappointed. Cocker, a british rock/ R&B Music, gave his usual soulful, energetic, and heartfelt performance. The venue brought an eclectic audience of all ages, and by the nights end Cocker had people dancing in aisles, at their seats, and received a standing ovation to cap the night. Cocker's set list included legendary songs such as Feelin' alright, You are so beautiful, Up where we belong, and With a little help from my friends. Other songs were: You can't have my heart, Never tear us apart, When the night comes, This is your life, Respect yourself, My father's son, Summer in the City, Leave your hat on, The Letter, Unchain my heart, Every time it rains, She came in through the bathroom window, Love not war, Cry me a river, Misty, and Noubliez jamais.
The concert lasted for about two hours, which coming from experience is longer than his normal shows. For this concert, Cocker seemed to really be enjoying himself. His usual Ray Charles type stage antics were in full steam, with him rocking out with his imaginary instruments. Cocker's smile was also very evident. Having been to many of his concerts, it was unusual to see this much emotion from Cocker. He embraced the audience, even signing autographs and interacting with the crowd following the performance. He normally just bows and exits the stage very quickly. I thought his best performance came during Dave Mason's own Feelin Alright. Cocker had so much energy which definitely flowed through the audience. This was the point when the concert went from chair bouncing to an adrenaline boosting jam. After this song, even his soulful ballads had people on their feet. Cocker had his groove on. However, just as there must be a best song, their also must be a weakest song. The weakest song was definitely their rendition of 'Cry me a river.' As a musician myself, I thought the harmonies were a bit off. I felt the backup singers just didn't strengthen any of Cocker's vocals. It didn't slow his show, as many audience members didn't seem to notice. The other musicians however, really fed off of Cocker's vibe throughout the night. This was definitely one of Cocker's nights to remember as he enters his twilight years. Cocker showed me, he can still kick it up a notch given the right atmosphere. My rating is a five. Go check Cocker out while he is still performing.
-JC |
