I t was freezing December night and I did not have a ticket. At the last minute after dinner, I jumped in my car and drove 30 miles into Englewood to go see the show. I had seen Chick Corea there in 1992 so I was familiar with the theatre. I was amazed to see that the concert hall was only half filled but I got a good seat and relaxed.
I missed part of the show but my timing was good since after a couple of acoustic pieces she perfromed solo on acoustic guitar, he brought the band out and they performed her brilliant album Pirates that was released in 1981. I have never seen Ricki Lee Jones but her voice is a so;lid and musical as ever. For the Pirates set, she played a full 9 foot Steinway piano Not only was her vocals great but the piano resonated throughout each song. The opening song We Belong Together sounded just like the album. Ricki Lee Jones had a top notch Professional band including a full horn section and Gary Malabar on Drums.
This was not American Idle! Ricki Jones put her heart and soul into the opening track We Belong Together and Living it Up. The production sounded as brilliant as the record and again her vocal and story telling was moving. The horns and band were tight in the songs Woody and Dutch and Pirates. Ricki lee Jones , one of the great American female artists showed here musicality and singing in the ballads such as Luck Guy and Traces on the Western Slopes.
Maybe Ricki lee Jones did not play and encore . The audience including myself did nor mind because we were fortunate to see Ricki Lee Jones and her band perform her masterpiece Pirates for the first time in its entirety .
