Naturally, with Covid-19 on everyone's minds there was some discussion about the wisdom of travelling to London for a public event. The Barbican made it clear that the concert was going ahead, so we decided to go, but with one or two minor adjustments - such as avoiding the Tube, which seems like a perfect breeding and distribution ground for a virus.
Onto the 16.13, to find the train significantly quieter than usual. Arriving at St Pancras at 17.24 we found the station also strangely quiet and subdued - especially given that it was rush hour.
A cab to the Silk Street entrance and then straight up to the Members' Lounge. We are members primarily for the advantage of getting early access to tickets, but admittance to the usually quiet and secluded Lounge is a bonus.
Pre-concert dining - sliders (one each of "Meaty Beef Patty, Cheddar Cheese
& Tomato Relish", "Fried Chicken & Red Pepper Slaw" &
"Beef Patty, Jalapeno Relish & Guacamole", together with string
fries:
A 2002 newspaper review from my files notes that Mehldau "often starts in a casually pre-occupied manner, as if sitting down to an unscheduled practice" - and so it was on many of tonight's numbers. As I later commented to Amanda, he often starts off hesitantly, moves into a gentle and slow expression of the melody and then, 10-12 minutes later, you realise that the band are locked into a solid, samba-esque vamp, with Mehldau soloing constantly, and that you have become so mesmerised that you have no idea how they made the progression. As always, Larry Grenadier on bass and Jeff Ballard on drums were such instinctive, empathetic side-men that, more often than not, it felt as if they were playing as a single entity rather than as three individuals.
All too soon, after 110 minutes of sublime music (including three encores) the band took their final farewells:
These reviews are well worth a look:
We collected our coats from the cloakroom and headed out at speed, managing to flag a cab in Silk Street which got us back to St Pancras without delay.
Drinks and snacks purchased from Pret a Manger, we headed up to the concourse and settled down for what promised to be a long wait for our booked train at 00.15.
Grateful thanks, then, to the barrier staff who, seeing us and a few other souls remaining seated as everyone else moved through the barrier for the 23.08, shouted to us to get on that service, rather than waiting for a further hour.
As a result we arrived home at around 01.35 and were in bed 10 minutes later - a full hour earlier than anticipated.
