Midnight Clear

Jason D Williams was OK, but I really went to see the night hawks

ATR was loud. everything I'd remembered and more. Haven't seen them since about 1997 i think and it was better than before. ATR should be at a bigger venue. In a way Culture room is too small for such an act, but it was still great!

To start, a "starting lineup" or setlist would have been more helpful in accommodating for travel to the venue. There was no logical order to the performances. My SO and I missed JoJo, anticipating her to be at least 2nd or 3rd up (out of all 6 artists with presence on the radio and recent album releases) and we were only 15 minutes later than showtime start. To elaborate on this, it upset me that each artist performed for an average of 20~25 minutes. Most times, setup/breakdown of the stage for the next artist took about the same amount of time - if not longer! The venue was perfect, although seating on the floor is not even seating at all - next time I'm going to save my money and settle for the baseline/sideline seats with a guaranteed better view of the concert and all of the performance that is to be offered. Even with a 10th row seat from the stage, trying to see over 6 foot giants diminished our enjoyment of the concert. If it were not for the artists that performed (that hardly visit the Charlotte area), this concert would not have been attended. Such a strong performance set that was relegated due to the other poor aspects. :-(

Venue is great and intimate. Luscious Jackson was my favorite band in the 90's. One of the original members was in the audience the night we went and got up and did a couple songs with them. It was a great show. So happy they have a new CD out. I loved every song. Only disappointment was they didn't do "strongman" song.

Toto had the best sound in the best music this time out of the three shows I've attended. He demonstrated his genius and excellence. At previous shows he's made fun of his own music and I was relieved it didn't happen again. Unfortunately this audience was lame. They may as well of been in their own coffins or having a snooze in their rest homes. They came in late and they left early and the rightly didn't deserve an encore.

perfect concert enough said will see them again the santa barbara crowd was just like being in los angeles....somewhat snooty

So glad I made the trek down from Maine to see this show! The Del Fuegos still have the energy of their younger days! Infectious, no nonsense rock n' roll! Their opening act, The Nervous Eaters, where great too! I'll go see either band again if I ever get the chance. It was also my first time at The Paradise Rock Club and I can't wait to go back. An awesome venue for live shows. 2 thumbs up!

One of the best nights out ever. Vinyl Cafe exceeded my already high expectations.

Started on time, it was worth every dollar. The music, the performers, the fans. My Caribbean Massive represented and filled the Civic center. I loved it, looking forward to another show. We were entertained from 7pm to 12am, I can't complain about the entertainment at all.

Wow, this was disappointment on several levels. First of all, did you even have someone handling the sound board? Between the feedback and the inability to hear most of the lyrics, it was inexcusable. As for the staging, well, you should have had an experienced cabaret director handling that. It was incredibly awkward and slowed the pace of the show. The happy exception was the choreography. Mr. Skinner and his fellow dancers were delightful and managed to use their limited space with great creativity. With regard to the singers, all I can say is the next time this show is done, you should have an Equity open call and use some kids that would be thrilled to have the opportunity to be involved in such a project. You could have one "name" performer and surround him/her with a cast that is eager to perform the material -- and could perform it a good deal better (sorry Ms. Gillette). I have to say, however, that I thought Catherine Russell was wonderful; she sounded great, and I could make out the lyrics whenever she sang. Also (if the show is done again), I think the series of more famous Porter songs that was presented in the middle of the performance should be shortened by half. They're are wonderful songs but they made the evening too long. Plus the point of the evening was to present the very early work of Cole Porter that had never been heard. I do want to praise Mr. Giordano and the musicians. It was a real treat to hear those original orchestrations -- and to hear them played so well. I kept thinking they deserved better in terms of who they were accompanying, save for Ms. Russell and the dancers. Sorry to be so harsh, but I would imagine I'm not the only one who has given you similar feedback.