http://www.ocregister.com/arti...71016-night-actuallyMonday, June 22, 2009
Singers take center stage at Yanni show in Anaheim
Review: The Yanni Voices tour highlights vocalists, not the piano star.
By ANGELA POTTER
The Orange County Register
Yanni Voices
Where: Honda Center, Anaheim
When: June 21
Next: The group performs at 8 p.m. June 23 at Nokia Theatre, 777 Chick Hearn Court, Los Angeles
How much: $49.50-$145
Call: 714-740-2000
Online:
www.ticketmaster.comThe biggest surprise about Sunday night's Yanni concert: it wasn't actually about Yanni. Instead, the Yanni Voices Tour was about four young singers who put lyrics to Yanni's music and the talented orchestra which accompanied them.
The opening song at the Honda Center (in its half-size "theater" configuration, to create a somewhat more intimate feel) confirmed any assumptions one might have about Yanni: the orchestra performed a song that can only be called New Age, made dramatic by huge drums, surrounded on all sides by a projection screen with images of The Great Wall of China and Taj Mahal, among others.
Then, the curtains lifted and the man himself came out on stage, with a huge smile that never left his face and (finally) a decent haircut. The crowd went absolutely wild, and the couple sitting next to me (possible the biggest Yanni fans in Southern California) got to settle their debate: "I think he'll be wearing white." "No, I think he'll come out in black." Score one for the wife – Yanni was dressed in black from head to toe.
The first couple of songs were probably the most difficult for the uninitiated. Yanni was in full dramatic mode, tossing his head back (unnecessarily) at every drum beat as he stood in between six keyboards. But hey, the music is nothing if not dramatic, right?
Yanni played each song on keyboards, and his face was often on the big projection screen. And yes, he constantly moved his hands, at various turns seeming to conduct the orchestra with hand waves and pointing or pretending to play along with the soloist in a sort of air cello (or bass, or violin, etc.).
Yet the stars of the night were four young singers (the Voices in the tour title) whom Yanni said he has been working with for the last two-and-a-half years: Chloe, Nathan Pacheco, Ender Thomas and Leslie Mills. The crowd loved them all, and the variety was certainly a pleasant surprise for anyone who might have gone to the concert a touch reluctantly.
Chloe, according to her biography on
www.yanni.com, is a longtime dancer and performer who toured with Big Brother and the Holding Company, performing Janis Joplin songs in 2007. Although her voice is prettier and more classically trained (due to Yanni's influence, perhaps) than Joplin's, it was clear Sunday night that Chloe had the pipes to sing just about anything she wanted, from Latin dance grooves to a ballad that would fit on any R&B radio station.
Ender Thomas (Chloe's male counterpart on the Latin songs) once fronted a salsa band in his native Venezuela (again, from the Web site) and it shows. Thomas brought an upbeat, hip-shaking energy to the show, helping the enthusiastic but mellow crowd shimmy in their seats (a few in the front row actually stood) and clap their hands to the beat.
Nathan Pacheco was a standout at Sunday's show, singing in a classic operatic tenor style. Pacheco sings in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian and his big voice blended well with Yanni's music. The highlight of the evening was Pacheco's final solo, which showcased his vocal talents and earned the first standing ovation of the evening.
Perhaps the only weak spot in Sunday's lineup was Leslie Mills. Mills is charming and pretty but her quiet, breathy singing style left something to be desired. At times she seemed to be overtaken by the over-the-top performance style and music. She might have fit better singing in a quiet jazz lounge than trying to compete with the drama that is Yanni. One song featured her standing near a fan, dress and hair billowing in the breeze. As my husband said, "It reminds me of a hair commercial."
The one thing Sunday's show was not: boring. Sure, after the first half I felt as though I understood the show, but as it turned out the second half was actually better than the first. And there were no sleepy piano solos either – everything about Sunday's performance was big, from the drums to the lights to the orchestra.
The musicians were world-class from top to bottom, especially Yanni's longtime drummer Charlie Adams and violinist Samvel Yervinyan. When Adams played his solo, Yanni's story about being in a rock band with Adams in his youth actually seemed believable. And Samvel Yervinyan is nothing short of a virtuoso. From his solos to the dueling violins with Ann Marie Calhoun, Yervinyan was the clear standout Sunday night on a stage full of talent.
Which brings us back to Yanni: It wasn't until the final couple of songs that Yanni showcased his own piano skills, closing with the bombastic "The Storm." Yanni deserves credit for stepping back and letting the talent around him shine. Production suits him, and he seemed genuinely happy to let others take the spotlight. Yanni may be the big name behind the tour, but it's the Voices who are really the stars, and deservedly so.
Contact the writer: apotter@ocregister.com or 949-454-7335
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