Instead, it was a disjointed free-for-all, with all five participants behaving as if they were on downers. No acknowledgement of the audience, no idea what the hell we were listening to.
That was after these cretins managed to amble on to the stage 30 minutes late!
Below is my letter to the General Manager of the Bass Hall in Fort Worth:
Paul,
I have been a season patron of the Opera for four years, the Hall Series for four years, the Pops series for one year, and occasional symphony concerts.
I have never, in the past five years of attending Bass Hall events, felt as insulted as I did tonight. We were kept waiting for 30 minutes. When Herbie and crew emerged, there was no explanation for the delay, and Herbie spent five minutes fumbling with music on the piano and adjusting his computer (something that should have been done prior to showtime). When someone in the audience yelled "Play the piano!", Hancock turned toward the audience with a sneering smile on his face, as if to say "To hell with you."
There is simply no excuse for a half-hour la-dee-da by an artist, no matter how renowned he is. Had he been courteous, he would have explained the reason for the delay. I can't prove it, but both he and Hargrove giggled and moved around on stage as if on drugs.
Needless to say, we left early. The musical program was not what we expected, and we were both indisposed to sit through the performance anyway, given the way the opening was handled.
I will never again attend anything featuring these three performers at the Bass Hall. They are rude and unprofessional. We were owed an explanation, and we got nothing. I'm not paying $100 to be taken for granted.
If Miguel Harth-Bedoya can gather 50 orchestra members together and start on time, and give moving explanations and descriptions of the music, five prima donnas ought to be able to start on time, or tell us why they can't.
This is not your fault. But, it will be your fault if you bring these three back to Fort Worth.
*************
Here's Paul Bedard's response to me:
I sincerely apologize for what you experienced last night and appreciate your understanding or our situation. Forgive me for not elaborating in detail on what we encountered with this artist - we fulfilled all our obligations and got the result you observed. We are grateful for your continuing support and will never re-engage Mr. Hancock.
I'm surprised somebody didn't walk up on the stage and slap the hell out of Hancock and friends.
Hey the guy's name is Hancock. It could have been a lot worse.
You have my sympathy.
Sucks to pay to see a legend and have him embarrass himself like that.
HH is good, but he's no Miles Davis. People won't keep turning up to see his freak show.
Sorry to hear about your experience.
But, what I'm dying to know, is "Bass" (Hall) pronounced like 'base' or like a fish?
Rod Stewart does cruise lines as his passage fee because he won't fly. It's like he is doing the passengers a holy favor by humming a few bars. Joe Jackson is a flaming jaggoff. Lot's of entertainers think they are something like a religious idol. Speaking of Idol, Billy Idol gives the best concerts ever!
I used to live next door to Grover Washington Jr. He loathed most of the people in the music industry. A very simple family man who loved his dogs and the craftsmanship in his fine 200 year old stone home. A brilliant musician and a classy guy. A big loss.
Pass that along to him.