Norah Jones • Hurray For The Riff Raff • July 25, 2024 • Sandy Amphitheater
Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe
We always love it when Norah Jones comes to town. Whenever the announcement of her concert date is made, there seems to be a lot of excitement online followed by a quick sellout no matter what venue she performs. I was excited when I heard she would be playing at the Sandy Amphitheater. This venue has become one of my favorite summertime locations. It seemed like the perfect place to spend a Summer evening listening to one of the greatest vocalists alive. Utah Concert Review had the opportunity to cover Norah Jones at Sandy Amphitheater back in 2019. I unfortunately was unable to attend that night, so this show was highly anticipated by me. I wasn’t going to miss it this time.
Hurray For The Riff Raff
The evening began with Hurray For The Riff Raff. I felt a little bad for them because at the time they walked on stage, the temperatures were still high. Seats were still hot, and the sun was beating down into the amphitheater. Many of the fans opted to hand out in the shade, or check out the new patio and just constructed mobile order concession pick-up building. It’s a great space for connecting with friends and fellow fans. You’re still able to hear the music, but those socializing don’t distract from the show because the patio is outside of the seated area. After taking photos of Hurray For The Riff Raff I went over to check out this area myself. I enjoyed seeing fans still applaud at the conclusion of songs.
Hurray For The Riff Raff is an American based out of New Orleans featuring Alynda Segarra from The Bronx. Segarra and the rest of the band played through their set with a casual nature. They set a good tone for what was to come. While the style of the band was different than the sound of Norah Jones, I thought the tone was great for opening for Jones. I wish for there sake it would have been cooler. I think people would have really gotten into their music. Hopefully, they can come back soon and play a set out of the sweltering heat.
Norah Jones
It was still light outside, but the sun was on its way down before Norah Jones walked out to her white grand piano. The sun had tucked behind the row of trees on the west side of Sandy Amphitheater. As the intro music began I could hear the sound of whistling birds. I thought it was coming through the speakers. And that may have been the case. But throughout the audience bird whistles that had been purchased at the merch table were providing the whistling sound. It sounded like we were in the middle of nature on a bird-watching trip. As the bird whistles reached their zenith, Norah Jones appeared.
Norah told us she could hear the birds. This made all those who bought the whistles really happy. Jones opened with “What Am I To You” followed by “Paradise” and “Running” from her latest album, Visions. Norah Jones would play a total of seven songs from her new album. To put it simply, Visions is great. The songs fit perfectly with the rest of her large catalog. I highly recommend checking out Norah’s latest release. As the weather cooled, the show settled into an easy pace. People seemed so relaxed as Norah Jones crooned away. She was joined by an amazing backing band. They sounded so good and made these songs soar. From the perfect backing vocals to the impressive instrument play, it was clear that this group belonged on stage with Jones.
I was happy to see Alynda Segarra return to the stage to duet with Norah. They performed the Lucinda Williams classic, “Drunken Angel”. The audience really seemed to enjoy this duet. I thought they sounded great together.
Following the duet Norah Jones asked the audience “How are you guys feeling? Did you cold down? Are you cool?” And then in the smoothest speaking voice ever, she said, “You’re cool.” It felt like one of the popular kids at my high school was accepting me.
I’m not breaking any news when I tell you that “Come Away With Me” was one of the major highlights of the night. I’m sure you figure that’s been the case ever since that song was first performed. And I’d imagine you’d be correct. That being said, I can’t emphasize enough just how incredible it was to sit in that summer air, listening to that beautiful song. Experiences like this made me fall in love with live music. This was a show-stopping moment and was followed by a lengthy standing ovation.
Before I knew it, Norah Jones stepped away from the stage only to return for an encore performance. I think one of my favorite songs of the night was Norah’s cover of Tom Waits’ penned, “The Long Way Home”. The night ended with the song that made Norah Jones a star, the number-one hit, “Don’t Know Why”. The arrangement of the song, including the extended intro brought a large ovation from the crowd. I loved hearing this song live, and it was flawlessly performed.
I’m so glad that I finally had the opportunity to see Norah Jones in concert. If there is a perfect singer out there, I don’t think there are many who would argue with the suggestion that it might be Norah Jones. Her voice was better live than I could have imagined. Vocal perfection was on full display at the Sandy Amphitheater.
