Jeremy Jordan @ Carnegie Hall - Overview

[soulgrrl]

Posted: 10/19/19 at 4:56pm

I wasn't sure if this was the right board to post this on so forgive me in advance if it's deemed 'off topic' but given Jeremy's work on Broadway, thought I would share some observations about a recent engagement.

Attended a very pricey show @ $134 (at least for me) to see Jeremy perform at Carnegie Hall for its opening season.  Never saw him sing live but have always been impressed by his vocal chops and camaraderie w the audience so was excited to finally see him in person.  Last night I thought it was a mixed bag truth be told.

It felt like a very abbreviated show actually seeing HIM perform.  Having never been to Carnegie Hall, I didn't realize a significant portion of the show would include a chunk of solo performances of the Pops Orchestra.  They were lovely (esp the Menken Medley) but not what I expected.  I thought we'd only hear Jeremy for the evening and he would be accompanied throughout.  It wasn't clear from the description online but noted for future reference.

Few other things really irked me about the show.  I wasn't familiar w the conductor Steven Reineke who acted as emcee/host.  He boasted a number of times about the arrangements he should be credited for and some of the song selections.  I thought it was a little grating and he put on too much of a smarmy shtick throughout the night in my opinion.  His interaction with Jeremy also felt very awkward and stilted.  He definitely has some great rhythm though...I'll give him that!  

As for Jeremy...I have to say, the show felt a little underwhelming.  I don't know that the setting suited him.  The crowd is definitely older (didn't know that either) and I think his interaction and frankly song selection reflected the audience. He sang a medley of Andy Williams songs and they felt tonally off..  I love his singing but I didn't think his voice suited those songs AT ALL which was surprising and disappointing (Moon River, Love is a Many Splendored Thing, Mona Lisa, etc).   He also forgot the lyrics to the beginning of two songs (uh oh)..."Oh What a Beautiful Morning" and song from a show I never heard of "Moving Too Fast" (it was a terrible choice).  First one was a pass...but the 2nd, not very professional tbh.

But the biggest hangup for me is that he bought his wife out for not one medley but TWO. Given the paucity of songs he did sing, I thought it was badly done on their part.   Listen, I'm not a a fan of Ashley Spencer. Her voice does not stand out from the legion of some of the middling women in theatre.  She was okay and really nice at times but not powerhouse singing for the venue. You especially feel her coming up short at times when she does sing w her husband so I don't know that it helps either of them.   They also pitched "casting producers in the audience" while singing a medley of show tunes from musicals they'd love to take a crack at (Come What May from Moulin and Suddenly Seymour were at least two of them).   Frankly, if i wanted to see those two perform together, I would have gone to see them at a place like 54 Below.  Fine to have a featured guest but I thought bringing on the wife for that period of time was self-serving and and it turned me off.

That said, Jeremy did shine on numbers from West Side Story, Waitress, Smash, Soliloquy from Carousel was particularly spectacular and of course Santa Fe.  He sang one original song that was a little mediocre sadly and the anecdote about the song's origin that was a little ridiculous   That said...was super stoked to see him finally in person but I am now inclined not to see him again.  Bummer.  

[Huss417]

Posted: 10/19/19 at 5:02pm

From what you are saying it sounds like he sang a lot. 

[soulgrrl]

Posted: 10/19/19 at 5:18pm

Huss417 said: "From what you are saying it sounds like he sang a lot." 

The medleys he sang were not the entire songs.  They were all truncated and the orchestral performances were long.  If I knew going into the show there would be sizeable time dedicated to the orchestra, I might have been more prepared.  

 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 10/19/19 at 5:41pm

I've subscribed to the NY Pops on and off for the last few years so I knew what to expect. I do agree that not having a theme made the program feel a bit scattered. Begin the Beguine? Why?

I disagree on the medley of standards. That was one of my favorite song choices since I've heard Jeremy sing most of the other songs (and in a lot of cases with better arrangements). I thought he sounded fantastic and I didn't expect him to be so good channeling that crooner vibe. 

Moving Too Fast is from The Last 5 Years. He was in the movie. I don't know if he was feeling under the weather but it did seem a little challenging for him to get through it last night.

I didn't mind the duets. Though the idea that they might want to do Ragtime together is WILD to me. What? No. He could be a good replacement in Moulin Rouge though.

I thought he did as well as could be expected with Soliloquy but I'm never going to be that excited about a high tenor singing Soliloquy. The same would go for Adam Jacobs, Gavin Creel, etc. You've got to at least be a baritenor for it to sound the way it should.

All in all, there were highs and lows but it was a fairly enjoyable night. I did sit in the Family Circle though because I've learned to not expect much from these NY Pops shows (i.e. pay for an expensive ticket) and just hope to be pleasantly surprised. 

[soulgrrl]

Posted: 10/19/19 at 9:09pm

Thanks for sharing your feedback.  It's good to hear another take on the show.  I actually didn't dislike him performing some old standards.  I guess similar to how you felt about the Soliloquy performance, I'm accustomed to hearing those songs in smooth and buttery tones.  Didn't felt like he quite nailed it but it wasn't awful.

Noted on The Last 5 Yrs.  I wasn't familiar w the tune and it seemed like not the right pick for him.

I forgot they sang a snippet from Ragtime.  Completely agree with you.  Moulin definitely seemed like a solid choice for him down the road should they look for a guest run when Aaron departs.

Definitely a lesson learned in terms of the costs, the vibe and expectations.  I enjoyed the show for the most part.  My son, not so much.  He fell asleep during the orchestral pieces.  SMH.  

I had hoped to see Tituss Burgess perform there in February since I've never heard him perform live either.  Tickets are not as expensive as Jeremy's show.  Now I'm wondering if I should hold off and see him in a more intimate setting?

[mpkie]

Posted: 10/19/19 at 9:52pm

I know I will always end up overpaying for something I didn't like/love, it's just part and parcel to this hobby, which happens to be extremely subjective.

I thought last night was wonderful. I'm a fan of New York Pops and I've seen them a few times. Steve Reineke is always fun to watch and brings so much joy to his work. It did irk me one year when it was supposed to feature Jonathan Groff (reason I bought the ticket), but Groff dropped out and they added several singers I didn't particularly care for (one performer I personally avoid seeing). I had no idea because I had a hard ticket; it was a total waste of my money and time. So you bet I watched their social media like a hawk this time to make sure it was still going forward as planned. I think I paid ~$90 for that other ticket, but this time I paid ~$60 for the balcony. I wanted a closer, more expensive seat but they didn't have any available the day it went on general sale.

I'm a goner when it comes to Jeremy Jordan. The New York Pops 33rd Gala celebration of Schonberg-Boubil remains one of the most glorious nights of music for me, so I was thrilled when they did a mini orchestral medley of "Look Down/Do You Hear The People Sing", followed by (I correctly guessed) Jeremy's rendition of "Bring Him Home". I first heard him sing "Bring Him Home" unmic'ed accompanied by just a piano (Seth Rudetsky), which moved me to tears. The intimacy was lost this time, but it was wonderful to hear him sing beautifully with a full orchestra. When they revive Les Mis again in 10 years or so, I desperately need Jeremy to play Valjean.

He also sang several songs I "expected" him to. I expected The Last Five Years and Newsies, and "She Used To Be Mine" still moves me. I've heard "Something's Coming" before too, so I did crave something new but familiar. He's amazing with belty pop rock (Celine Dione/Jim Steinman!!) so I'm sad he didn't venture into doing something like that with a Pops orchestra (sure it's a lot of work but...).

I did want some Moulin Rouge and Little Shop, so it was actually great he got to do that by bringing on his wife. Man, I'd love to see Jeremy in those roles (even though I dislike Moulin Rouge, I'd pay to see him as Christian). I am not a fan of Ashley's and would not pay to listen to her, which is why I avoided seeing them in concert together. Seriously thought about how Laura Osnes would crush those duets, but Ashley was servicable, and honestly their love is so pure! Jeremy practically glows whenever he talks about Ashley, and it's simply adorable.

I liked the departure with the standards medley but I am glad it was just the one, as I prefer Broadway standards or pop/rock hits over American Songbook standards. When he hit that full croon though -- oh my goodness -- the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and Jeremy's brief rendition of "Moon River" (the only song I knew) -- holy smokes, I'll take a full version of that, please! Stuck in my head all through intermission.

"Soliquy" was an odd choice, I've never heard it, wasn't particularly great and I remained confused about the song choice for most of it. Until he got to the part about the kid being a girl, and my heart just melted. I "got" it even though I didn't prefer it.

I so, so loved the orchestral-only "Menken Medley", although it could have been perfected if they brought Jeremy on to end it with some "Go the Distance". Too bad!

It wasn't a 'magical' night but it was lovely as heck, and I'd definitely see it again (alas -- one-night only -- it will never be again!). Fortunately I have tix to see Jeremy with Benjamin Rauhala (dynamic duo) in Feb and I hope they come back to a more tried-and-true type of set compared to their last show a few years ago.

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 10/19/19 at 11:45pm

You would probably enjoy Jeremy more in a Cabaret setting. At least, a lot of people seem to think so, as he has a 13 show engagement at 54 Below scheduled for February and every show appears to be sold out. I think that you'd catch a lot more of his offhand wit and personality in a small venue.

I went to see Betsy Wolfe at 54 Below over a year ago now. (that was so wrong, it was just last March.) I didn't know much about her singing; her classic blonde good looks were obvious. I like to compare the young actresses, for whom there appear to be not nearly enough roles. Betsy introduced Jeremy Jordan as her guest. They did a minute or so of comic patter and then selected "Suddenly Seymour" as their duet. It was cute, and compared to Carnegie Hall you can see their more subtle personal interactions. There was some stage business with Jeremy pulling a shredded old Kleenex out of his back pocket to offer to Betsy for her eyes.

There was an article "reviewing" this show for BWW (they don't ever pan anything they review), that I had never seen before tonight. As my mother would have said, they were "cute" together.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/cabaret/article/BWW-Review-All-Bets-Were-Off-When-Jeremy-Jordan-Stole-BETSY-WOLFEs-Diary-at-Feinsteins54-Below-20190318

One of the things that I like about 54 Below is that they let you engage in flashless photography. I shot three numbers that night, two by Betsy and the Betsy/Jeremy duet. I probably put them up on YouTube around midnight with no promotion or advertising other than about four keywords. I was unhappy that I didn't know enough about the camera to get the exposure right, and I had washed out a lot of the details of Jeremy's face and Betsy's face and cleavage.

The next afternoon about four p.m. I checked them out. Betsy's videos had 85 views. The Jeremy/Betsy duet had over 4000. So I learned that Jeremy was a Sinatra/David Cassidy teen heartthrob, Maybe someone could help me here. He doesn't have Sinatra's voice or David Cassidy's pretty boy looks.

Meanwhile, here is the video. It is over 21,000, views and 30 comments. Not really a lot by YouTube standards, but probably the most that I'll ever have.

If I just would have been able to charge a dime per view....

 

Updated On: 10/20/19 at 11:45 PM

[ModernMillie3]

Posted: 10/20/19 at 12:10am

I have seen him perform several times at Carnegie Hall. The setting definitely does "suit" him. I thought he was great, and he wanted to perform with his wife, who is lovely. Nothing wrong with that.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 10/20/19 at 10:31am

"Seriously thought about how Laura Osnes would crush those duets, but Ashley was servicable"

Check out youtube clips of Jeremy Jordan and Laura Osnes together and they are wonderful !!

[theaterdude2]

Posted: 10/20/19 at 12:05pm

I am so glad you brought up the smarminess of Steven Reineke. The first time I went to a pops concert that he conducted, I felt exactly that way about his conduct. He treats the audience like they are on a tour at Universal Studios and know zero about musicals. Even if the song is from something like a Les Miserables or Oklahoma, he introduces it like its from a very obscure piece - but not to worry, he's there to tell us that Bring Him Home is from Les Miserables and that it was a worldwide success.

From the way he dresses (always a flashy jacket) to his banter, you get the feeling that he thinks he's the main reason people are there. It's as if he wishes that he was the performer. He even gave himself a number with the performer, and it's always with the male. I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable listening to him tell his stories, and trying to prove to the audience how chummy he is with whoever is on stage, complete with fist bumps after a number. 

I gave him the benefit of the doubt and went to another concert (always because I like the featured performer) and unfortunately it was the exact same behaviour. When the musical director/conductor takes up so much of the spotlight, I think they are doing a disservice to the music and the performers that we came to see in the first place.

[broadfan327]

Posted: 10/20/19 at 1:27pm

I have been going to the Pops for years.  I was there in the balcony.  What you saw is typical New York Pops.  Jeremy was the guest artist, but it wasn't his show, it was the New York Pops show.  I am sure a lot of the people appreciate the exposition of each piece.  These are not necessarily seasoned symphony audience members.  This orchestra plays to people who would not otherwise attend classical music orchestras.  I think they are a good intro to people who have never been to a symphony before.  Steven acted the way he normally does, I can see how he can turn off people.  I enjoy his enthusiasm for music.

I was expecting Laura as well, but forgot about his wife.  This is true for other concerts that I have been to at Carnegie, solo voices amplified by a microphone don't necessarily travel well all the way up to the balcony.  I thought the modern version of Oh What a Beautiful Morning he sang was terrible, some of the notes were changed...I much enjoyed the CITS versions of the songs.

[BenjaminNicholas2]

Posted: 10/20/19 at 1:36pm

I love it when people don't understand what going to the symphony is all about.

This wasn't Jordan's show.  It was him WITH the star....  The Pops.

 

Now the OP knows.  Live and learn.

[mpkie]

Posted: 10/20/19 at 3:35pm

I was going to say what BenjaminNicholas2 and broadfan327 just said. And I will say it still!

The New York Pops is the star of their shows, and a conductor is the lead of his/her orchestra, so that makes Steve Reineke a star of the Pops. He made sure we cheered loudly for the orchestra, deservedly so. A guest performer is a guest performer. What I see is a great rapport between the performer and the conductor, and somehow others interpret that differently, which is fine. You hear a patronizing tone, I see someone trying to make sure he's taking people of all levels along for the ride (there were attendees who know NY Pops but never heard of Jeremy Jordan, there were Jeremy fans young and old who have and have not seen NY Pops, there were invited middle school kids probably seeing their first concert, people who have never been to Carnegie Hall before, etc.).

There was almost 3,000 attendees in the audience.

[mpkie]

Posted: 10/20/19 at 3:51pm

OlBlueEyes said: "So I learned that Jeremy was a Sinatra/David Cassidy teen heartthrob, Maybe someone could help me here. He doesn't have Sinatra's voice or David Cassidy's pretty boy looks."

Is he a "teen heartthrob"? I expect most of his fans are in their early 20s to 30s (between TV and theater). Lots of people became fans after Newsies but I never saw it, and possibly Smash (never seen it either). Also I don't even know where to start with a Sinatra/Cassidy comparison -- it is a not really a point of reference for me. He's definitely not meant to be a crooner versus someone like Michael Buble. I don't really fawn over Jeremy Jordan's looks but I do think he is really cute.

I actually "discovered" him via Youtube. He's the only Broadway performer that I'm a huge fan of that I haven't seen in a live musical yet. If you haven't, you should check out the 6.6 million-viewed video of Jeremy Jordan's cover of "It's All Coming Back To Me Now". And his one-million-viewed cover of "Total Eclipse of the Heart". And his one-million-viewed cover of "Let It Go". And the multitude of Ben Rauhala medleys that Jeremy has performed. In my opinion, he's got a beautiful tone, strong and expressive voice, and emotes/acts perfectly with each song. A very skilled singer with great technique. Plus he's charming and funny onstage.

 

Unrelated comment:

I forgot to mention Jeremy's own song "Undertow" during the concert. That was one of the highlights of the night for me. And his falsetto was so dreamy. I didn't know he had been working on original music and I really want him to work on that album now!

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 10/20/19 at 9:08pm

I like him very much on stage.  A charmer. But I confess that, although I think his voice is fine, I don't see what separates it from that of his peers. I guess that they are not exactly peers, but I can't imagine Jeremy in a sing-off with Steven Pasquale of "Soliloquy." But since I have never heard Jeremy sing it, I shouldn't judge.

Bonnie & Clyde was a bust, but the two young stars emerged unscathed. Newsies is one of those shows that I wish I had seen. Now I'm wondering if I should go back and watch Smash. There was a lot of talent in the cast. If it's too much of a Marilyn Monroe story, though, I would probably avoid it. No reason to go back there. I remember the summer day on which her death was announced. My little family was at some resort of little account, and what engaged my 11 or 12 year old mind the most was why she was found naked in bed.

Long before there was the New York Pops there was the Boston Pops, directed by Arthur Fiedler, Major record seller in the 50s and 60s. Evening at Pops was a weekly hour not to be missed in my house. And the format was that of the New York Pops, if not more so. The guest came out to perform once in the first half hour and once in the second half hour. The orchestra closed the show with something snappy. On July 4th on PBS you got not the current disjointed entertainment, but the Pops celebration on the banks of the Charles River. The Pops finished with "Stars and Stripes Forever," and then segued into 1812 Overture, playing the entire piece and not cutting to the part that started the fireworks.

I was about to ramble on about Fiedler and his good friend Leroy Anderson, but I will give you a break. We owe Sleigh Ride to the Pops hit single of the song. I always liked Anderson's short and pithy tracks and I have a double CD collection of them. But even the ones that used to be popular like "The Typewriter" and "The Syncopated Clock" have become pretty forgotten. Oh, there is also "Trumpeter's Lullaby," which high school bands all over the country still use to as a solo for their principal trumpet.

Oh, I should add that my smart Amazon Echo speaker if you ask for Leroy Anderson will go on for several hours without a repeat.

 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 10/21/19 at 4:44pm

OlBlueEyes said: "I like him very much on stage. A charmer. But I confess that, although I think his voice is fine, I don't see what separates it from that of his peers. I guess that they are not exactly peers, but I can't imagine Jeremy in a sing-off with Steven Pasquale of "Soliloquy." But since I have never heard Jeremy sing it, I shouldn't judge."

I mean he's no Derek Klena but I do think he's got a considerable female fan base. I imagine they're mostly fans of Newsies or Smash who then discovered the rest of his work. He's got a great voice but a lot of endearing, awkward charm. I don't think he'll ever be a Steven Pasquale or a Brian Stokes Mitchell. Part of what makes him likable is how approachable he seems. YMMV. Others found the lyric flubs unprofessional. I thought they were cute. 

[Dublin2]

Posted: 10/21/19 at 7:30pm

He's no Derek Klena? Meaning Jeremy has five times the followers on social media, has a much more successful career, is much more of a household name, has a huge fan base, and is far wealthier? As long as that's what ya meant, cool. 

Barely anyone knows who Derek Klena is except Broadway people. 

Updated On: 10/21/19 at 07:30 PM

[nealb1]

Posted: 10/21/19 at 11:06pm

Have been to many, many NY Pops concerts at Carnegie Hall over the years.  Each and every one of them were fantastic, as their list of guest artists have been stellar. 

The sheer joy that Steve R has in speaking to the audience and conducting his orchestra is so enveloping.  Not everyone who attends knows the history and back ground of a particular guest artist, or suite of music that they will be performing. 

I have tickets for the upcoming January concert and am really looking forward to it.  This is their 3rd R&H tribute concert in the last several years.  Can't wait!

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 10/22/19 at 2:16pm

I had a subscription for two years with great seats: row 5 right orchestra but only a few seats from the left aisle. When I totaled my car in 2017 this became an unaffordable luxury. I always feel a little embarrassed as an older guy being star struck and wanting that personal contact with a celebrity. But I guess it’s common enough. This site is full of veteran theater goers yet stagedooring is a topic brought up a lot. But my two favorite moments as a Pops subscriber involved proximity.

It must have been five years ago that I saw Kelli and Matthew do the Pops holiday show formally at night and informally at dress rehearsal. They didn’t interact with anyone at the dress rehearsal, but we were right down front where we could hear them. Kelli told Matthew that her son wanted a pet rabbit for Christmas. I wanted to warn her off about that. For starters, rabbits knaw away at electrical power cords.

The other was the season opener three years back. Lea Salonga was featured and she spent more time on stage than most. She sang one song without mike. She doesn't have the powerful voice of Audra or Kelli so her volume was lower than with mike, but I loved hearing her pure voice. In the Season Opener Party, which was neither lavish nor cheap. she was alone at the buffet table in her lovely rose gown and I had had a couple of glasses of wine, So I just stepped over to compliment her on the unamplified song. Short chat, then I beat it out of there so as not to overstay my welcome.

Updated On: 10/25/19 at 02:16 PM

[NYfanfromCA]

Posted: 10/23/19 at 10:43pm

I loved the concert with the Pops and Jeremy Jordan!  It was my first time attending anything at Carnegie Hall, and I thought it was great.  I paid $76 for my seat in the second tier, and had a great view and wonderful seatmates.  They do tend to smash a lot of seats into those boxes, but luckily I was in the front row, so I didn't have anything blocking my view.

Loved the Pops and I thought that the conductor was energetic and fun.  Jeremy sang songs that I was mostly familiar with, so that was good.  I did have some trouble understanding some lyrics (maybe the orchestra was drowning out Jeremy), but I still had a great time.  I was happy to see a guest (his wife) come out and sing with him, because it added a special touch to the evening.

I'm now planning to try to attend the Pops birthday gala in April, if I can get a ticket when they go on sale in January.  I love the location (my hotel is on the same block so the commute "home" is fast, ha ha).