Herbie Hancock and Band Deliver Unforgettable Night at Merrill Auditorium
By Savanna Pettengill
Portland, Maine’s most established venue, the Merrill Auditorium was graced with legendary greatness last Saturday night with the performance of Herbie Hancock and his current cast of traveling musicians: drummer Jaylen Petinaud, bassist James Genus, guitarist Lionel Louke, and trumpet player Terrance Blanchard.
The performance began with a solo opener with Herbie on his double piano for “Maiden Voyage”, before his band joined him for “Watermelon Man” and “Actual Proof” during which Herbie brought out his famous Keytar for. Herbie gave a beautiful introduction for a new track titled “Lionel/Felix 2019” which stunned the audience ahead of Herbie’s beloved song to cover, “Footprints” by Wayne Shorter, this time arranged by Blanchard. Songs followed included “Secret Sauce” and “Butterfly” were also played to a roaring crowd at each of their conclusions. The night ended with a modern and energized compilation rendition of “Hang up your Hang Ups/Rockit/Spider” followed by his classic, “Chameleon”. There were several standing ovations throughout the night.
While the band did not perform an encore, Herbie did come out a final time to blow kisses into the crowd and graciously thank the audience for their presence. What a class act.
Throughout the performance, Herbie’s smiling face, humor, and genius lit up the packed room from the floor to the back of the balcony. The band’s talent matched this energy, and local musicians in the crowd left wondering why they were pursuing music at all in the face of what they had just experienced.
Herbie Hancock will perform on August 6 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Missouri, followed by a few nights in Colorado including a double header at the Chautauqua Auditorium in Boulder before heading back to California where the tour ends with several dates across the state.
