Bruce Hornsby Tickets

wasn't impressed with the sound or playlist. i thought it was a little weak. There were however a few classics played that were done well. The energy on stage was great.

Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers took over Townhall Saturday night. The set was what Hornsby fans have come to expect--a mixture of new material with standards, such as Rainbow Cadillac and The End of the Innocence. The Noisemakers were tight and Bruce did not disappoint, capitalizing on the audience proximity courtesy of the Townhall layout. All numbers were enthusiastically received by the somewhat aggressive crowd, who shouted out requests between numbers. The audience participation was capped off by a heckler, who at one point shouted, "Put on the crown [a Burger King souvenir] and make us dance." More active Security would have been welcomed at this point as this particular individual, who sat within arm-reach of me, had been acting out all night. There are two areas of improvement to note. First, there could have been more improvisation. At the end of the show, Bruce mentioned that they were playing under a curfew. I inferred this meant that in order to cover the set-list the band could not venture too far away from the standard song length or structure. Second, the sound quality was unacceptable. I sat stage right about ten rows back on the Orchestra level and could not hear the piano or wind instruments clearly. Meanwhile, the bass was muddled, the guitarist seemed like he had to hold back in order to blend with the others and the drums, despite transparent sound barriers, were deafening. It makes me wonder whether there was an adequate sound check.

Concert was great- varied, energizing, and Bruce did everything from a jazz-inspired ''The Way it Is''- to the new ''Cyclone'', at the end. I felt the sound could have been better- drums drowned out the rest of the group, and it was hard to hear everyone individually. Happy to see that Doug got a few guitar solos- and was hoping for ''Fortunate Son/Comfortably Numb''- just to hear him but it was not played. Wanted to hear ''Resting Place'' and''Across the River''. I have seen Bruce now about 12 times since 1986— and will come again to Town Hall if he appears again. Also- would like him to play longer if possible- 2 hours is not enough to cover a lot of his material.

What a poorly performed concert. For the first five songs, Bruce was both pitchy and his voice lacked projection. I will give him his dues on his piano playing, but I would say this was one of the worst concerts I have seen. His voice was horrible and I don't know what the sound techs were doing. He really didn't connect with the audience - poor overall stage presence!! Also, a very rude audience. The young men sitting behind us were rude and disrespectful to the others sitting by them, they were loud, talked during the whole concert, tapping their "air drums" on the back of our seats, etc.. I understand, this is not the performers fault, but Hornsby did lose control of the audience as people were shouting out requests. - which he encouraged. He would respond to the audience requests and more "loudmouths" chimed in - that is when I left.

I'm a big time fan. My anticipation for this show was high. I knew Bruce and his band want to do a great job in NYC especially when they're debuting a new cd. The musicianship was as good as ever. I like that he gave Doug more room to solo than at any time I can recall. Sonny rocks on the drums. There is virtually no song from their extensive repertoire that doesn't click though their Grateful Dead-ized version of Valley Road was mediocre, at best. Their new material? Hit and miss. A hit? Prairie Dog Town. A miss? Black Rats of London. I've seen them do this twice. This one needs to go, Bruce, except when you play in London. Perhaps my biggest issue with last night was the rush, rush nature of the show. The hard stop at 11 had them going from song to song and shortening the improvisation they are so brilliant at. It eliminated the chatter you get from Bruce which is often irksome, true, but in moderation, helps build the connection with the audience. The usual Bruce-audience connection was really wanting last night. Finally, a big thumbs down to the security staff who appeared to drive the dancers back into their seats. What's on earth is wrong with people dancing? So, Bruce: play venues where people can dance and where you and the band can stretch your wings. You let the 11 pm cut-off dictate the show. Please don't do that again.

Even though the Wood brothers were good, would have loved to hear more of Bruce and the Noisemakers. They are awesome!

nice. sweet tunes and some great solo piano play. some of it seems to have come off his live album, but no bother. didn't overwhelm us with songs from the new album.

Town Hall not my favorite but Bruce & Noisemakers still great. Woods brothers a waste of time. Almost painful. Why were they there? Bruce was restricted to hard curfew and only 1 encore. also he was rushed and not the usual easy rapport with audience. No Dancing allowed... Town Hall. suck. Drum acoustics in loge seating too heavy. Almost drowning rest of band on a few "big sound" songs.

Watching those fingers on the keys was amazing as usual, great seats and he delivered as we hoped he would. He is the man.

Pleasant night on the town at the Town Hall with Bruce Hornsby. Just what u would expect.

Hornsby has so much going for him-great on stage personality, big catalogue of familiar tunes, absolutely terrific piano-playing wizardry. But sometimes he may go a little overboard with the improv, and I sit there and think: "maybe this song could be a minute or two shorter." There can be too much of a good thing. But that's a minor complaint. His ability to rework the songs you know is astounding; his new songs sound fresh and "hornsbyesque" at the same time. And, as always, anyone who can rock out on an accordian is ok by me.

Bruce & the band were in top form. The only critique is that the show could have been a bit longer.

This concert was truly a once and a lifetime event.

...we certainly could have found a better way to spend our money. For at least the first 4 songs, it seemed like the band was not playing "on the same page". For the most part, all musicians were fine, but just did not seem to be able to bring it all together.

My husband and I attended the concert on July 30,2009 in Englewood, NJ. The venue was great, small and intimate with comfortable seating. The concert itself was disappointing. This was our 3rd concert seeing Bruce Hornsby in the past several years and I thought this was the worse one. I'm not sure I would pay over $200 to see him again. The band sounded great and wasn't so loud that it rattled your head- which was a good thing! However, I was disappointed that he chose to play abscure songs that many concert goers seemed to be unfamiliar with. My husband and I have almost every one of his numerous CD's and many songs were not familiar. I enjoyed hearing stuff off his upcoming CD, but play your hits too. He is a very talented and enjoyed that aspect of the concert. However I was disappointed that he chose to not play his hits.

Bruce Hornsby rocked an enthusiastic crowd Thursday night at the Bergen PAC with his dynamic band The Noisemakers. Playing a variety of material from fan requests to new songs, Hornsby's performance showcased his superior piano skills as well as his penchant for improvisation. Like a Quarterback in football calling audibles at the line of scrimmage, Hornsby would look at various member of his crack band and point to them for solos or when certain members should jam together...keeping the band on their toes and the audience's interest. After taking a brief intermission after his 1st set, Hornsby started the 2nd half a bit slowly before gathering up speed for a rousing finish. All in all, a fine night of music by great musicians.

Just great to get a class act like Bruce Hornsby at the BPAC. Great new tunes and the old ones are fun too. Really like his "all request " format. Nothing like a band that really loves to play.

The show in NJ was amazing as usual! Bruce is such a showman and his performances are always worth the drive.

My wife and I had high expectations, being long time fans of this very talented pianist, songwriter and commercially successful musician. We remember Bruce Hornsby and the Range, with great arrangements and songs like "The Way It Is", "Mandolin Rain", "The Valley Road" and more. We purchased the tickets several weeks in advance of the show and were looking forward to a night out. We purchased great seats in the center orchestra, fifth row, first two seats (that becomes relevant later) and arrived at 7:40 p.m. for the 8:00 o'clock show. Bruce came on stage at about 8:10 p.m. The crowd applauded with chants of "BRUUUUCE", "BRUUUCE" -- a very warm and enthusiastic welcome. Bruce started the show with a couple new songs and was thereafter joined by the "Noise Makers". The show continued with internet and audience shout out requests that Bruce read or listened for and then selected a song. He and the band played some of the old songs that made Bruce Hornsby and the Range a very popular band in the late 80's early 90's. Frustratingly, however, the Range wasn’t playing behind Bruce. What's more, Bruce decided that the old arrangements, which people spent money purchasing and time learning the words to way back when, were not good enough to play at Thursday night's show. Perhaps they weren't fun to perform anymore. Perhaps they needed new life and direction. Perhaps he should have asked the crowd what they wanted. As it turns out, Bruce and the Noise Makers apparently believe performers should never let paying fans and their expectations get in the way of a good time. Accordingly, in my humble opinion, what was supposed to be a great show of favorite songs and memorable arrangements, was nothing more than a jam session. Without doubt, Bruce and the Noise Makers had a good time, playing different arrangements with long intervals of self-indulgent, meandering mediocre solos, without regard to the paying spectators who make touring possible. After all, if you can't have fun at work, why show up, right? Wrong. That's not "the way it is". As the show continued, my wife and I heard a few grumblings from the folks sitting in front, beside and behind us. In fairness to Bruce and the Noise Makers, however, there were also continuing periodic chants of "Bruuuce, Bruuuce". After sitting and listening for about an hour, hoping against hope that a memorable arrangement of a favorite song would be played, it became obvious there would likely be no satisfaction. Faced with a prospect of another couple songs whose arrangements we wouldn't recognize, intermission and then the 2nd act of Bruce and the boys having fun at the jam session, we cut our losses. We "took the road less taken, again". Some say they heard a loud boo come form the audience. Others saw two people from the 5th row center orchestra stand up and walkout in disappointment. As we were taking that long stroll to the exit at the back of the theater, we couldn't help but notice the show had either not been sold out, or maybe it had, and others less patient then we, already left. Either way, the lesson here is give the fans what they want. You can certainly leave them wanting more, but at least give them what they pay for. Hopefully, Bruce Hornsby, a very talented musician, and one I spent a couple hundred dollars to see and listen to live, will take heed. By the way, when I got home, I went to Bruce Hornsby's official website and sent him a personal email advising of our experience. We haven't heard back.

He opened each set with new material, all very good, can't wait to get my hands on the new album in Sept! Played the rare standing on the moon. Many Dead/ Garcia references. Good fun!!