Herbie Hancock is coming to Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio, November 4th!

[Holy Ghost]

We already bought tickets, going to imagine it is going to sell out. 

https://www.clevelandorchestra.com/attend/concerts-and-events/2526/other-events/herbie-hancock/

Last major jazz performance I attended at Severance was Sonny Rollins in 2001. But wow, what a treat this is going to be! 

[Kevin Bresnahan]

3 hours ago, Holy Ghost said:

We already bought tickets, going to imagine it is going to sell out. 

https://www.clevelandorchestra.com/attend/concerts-and-events/2526/other-events/herbie-hancock/

Last major jazz performance I attended at Severance was Sonny Rollins in 2001. But wow, what a treat this is going to be! 

And actually affordable.

The last time Herbie played up this way, they were charging $300/ticket.

[Holy Ghost]

35 minutes ago, Kevin Bresnahan said:

And actually affordable.

The last time Herbie played up this way, they were charging $300/ticket.

Wow!!! For three of us, plus parking, under $300!

[JSngry]

Is he gonna be playing that old shit?

[Rooster_Ties]

16 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Is he gonna be playing that old shit?

Herbie’s been mostly playing the same 6-7 tunes… mostly for nearly the last decade!

Song stats (scroll down just a bit) for everything in setlist.fm for Herbie (all years)…

https://www.setlist.fm/stats/herbie-hancock-3d6b557.html

 

And here’s year-by-year stats (again, scroll down slightly) for each of the nearly last 10 years…

https://www.setlist.fm/stats/covered/herbie-hancock-3d6b557.html?year=2025

https://www.setlist.fm/stats/herbie-hancock-3d6b557.html?year=2024

https://www.setlist.fm/stats/herbie-hancock-3d6b557.html?year=2023

https://www.setlist.fm/stats/herbie-hancock-3d6b557.html?year=2022

(skipping the two pandemic years)

https://www.setlist.fm/stats/herbie-hancock-3d6b557.html?year=2019

https://www.setlist.fm/stats/herbie-hancock-3d6b557.html?year=2018

https://www.setlist.fm/stats/herbie-hancock-3d6b557.html?year=2017

 

[Aggie87]

If you haven't seen him in forever, it doesn't matter if it's the same setlist.

Enjoy, Holy Ghost!

Edited July 20 by Aggie87

[JSngry]

Well, the joke was supposed to be that "Is he gonna be playing that old shit" was meant to answer with WHICH old shit? But it turns out that the actual answer is ALL of them! And that's how it should be, he's self-validating ALL of it, so hell yeah, although I do wish he would revisit "I Thought It Was You" in some fashion.

[mjazzg]

Seeing him in London on Saturday in one of our major concert halls, and very much looking forward to it as it will be the first time since a trio club date in late 80s.

£100/ticket is definitely the very upper price range for the venue but I was gifted the ticket by my partner.

[Holy Ghost]

On 7/19/2025 at 11:17 PM, Aggie87 said:

If you haven't seen him in forever, it doesn't matter if it's the same setlist.

Enjoy, Holy Ghost!

Right!?!?!?

Never seen Herbie live, he can play Yankee Doodle Dandee out his asshole (quoting Nat'l Lampoon's Vacation) for all I care. I've seen the Wayne Shorter Quartet (front row seats!) and Ron Carter, both about 25 years ago, and they could've played a similar set list, and I wouldn't (don't) regret a second of it. So whatever Herbie plays, I am going to enjoy.

Here's the band:

Herbie Hancock, keyboard
Terence Blanchard, trumpet
James Genus, bass
Lionel Loueke, guitar & vocals
Jaylen Petinaud, drums

 

[Holy Ghost]

On 7/24/2025 at 12:55 AM, Holy Ghost said:

Right!?!?!?

Never seen Herbie live, he can play Yankee Doodle Dandee out his asshole (quoting Nat'l Lampoon's Vacation) for all I care. I've seen the Wayne Shorter Quartet (front row seats!) and Ron Carter, both about 25 years ago, and they could've played a similar set list, and I wouldn't (don't) regret a second of it. So whatever Herbie plays, I am going to enjoy.

Here's the band:

Herbie Hancock, keyboard
Terence Blanchard, trumpet
James Genus, bass
Lionel Loueke, guitar & vocals
Jaylen Petinaud, drums

 

Correction, think Clark Griswald said he doesn't care who is whistling "Dixie" out their asshole, not "Yankee Doodle Dandee"🤔

[Milestones]

Pretty tempting.

I last saw Herbie at Blossom (Kool Jazz Festival) back in 1984.  It was a fine show, even with the young Marsalis brothers in the band.  He also had two guys named Ron Carter and Tony Williams.

Not to mention that Miles was the first act on that very long and thoroughly enjoyable evening.  

 

 

 

[Holy Ghost]

3 hours ago, Milestones said:

Pretty tempting.

I last saw Herbie at Blossom (Kool Jazz Festival) back in 1984.  It was a fine show, even with the young Marsalis brothers in the band.  He also had two guys named Ron Carter and Tony Williams.

Not to mention that Miles was the first act on that very long and thoroughly enjoyable evening.  

 

 

 

🤯 Wha??? and they didn't play together?!? What a treat that would've been!!!

[Milestones]

True enough, but Miles of course had his electric band (Scofield on guitar), and Herbie was in VSOP mode.

 

 

[mjazzg]

On 7/24/2025 at 5:55 AM, Holy Ghost said:

 

Here's the band:

Herbie Hancock, keyboard
Terence Blanchard, trumpet
James Genus, bass
Lionel Loueke, guitar & vocals
Jaylen Petinaud, drums

 

I saw this band on Saturday in a concert hall, they played for 2.5 hours, no interval.

Music surprised me in that it was pretty uncompromising and highly amplified, the loudest Jazz gig in a long time.

The set featured tunes from across his career but focussed on Warners and after. An all electric band sounding at times like electric Miles, Blanchard was fierce and at other times a bit like Mwandishi or Headhunters.

There was a fair bit of grandstanding and showing off of the considerable chops in the band.

Hancock is a phenomenon, physically has so much energy for 85 and his playing throughout was outstanding with no apparent diminution of his powers. He played scintillating solos on both grand and synth.

The band really locked in tight and although to my ears Petinaud erred on the rock side a little too often he was at others the star. A fabulous duet with HH during 'Actual Proof'.

Herbie treated us to a rather bizarre vocoder speech/sermon about AI and robots which I initially thought was going to be an intro to 'Rockit', it wasn't it was just his thoughts, went on too long and burst the momentum a bit.

I left feeling very pleased to have seen him again after at least 35 years but thinking the show could've easily been half an hour shorter and a lot more impactful if some of the solo features had been curtailed. It certainly had hints of what might be called Stadium Jazz.

But Herbie is Herbie and he has absolutely earned the right to present his music in whichever way he chooses.

The love for him in the auditorium was apparent from the off

 

[Milestones]

I would prefer a group like this:

• Herbie Hancock
• Terence Blanchard
• Kenny Garrett
• Christian McBride
• Peter Erskine

But clearly Herbie can play whatever he wants with whomever he wants.  

I do wish he would put out a record.

 

[mjazzg]

18 minutes ago, Milestones said:

 

I do wish he would put out a record.

 

I'd happily take a studio album of the band I saw or even a live one, with judicious edits

 

[Milestones]

Sounds good.

[tranemonk]

3 hours ago, mjazzg said:

I saw this band on Saturday in a concert hall, they played for 2.5 hours, no interval.

Music surprised me in that it was pretty uncompromising and highly amplified, the loudest Jazz gig in a long time.

The set featured tunes from across his career but focussed on Warners and after. An all electric band sounding at times like electric Miles, Blanchard was fierce and at other times a bit like Mwandishi or Headhunters.

There was a fair bit of grandstanding and showing off of the considerable chops in the band.

Hancock is a phenomenon, physically has so much energy for 85 and his playing throughout was outstanding with no apparent diminution of his powers. He played scintillating solos on both grand and synth.

The band really locked in tight and although to my ears Petinaud erred on the rock side a little too often he was at others the star. A fabulous duet with HH during 'Actual Proof'.

Herbie treated us to a rather bizarre vocoder speech/sermon about AI and robots which I initially thought was going to be an intro to 'Rockit', it wasn't it was just his thoughts, went on too long and burst the momentum a bit.

I left feeling very pleased to have seen him again after at least 35 years but thinking the show could've easily been half an hour shorter and a lot more impactful if some of the solo features had been curtailed. It certainly had hints of what might be called Stadium Jazz.

But Herbie is Herbie and he has absolutely earned the right to present his music in whichever way he chooses.

The love for him in the auditorium was apparent from the off

 

Thanks for the review. He's coming here in the fall. I'm disinclined to spend $100 to see him. I caught him at Newport a decade ago, and that was enough. I've just never been able to gravitate toward him in performance... Glad you enjoyed it though. 

[Holy Ghost]

4 hours ago, mjazzg said:

I saw this band on Saturday in a concert hall, they played for 2.5 hours, no interval.

Music surprised me in that it was pretty uncompromising and highly amplified, the loudest Jazz gig in a long time.

The set featured tunes from across his career but focussed on Warners and after. An all electric band sounding at times like electric Miles, Blanchard was fierce and at other times a bit like Mwandishi or Headhunters.

There was a fair bit of grandstanding and showing off of the considerable chops in the band.

Hancock is a phenomenon, physically has so much energy for 85 and his playing throughout was outstanding with no apparent diminution of his powers. He played scintillating solos on both grand and synth.

The band really locked in tight and although to my ears Petinaud erred on the rock side a little too often he was at others the star. A fabulous duet with HH during 'Actual Proof'.

Herbie treated us to a rather bizarre vocoder speech/sermon about AI and robots which I initially thought was going to be an intro to 'Rockit', it wasn't it was just his thoughts, went on too long and burst the momentum a bit.

I left feeling very pleased to have seen him again after at least 35 years but thinking the show could've easily been half an hour shorter and a lot more impactful if some of the solo features had been curtailed. It certainly had hints of what might be called Stadium Jazz.

But Herbie is Herbie and he has absolutely earned the right to present his music in whichever way he chooses.

The love for him in the auditorium was apparent from the off

 

Thank you for this review 👍 I really like the Warner Bros. material (that band he had then, wow). Glad to hear he's mixing it up instead of hyper-focusing on BN. 

No intermission, eh? Not a chance to have a drink in the rotunda? 🧐