About 6 or 7 years ago, I got to play the first of two gigs I did with Kurt Elling. It was a small theater, about 350, but they were close to the stage. It was a packed house and they were very live. The second gig I did with him was in a bigger room, maybe 1200, and it was pretty full too, but it was a lot larger with the balcony quite a bit farther back from the stage. That was fun too, but I liked the smaller room better because the crowd was so close and so much into the act.

Kurt had the crowd (both crowds actually) in his hand all night long... a consummate entertainer in every sense of the word. The backstage hang was very nice too. He's very down to earth and seemed to be genuinely interested and amazed by the history of the band.... a group that formed in 1986 as an employee club of Texas Instruments in Dallas and has been in continuous operation since. Over the years, we've had guests who came in and gave the very definite impression they were just there to play a gig and pick up a check. Most have been quite courteous. Some quite demanding in the dress rehearsal (I'm looking at you, Mr. Stamm. ) But Kurt really stood out from all of them. Great nights, really. Both of them.

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