Landmark Theatre
June 3, 2005

All-Stars featuring Rick Braun was originally scheduled as part of the Fridays at Sunset series at Kanawha Plaza in downtown Richmond, VA, but several days of heavy rain drove the show indoors to the beautiful, historic Landmark Theatre. Word got out successfully about the change of venue, and there was a great crowd in attendance definitely ready to party! And with the help of Rick Braun, Richard Elliot, Jonathan Butler and Peter White, party they did!

Rick Braun came out solo and kicked things off with “Cadillac Slim.” Peter White joined Rick onstage with “Promenade.” Next, Richard Elliot stepped out on stage with his zebra-striped tenor sax, and the three jammed on his hit song “Crush.” Jonathan Butler added color to the stage with his tie-died green and purple shirt, and everyone joined in on Butler 's “Wake Up”… a message the crowd echoed! They were already wide awake and crazy!

Braun and Elliot provided one of the show's highlights with a dance between the flugelhorn and sax on “Notorious” that ended up a battle of the horns and featured a beautiful solo at the end. Richard assisted Peter White on his always-popular “Midnight In Manhattan.” Richard stepped up to the mic to plug his upcoming CD, Metro Blue (release date, June 28), and treated the crowd to “People Make The World Go ‘Round” with Rick accompanying on muted trumpet. Richard told the crowd that if he played it right, maybe they would recognize it. They did. They were singing along in very short order.

Jonathan took the stage alone and took us all to church with “Falling In Love With Jesus” from his CD, Worship Project . Again, the audience responded with wild enthusiasm, and sang along from time to time. Next he treated us to his moving cover of the James Taylor hit “Fire and Rain” from his new CD, Jonathan.

Peter White came back out with Richard and Rick, and proved once again that he can be one very funky white guy with “Bueno Funk.” At one point Peter's “delicate” guitar licks were challenged by Richard's trademark tenor sax growls. Richard was left alone on stage and gave us an incredible lead-in to the scorching “When A Man Loves A Woman” – the biggest highlight of an already fantastic show. Let's just say it got very hot in the Landmark Theatre while Richard proved beyond a doubt that you don't need any words to convey the message. And just when you were absolutely convinced of that, Jonathan Butler walks out, takes that mic, and showed us that you do!

It was time to get crazy now. With the crowd on its feet for the rest of the show, the guys kept it smokin' with “Grazin' In the Grass” as Rick hopped off the stage and worked the crowd. We were introduced to the fantastic backup band (Ron Reinhardt – keyboard; David Dyson – bass; Rayford Griffin – drums; Dwight Sills – guitar) during Butler's “Sara/Sara” while they each took their eight bars. The band took their bows and left the stage to a deafening call-back and returned with “September.” It just doesn't get any better than this. Braun, Elliot, Butler, and White were on fire all evening, and Richmond, you guys totally rock!

If Jazz Attack comes anywhere near you, be there!

- Susan Johnson and Elizabeth Ware