Norah Jones: come away with me

July 4th, 2002: Norah Jones
I still remember this day as if it were only yesterday. I went to see little Norah Jones before she got all famous with all those things called Grammies. She came to a small Toronto Venue - the now defunct Palais Royale Ballroom - and performed an unforgettable evening of soft and sultry music.

It was also the weekend the Toronto waste disposal crew went on strike. Coupled with the heat of mid-summer, you can only imagine what guests and tourists to Toronto may have thought about this city!

The hum of the fans on the ceilings. The creeks of the old, hardwood floors. The sounds of the waters rushing onto the shore, the cool wind breezing through the floor to ceiling windows that were draped with transluscent, white, fine curtains. The clinging of glasses as people drank the heat away. The chatter of people as they awaited Norah's presence.

The evening played flawlessly as the venue was a perfect match for this still unknown talent. Still shy on stage, she quietly played her playlist, which consisted songs primarily from Come Away With Me. Her little chitchats with the audience members were brief, soft-spoken, and gentle.

She laughed quietly. She smiled that little girl smile.

She was Norah Jones.

It's quite ironic that I even went to her concert to begin with. A coworker of mine introduced me to her one day. After listening to some of her tunes on her website, my first impression was that her voice was too deep to my liking. I brushed her off like any other artist that didn't appeal to me instantly. It was only a few weeks later that I decided to give her a try yet again. Only this time I found myself being more and more engrossed in each of her songs. When I found out she was coming to Toronto, I instantly bought myself a ticket.

After the concert, I waited to see if I could meet her. I wasn't the only one as there were a handful of others doing the same thing. Seconds quickly turned to minutes, which quickly turned to hours. More than 2 hours later, and only three of us still standing, she came out of the venue. First person got her autograph, and as did the second, who managed to take a few snaps of her as well. Then I was the last one there. I got my CD and ticket autographed and pulled out my Kodak DC265 Zoom digital camera, which I remember her commenting on how high tech it was. Had I been thinking that evening, I would have asked to see the rest of the band. Seeing as I was the only one there, I think I would have had an easy time getting behind the scenes and meeting the likes of Adam Levy, Lee Alexander, Andy Borgen, and Daru Oda (backup vocals). But I didn't. I merely said "thank you" and walked away happy that I was even able to see her in person.

From that year on, I went to see Norah Jones every time she came to Toronto. She came once a year around the same time until she suddenly stopped coming in 2005. Still, nothing will beat the first time I met Norah, on that hot and hazy summer evening by the waterfront.

You can see - and hear - Norah's concert on my site: norahjones.smaku.com