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With all due respect, I could not disagree more with the first reviewer. I feel that this was an unusual and lovely concert.
Early on, Diana admitted to having a cold. I'm guessing that, being the trooper she is, she felt much worse than she was letting on. It was immediately clear that her voice was a bit hoarse...she was even coughing. So, unlike some artists who don't perform when ill, she was a trooper. It was critical that she take care of her voice and not overtax it. I suspect that she strayed radically from her usual format for that reason.
It was an intelligent choice to put more emphasis on instrumentals than her voice. In fact, I was delighted to hear more of her piano than usual. After all, that is her original instrument. She has a unique and sultry voice...one of many excellent jazz singers. But her pianistic abilities put her in the top five in the world. Her Fats Waller was spot-on stylistically. Her piano solos demonstrated her peerless range: from delicate poetry to stretches of powerful percussive asymmetry.
The overall tone of this concert was tender. The dynamics ranged from pppp to the occasional forte (mostly, near the end). I agree with the previous reviewer that, at times, it was difficult to hear everything. However, I was in the nosebleed seats, and still heard it all. I feel the problem was due to the fact that the sound system not set up to accommodate the dynamic level she required, given the limitation of her voice that night. Still, I was riveted by the subtlety of the arrangements -- one of her hallmarks.
I loved her patter. She was funny, nostalgic and very natural.
As to the Irving Berlin arrangement -- who knew that his music could have a bop edge and still retain its integrity? But she did it. Transitioning to Come Together was an inspired juxtaposition. These kinds of surprises were riveting. BTW, her Come Together was true to the original, but, in my view, actually was superior to the Beatles. I didn't think that was possible.
As for her opening act, the singer could have been the reincarnation of Nat King Cole. That was apparent within the first few bars of Amazing Grace. His velvet voiced caressed Mona Lisa like no one since Cole, himself. Opening with Amazing Grace was surprising. But it set the tone for the entire concert. Although opening with a high-energy tune is more exciting, it's also standard procedure, so it's refreshing to do the unexpected. It would have been great to have more up-tempo tunes, but, if you were willing to roll with it, it was something very special. The beauty of the venue, the near-full moon and the lush harmonies created an atmosphere that can only be described by this reviewer as magical.
In short, she delivered.