Beth Hart Sings Blues From a Piano Bench

Beth Hart has recorded blues and soul for three decades, moving between her own writing and covers she rebuilds from the ground up. Live she works from a piano for long stretches, then walks the front of the stage without it. A full band backs her, and the arrangements leave room for held notes. She talks to the room between songs at length rather than in short links, which sets this apart from a straight setlist night. The band follows her lead on tempo.

The Riviera keeps a general admission floor with a balcony above it. You show a ticket on Racine Avenue and pick a level on the way in. The floor packs toward the barricade through the opener. Balcony rows sit high enough to see her hands on the keys, which the floor cannot offer. Bars run at the back of both levels, and the crowd stays put once the ballads start rather than moving between them.

The set starts at 8 in the evening on Saturday, September 19, at 4746 North Racine Avenue in Uptown. The Red Line stops two blocks away, which beats parking on a Saturday. General admission means the floor rewards arriving at doors, worth planning if you want the rail. It suits anyone who wants a singer working a room without a click track. If you were hoping for a short polished ninety minutes, this is not that.