Diana Krall’s performance at the (outdoor) Palomar Starlight Theater on the absolutely gorgeous evening of 9 August 2009 was the sprawling, delightfully engaging, effortlessly-talk-to-the-audience type of aural experience that only a truly competent musician can accomplish. The songs romped across the bedrock American standards playlist, with music from Tom Waits, Nat King Cole, and a bunch of others you’ve undoubtedly heard of. “Quiet Nights” and “So Nice” and “The Look Of Love” were (predictably so) highlights for me.

Diana, guitarist Anthony Wilson, bassist John Clayton, and drummer Jeff Hamilton parlayed their talent into sunny pure jazz bling, keying off each other and reworking the songs into unfolding layers of tap-your-feet-on-the-grass enjoyment.

The seating on the grass consisted of white plastic folding chairs arranged in the exact same configuration as a commercial airline. Shoulder to shoulder, with the seat in front of you approximately 2.5 inches from your knees. Oh, and that center aisle? 15 seats away from you, if your seats are in the middle of the row, like ours were. If you’re short, you’re out of luck being able to comfortably see the musicians, but there was a big projection screen to the left of the stage that afforded an edited-on-the-fly view of the concert.