All Photographs by Violeta Alvarez
Christopher Cross is not a household name, even among an older generation of music enthusiasts. Fans will certainly recognize “Sailing,” “Arthur’s Theme,” and “Ride Like the Wind,” three fundamental classics of the soft rock era. However, after attending his show on October 8th at the Heights Theater, I was blown away at the quality of music displayed on stage. Deep cuts from his self-titled album incorporated with Cross’ captivating stage presence allowed me to once again thoroughly enjoy a concert where, judging by the crowd demographic, I did not belong.
Cross was the first timely performer I’ve seen thus far, walking up to the microphone no more than 20 seconds after the posted start time, 8:00 PM CT. He sang a few songs with no lead-in or acknowledgment of the audience, including “All Right,” and finally introduced himself after his third song. He then told about his musical upbringing, including he enjoyed contemporary jazz and playing guitar at a young age but eventually realized all the girls had their eyes on the frontman – he knew he was destined to become the star singer. He covered The Dave Brubeck Quartet’s “Take Five,” and let the audience know a lot of the songs played would be from his self-titled, most popular album Christopher Cross. Admittedly, I only knew the bigger songs off that album. With both his singing and excellent background instrumentals, Cross made sure I was well acquainted with his discography by the end of the night.
I noticed that Cross was not afraid to sprinkle his hits around the setlist instead of saving them all for last. He performed “Sailing” as his seventh song, and “Arthur’s Theme” as his tenth, which is understandable since fans consider them more of a ballad than a banger. I found the concept behind “Dreamers” quite provocative, with special shoutouts dedicated by Cross to John Lewis and Martin Luther King Jr. He also told the story behind playing the song“Swept Away.”
The track is a long romantic ballad, and a fan at an earlier concert asked Cross to perform it in accordance with his marriage proposal. He played it, and the audience loved it, but the girl said no. This interaction inspired him to continue playing it and hopefully inspire another young couple in love, or any “singles still searching.” The song was very touching, I just might make a Tinder account tomorrow.
As I previously mentioned, Cross’ backing instrumentals were insanely good. Every soft contemporary sound requires a premier saxophonist, and Andy Suzuki fit the bill perfectly – his performance on “Arthur’s Theme” was akin to Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game – flawless. The background singers were beautiful, in more ways than one. But as my uncle pointed out, no one showcased more talent than pianist Jerry Leonide. According to the Christopher Cross website, he “started the piano at 7, and his natural talent made him one the youngest pianists to be on stage playing with different bands in different styles.” I was thoroughly impressed by his ability to hit notes with such speed and conviction, it felt like watching a cartoon character on steroids. Nonetheless, the show was very well-balanced, and I’m grateful I had the chance to take my uncle to a show he loved.
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not a household name?
I love Christopher Cross’s music! Seen him many times and wish he would come to Oregon! All 3 of my kids first live concerts were his! They are 38, 36 and 27.
Wonderful concert. I had the privilege of attended both 2021 and 2022 concerts at the Heights Theater. His music is timeless!