Jim Brickman prides himself on interacting with the audience in his shows
If you go to pianist Jim Brickman’s concert Dec. 22 in the Southern Theatre, come with your favorite Christmas songs in mind. And make sure that your own voice is well-rested — not for singing but for shouting.
For the second half of his show, stopping in Columbus as part of his “Gift of Christmas” tour, Brickman will offer an extended “live by request” segment.
During the segment, audience members can shout out their favorite holiday tunes, including those composed by Brickman, and the pianist, joined by vocalists Anne Cochran and John Trones, will do their best to accommodate.
“If I haven’t played a song that somebody really wants to hear, then there’s a chance to ask for it,” said Brickman, a 60-year-old native of Shaker Heights, in a recent phone interview with The Dispatch.
“It’s not stuff people have written down in advance,” said Brickman, who resides in Cleveland. “It’s truly people shouting out: ‘Valentine’! ‘The Gift’! ‘Love of My Life’! ... What’s so fantastic about it is it brings the audience into it, it’s a way of participating, it’s a way of making the show different every night.”
And above all, it’s a way of adding to the intimate atmosphere Brickman hopes to kindle during his annual holiday shows, where the stories he tells from the piano are as important as the music he makes at the keyboard.
“It’s a personality-driven show,” Brickman said. ‘My tone, my relationship with the audience, is driven by a persona.”
Also critical is the repartee between the pianist and the vocalists.
“The (singer) can’t be somebody who just walks on, stands at a microphone and sings,” he said. “No matter how beautiful their voice is, I don’t believe that that connects to the audience as well as the combination of a really good singer and a strong presence and personality.”
Throughout the program, though, Brickman wants the piano to speak for itself from time to time, too. He specializes in simple, subtle instrumental renditions of songs that have become ubiquitous — perhaps too ubiquitous thanks to covers by pop artists.
“People want the feeling of familiar, but they don’t necessarily need to hear the 50th version of: ‘Oh, I wonder who’s singing — is this Kelly Clarkson singing ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’? Is this Carrie Underwood singing?’” he said.
Performing such songs without words, then, helps audiences hear them anew.
“The approach is very emotional,” he said.
Brickman said that among the reasons he appreciates Christmas music is that it offers a moment in the spotlight to classic artists and songs who, during the rest of the year, might be considered a bit passe by today’s standards.
“There’s no other time of year where people would want to say, ‘Oh, I can’t wait to hear that Bing Crosby album,” he said. “It’s the time of year that it’s allowed. It doesn’t have to be trendy (or) hip, and it can be corny. That, to me, is very cool.”
For more than two decades, Brickman has been on the road in the weeks leading up to and the weeks just after Christmas — that is, until last year’s holiday tour was called off because of the pandemic. Now back on tour since the weekend of Thanksgiving, Brickman reports encountering enthusiastic audiences at most shows.
“I feel like I’m playing better than ever,” he said. “Maybe the truth is that the break (from touring) was good in some ways, so that it didn’t become just staid and just going through the motions.”
Not that there’s much of a risk that Brickman will put an end to his Christmas concerts any time soon.
“My life has been spent onstage,” he said. “Once you develop that feeling of what you’re supposed to be doing, I almost feel a responsibility to it.”
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At a glance
Pianist Jim Brickman will perform “The Gift of Christmas” at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 22 in the Southern Theatre, 21 E. Main St. Masks and proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test required. Patrons are encouraged to use the Bindle check-in app. Tickets cost $34 to $69. For more information, visit www.capa.com.