Since I’m a bit of a fan of the Sau Paulo sound and of The Dakota, I sort of decided at the last minute to take in the Céu show. It was only $12 and I didn’t have anything else going on, so why not?

I’ve talked about The Dakota before, so I’ll skip most of the detail except to say this: avoid the mezzanine seats unless you can get along the railing. That means 210-219 are quite good and 220-229 are decent. Sadly that means 230-239 are pretty bad. The sound in those seats is great, that,a never a question at The Dakota, but the sight lines are terrible.

I was originally scheduled to see Céu at the 9PM show on Wednesday, but scheduling concerns meant they were only doing one show each night instead of two. I opted for the the Tuesday show rather than a refund and ended up at #230. I could see the top of her head, shoulders up on the bass player, and the backdrop. That’s it.

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There must be something in the water in Brazil, because their musicians are, without exception, absolutely stunning. Céu was certainly no disappointment.

The only way I can describe the Céu’s music, and really the Sao Paolo sound, is to say Brazillian chill-out, mixed with Jazz, afro-beat, and gorgeous, velvety-rich vocals. If you don’t love it after the first listen, I don’t know what’s wrong with you.

Céu herself sounds much like Bebel Gilberto mixed with I can’t quite decide who. Regardless, the result is positively mesmerising. She has a voice I wish could sing me to sleep every night.

She was joined on stage by 5 musicians; there was the bass, keyboards, drums, percussion, and a DJ. I have to say that’s a first for me, seeing a DJ on stage at The Dakota.

The show was absolutely great, although I’m reminded of my only other complaint about The Dakota: the shows tend to run short. A typical show there is just over 60 minutes where most of the other stuff I see is 75-90 minutes for the main act plus 30-45 for an opener.

For $12, even with the crummy sight-line, it was more than worth it. I still managed to get a couple pictures during the show, as well as an autograph and picture with Céu after the show.

I did pretty well for a last minute, on-a-whim kind of thing.