Bennett, Lang Take Their Audience Away

“Tonight the banter will be slight, and the music will take us away,” said k.d. lang, setting a somber tone early in her set Saturday at the Greek Theatre, where she opened for--and teamed with--crooner Tony Bennett.

In the wake of the terrorist attacks, and with the specter of war hanging over the country--underscored when the national anthem was played just before the show began--it was a sensible sentiment. Especially given both artists’ airy repertoire celebrating the ups and downs of romance. Indeed, when they opened the concert with a duet on the love-struck standard “I’ve Got the World on a String,” the lightness seemed almost too much to bear.

But by the end, the selections, offered both individually and in duets by these personable artists from different generations, had provided the near-capacity crowd with a sense of normality, however nostalgic and illusive that was, along with a testament to American artists who are as enduring as love itself.

Bennett’s almost 90-minute set emphasized contributors to, as he put it, “the great American songbook,” with a series of mini-tributes to such icons as Fred Astaire, Duke Ellington, George and Ira Gershwin, Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra. The 75-year-old pop singer has had an affinity for jazz throughout his half-century career, and it was reflected in his eccentric but musical vocal stylings as well as the backing quartet led by his longtime pianist Ralph Sharon, who celebrated his 78th birthday on stage with a jam session on Ellington’s “In a Mellow Tone.”

Magnetic in a bright blue suit, Bennett, a native New Yorker, bantered freely, often responding to fans’ shouts in the midst of a number without losing his place. Naturally, he offered his signature tune, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” but also emphasized his cross-generational appeal with a nod to the mid-’90s comeback fueled by “MTV Unplugged,” including another blissful duet with lang on “Moonglow.”

He personalized the New York City tragedy by paying homage to his native working-class neighborhood of Astoria (“A Little Street Where Old Friends Meet”), but in other moments it was the subtext that proved most poignant. One could say that “Over the Rainbow” is almost hoary, but Bennett’s rendition of Yip Harburg and Harold Arlen’s dream of a beautiful, unreachable place of peace, which suddenly seemed farther away than ever, was wistful enough to make even cynical souls weep for its painful innocence.

In her torchy, 35-minute performance, lang honored such musical heroes as Roy Orbison. Barefoot and wearing a black suit, she showcased her warm, amazingly agile voice and classic-crooner style, full of sudden, dramatic gestures and precise microphone maneuvering that expertly teased the emotion from each number.

Backed by a stellar trio on piano, upright bass and drums, she soon took back the bit about not bantering, encouraged by adoring audience members to be at least partly her usual witty self. If the jazzy “Too Darn Hot” seemed slightly frivolous, the burning desire in such smoldering selections as “Fever” fit well with her own 1992 hit “Constant Craving,” again underscoring the timeless theme of love and reminding us that, even in times of adversity, life can still be beautiful.