On July 24, I was thrilled to be able to attend my first live show since December 2019. For The Record Live put together a star-studded concert series to kick off live entertainment reopening in Hollywood, and after live entertainment shut down for 16 months, seeing Derek Klena live in Los Angeles was a dream!
Accompanied by Benjamin Rauhula and Emily Rosenfield, Derek brought his new solo performance to Los Angeles, with a setlist reflecting on the last year and a half.
Opening the show with a cover of “This Will Be Our Year” by The Zombies, the audience couldn’t have been more thrilled to welcome live entertainment back to Los Angeles and welcome Derek home to California.
This is Derek’s second solo set, which balances a heartfelt selection of popular music and showtunes, following his 2019 debut solo show that focused on his career in musical theatre. Including selections from popular artists showcased the Derek’s range as a performer, and created a friendly cabaret atmosphere for the audience.
Highlights of his performance included a new Disney medley including selections from Frozen, Moana, Toy Story, Lion King and a bit of the non-Disney Paw Patrol, a cover of “Jealous” by Labrinth, and fan-favorites “My Petersburg” from Anastasia and “You Learn” from Jagged Little Pill.
The set was well-crafted, relaxed and casual, allowing the audience to feel the personal connection to the performance. As always, it was great to see Derek and Ben having fun and playing off the energy of the room. After being locked down for 16 months, everyone was more than ready for some good music and good laughs, and Derek always brings 110% to his performance.
Of course it wouldn’t be a show assembled by Derek and Ben without a double encore. For an enthusiastic audience, they did a double encore of “You’ll be Back” from Hamilton and a cover of Brandi Carlile’s “The Joke.”
Personally, it’s always fun to hear his selections from his career, like “My Petersburg,” but I loved hearing the selections of non-musical songs woven into the show. I always find that to be a particularly interesting choice for Broadway-focused performers, and they were all excellent. Additional standouts were his new Disney medley and his cover of “The Joke.”
After a time that has been unmatched and uncertain, I had a great time getting out of the house and seeing Derek live. It brings me so much hope that performers have missed performing as much as so many of us have missed going to see them live. It’s so inspiring to see artists and performers ready to bring their talents back to the stage and perform for audience, and Derek is no exception!
The full set list included: This will be our year (The Zombies), Vienna (Billy Joel), Drops of Jupiter (Train), Everything I Wanted (Billie Eilish), Disney Medley, Times Like These (Foo Fighters), Jealous (Labrinth), Belieber Medley (Justin Bieber), My Petersburg (Anastasia), Up (Sing Street), Beautiful City (Godspell), You Learn (Jagged Little Pill/Alanis Morissette), The Joke (Brandi Carlile), and You’ll be Back (Hamilton).
Note: Post was backdated to July 26.
The Broadway Edit 