Charleston Gazette February 17, 2010 By Sara Busse CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Harry Connick Jr.'s warm, sultry voice took the chill out of Old Man Winter and warmed the souls of the capacity crowd at the Clay Center Wednesday night. While the winds raged on the outside, the mood was occasionally stormy as Connick crooned through standards in his "Your Songs" tour. The audience was a major factor in his banter. Early in the ballad "Mona Lisa," a large group of latecomers came down the aisle to their front-section seats. Connick stopped the song, saying, "I'll just wait till these people get seated." He proceeded to have his photo taken with one of the women and then jumped back on stage and started the song again. It was a photo by front-row patron Mike Callaghan that stopped the show a second time. After Callaghan's wife stole a kiss from Connick's trombonist, Lucian Barbarin, Connick asked the Charleston attorney if he was taking a home movie -- and then asked for the iPhone in question, saying he would take a photo of Callaghan. When Connick got the phone, he proceeded to toss it to a stagehand, curtain right. An appreciative audience roared as Connick said, "It's right on the ticket, man," referring to the no-photo policy. The phone was returned later with the photos and videos removed. Rude audience behavior aside, Connick stayed true to his Southern gentleman manners and kept the audience enthralled with bluesy New Orleans standards, Rat Pack favorites and even an old Beatles' song. Connick started the evening sitting at the Steinway pounding out a scat-like "Bill Bailey." Accompanied by six strings plus a stand-up bass, a drummer and a half-dozen horns, the suave Connick ran through "You Don't Know Me," "Besame Mucho," "The Way You Look Tonight," "For Once In My Life," "Down On Bourbon Street" and a beautiful take on Paul McCartney's "And I Love Her." The New Orleans native was at his best when he was thumping the piano, tapping his feet, with just the drums and bass playing along. He called the trio the foundation of the big band, and Neal Caine aptly played a walking bass that held the bottom of every song. This was Connick's second sold-out visit to the Clay Center. According to Clay Center officials, Connick's people liked the venue so much they asked to come back. And the crowd last night proved the feeling was mutual. Connick complimented the Clay Center and said he loved playing in Charleston, which he said was "defined by nice people." His old-school style (he referred to his latest release as his "new record") and his easy delivery had the women in the audience waving and whistling. When he dances, he's a mix of Funeral Parade strut and Elvis shimmy. The epitome of smooth, Connick had the audience laughing when he talked of his Super Bowl champion Saints and of an encounter with Steelers' Troy Polamalu, who he said he fell in love with "just a bit" when they met. The married father of three daughters joked, "I'm an artist -- if I want to have a 'man crush,' it's OK." With easy transitions from rollicking to simple, from rocking to orchestral, Harry Connick Jr. didn't disappoint -- even when the crowd acted disappointingly. Reach Sara Busse at sara.bu...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1249.