Music Halls Are Stuffy (Portsmouth, NH)

FORUM Forums Lucinda Williams Lucinda Shows Music Halls Are Stuffy (Portsmouth, NH)

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  • #30579
    DarkBuster666
    Participant

    Im gonna see Lucinda tonite. The Music Hall is nice, acoustically, but dont count on tappin toes or steppin out. Maybe someday there will be a good dive bar to really enjoy some rockin songs at.

    #46208
    stoger
    Participant

    You mean I can’t wildly rush the stage during “Righteously” or “Changed the Locks” a la the good suitors and citizens of Ithaka?

    #46209
    Lefty
    Participant

    It’s “Down in Front!” 😡 versus “Get Down in Front!” :mrgreen:
    How was the bus, stoger? Or, are you still on it?

    #46210
    stoger
    Participant

    1 I Just Wanted to See You So Bad [tour debut!]
    2 Happy Woman Blues [tour debut!]
    3 Tears of Joy
    4 Pineola
    5 Drunken Angel
    6 Buttercup
    7 Concrete and Barbed Wire
    8 Copenhagen [with a false start, Lu discouraged throughout with the struggle to hear on stage, a rare appearance on stage midset by tour manager Eric Frankhkouser after the song to gauge her level; ultimately, Lu concludes after asking us that “if it sounds OK out there, that’s all that matters”]
    9 Born to Be Loved
    10 Blue
    11 2 Kool 2 B 4 Gotten [tour debut]
    12 Convince Me
    13 Seeing Black [absolutely nailed]
    14 Out of Touch
    15 Righteously
    16 Changed the Locks
    17 Honeybee
    _________________________________________
    18 Blessed
    19 Joy
    20 Get Right with God [with Dylan LeBlanc and several masqued Mardi Gras dancers up front]

    All this with Eillen [sp?] Jewell in house, one row behind me. . . And out of the 900 or so seats in the vneue, who was two spaces from me but Forum member Tim, mother and friend Donna in tow? Tim was kind enough to say “we’ve been waiting for you for two hours” when I arrived fashionably late 5 minutes before Lu, and while he couldn’t have meant this literally, it was flattering. Take it away, Tim.

    #46211
    LWjetta
    Participant

    Wonder if Portland’s DavidinMaine made it to The Music Hall.

    lwj

    #46212
    Lafayette
    Participant

    Great reporting, as always, stoger!

    That would be Eilen Jewell (correct spelling) sitting behind you, an artist often compared as a cross between Gillian Welch and Lucinda Williams. She cites Lucinda as an influence.

    Very cool to see “Get Right With God” as an encore with Dylan and Mardi Gras dancers, as well? Fat Tuesday, represented! Two thumbs up.

    Was it a coincidence “Get Right With God” was in setlist? Following is Eilen with the Sacred Shakers, covering said song.

    #46213
    bix56
    Participant

    [attachment=2:26u8pgal]Lu.jpg[/attachment:26u8pgal][attachment=1:26u8pgal]Lu Portsmouth.jpg[/attachment:26u8pgal][attachment=0:26u8pgal]Lucinda Williams Portsmouth NH.jpg[/attachment:26u8pgal]

    Lu in Portsmouth, NH last night. As always a great show, nice venue too.

    #46214
    tntracy
    Participant

    Moderator Note: I added “(Portsmouth, NH)” to the subject of this thread so it would be more clear which show it was about… 😉

    Tom

    #46215
    stoger
    Participant

    So the moderator gets the privilege of red letters: well done on the Portsmouth thread clarification, sir. LWJ, I saw no evidence of d in maine, though I wouldn’t know him; I mentioned him to Tim, who didn’t seem to think he was in attendance. Thanks lafayette for the e jewell scoop, to which I can add that she would make an excellent opener for LU. I doubt that last song was coincidence and thanks for making me aware that she had covered “Get Right with God.” I met Jewell at Fitzgerald’s music fest last summer and discussed briefly her shared Idaho pedigree with Ronee Blakely. You might check my spelling there too!

    #46216
    tntracy
    Participant

    @stoger wrote:

    So the moderator gets the privilege of red letters:

    Actually, anyone can use font colors. Just use the “color” tags (look for a push button labeled “Font colour” (yes, Brit spelling!) just above the text input box & to the right when posting…

    Tom

    #46217
    maxdriver
    Participant

    Saw Lucinda for the first time last night in Portsmouth. I have been a fan since her 1998 release of Car Wheels. I have since bought many other discs. I can’t tell you how excited I was about the opportunity to see her in a 900 seat hall so close to my home.

    I enjoyed the show, but was also disappointed. I never got the sense that she was comfortable in front of the crowd. At one point she stopped a song (Copenhagen) in mid stream and said they were going to start from the beginning. She repeatedly had her back to the crowd towards the end of many songs and strummed acoustic guiter as the lead guitarist played solos. I can’t imagine another star of her magnitude regularly deferring to an unknown (although admittedly a very talented) guitarist. There was little interaction with the audience. I don’t recall her ever going from one song to another without a substantial break between songs. I got the feeling that I was watching a rehearsal. Each song was typically introduced only by the title….

    She is a magnificent songwriter and singer. I think however that the studio is her comfort zone….

    I don’t write this to be mean spirited….I would appreciate some constructive feedback…hopefully I won’t be edited/deleted by someone close to her

    #46218
    tntracy
    Participant

    @maxdriver wrote:

    I would appreciate some constructive feedback…hopefully I won’t be edited/deleted by someone close to her

    No worries. We don’t do that here. 😉 I’ve seen far worse remain unedited & undeleted…

    Tom

    #46219
    SANDY
    Participant

    Wow…. I was front-row centre at the same show, and couldn’t disagree with you more.
    It was the first time I’d seen her “live” too — travelled 7 hours to get there— and her show was worth every second of the drive.
    Lucinda performed wonderfully, was ultra-cool and stopped the song because she thought the sound was muddy, she explained the interruption, by the way.
    I can’t understand why you criticize her for deferring to the fabulous lead guitarist… that makes no sense to me whatsoever. and as far as her not facing the audience at the end of songs… what?? geesh……have you never seen a performer show this sign of appreciation to his/her band before?
    And please don’t suggest that she not perform “live”…… it’s upsetting to us real fans.
    The only constructive criticism I can offer you is to stop calling yourself a fan, until you “get it.”

    #46220
    tntracy
    Participant

    I will simply add that, as someone who has seen Lu live dozens of times over the last 6 or so years, it is not uncommon at all for her to stop & restart a song that she feels is not “going” properly – she is a well-known perfectionist. So, what y’all witnessed last night in this regard was not at all unusual for her…

    Tom

    #46221
    maxdriver
    Participant

    @SANDY wrote:

    Wow…. I was front-row centre at the same show, and couldn’t disagree with you more.
    It was the first time I’d seen her “live” too — travelled 7 hours to get there— and her show was worth every second of the drive.
    Lucinda performed wonderfully, was ultra-cool and stopped the song because she thought the sound was muddy, she explained the interruption, by the way.
    I can’t understand why you criticize her for deferring to the fabulous lead guitarist… that makes no sense to me whatsoever. and as far as her not facing the audience at the end of songs… what?? geesh……have you never seen a performer show this sign of appreciation to his/her band before?
    And please don’t suggest that she not perform “live”…… it’s upsetting to us real fans.
    The only constructive criticism I can offer you is to stop calling yourself a fan, until you “get it.”

    Hey Sandy – Just expressing my opinion. Apparently because it’s contrary to yours it’s not legit. 🙄 I’ve been going to shows for 30+ years and have seen many of the top acts (Springsteen 25+ times; Petty; The Who; Steve Earle; Emmy Lou; Pearl Jam; Hiatt….among many others….) Again, my post was mainly a response to a feeling of surprise to what I was witnessing on stage. As mentioned in my original post, I enjoyed the show…but it was not to the high level that I expected. Try a Google search for reviews of her live shows. While many are positive, it’s easy to find a number of media reviews that are frankly considerably more harsh (in regards to the points that I raised) than I was in my assessment. Regards 8)

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