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I was at Friday’s show and thought it was just great. I would say that the first half of the show was also a little subdued, but very far from uninspired. It was perhaps lacking a little emotional intensity. “Seeing Black” really kicked it into another gear. The latter half of the set featured a lot more rockers and the band sounded awesome.
I thought Lucinda sounded in excellent voice throughout the show. This was a polished (a dirty word to some) performance with relatively few distractions. As pointed out, she stopped playing Metal Firecracker after a few seconds because she didn’t like the way her acoustic guitar was tuned. But it didn’t seem to phase her at all and she didn’t miss a beat. I thought the band sounded great and I loved the tunes off of Blessed.
I posted some pictures from the show on allaboutjazz.com
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/gallery.php?tag=lucinda+williams
–Dave
I posted a review of the concert on Blogcritics.com
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/10/10/213839.php
Comments (good or bad) are appreciated! I certainly gained insights for my review from this discussion forum. Thanks!
I would say that most of us are 90% in agreement on the show. The flub on Passionate Kisses was handled with humor and grace. It was endearing. However, I definitely thought that things began to unravel a little after that. I have not seen her as many times as some and my impression is that she became unnerved. I think it was audible in her singing and the band sounded flat towards the end of the set. I think it was most evident on I Asked for Water. Price to Pay was pretty rocky. Once again, this is just my opinion, but some of also have the concert CD to listen to.
I could understand why folks were disappointed that so few Lucinda songs were performed in the second set and she often played a supporting role. I was certainly hoping and expecting to hear more of her material. But I thought the set was superb from beginning to end. The band was in excellent form and really got the chance to cut loose. It was a totally surreal experience with all of the guests.
I am writing a blog on the concert and I will take some of the comments here into consideration. I loved the show, but I did think that there were rocky moments. I also know that part of Lucinda’s appeal is that she has no artifice and is entirely genuine in her presentation.
@Tim wrote:
Thanks for posting the video. It again shows Lucinda not knowing what is going on while trying to do one of her own songs. But I’ve Lost It will say that it was a tremendous performance because he bows down on the Altar of Lucinda every night.
Passionate Kisses was performed before things started to unravel. She was still in (mostly) good humor and I really liked the performance of the tune. I loved it when the tech came in and marked something on her songbook. 😀 She had this enormous binder of all of her music (presumably). It fell off the stand a few times causing a delay until the tech would find the right page.
Here are some pics from the show:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Davek729/LucindaWilliams
I wasn’t looking for a flawless show and I don’t mind restarts in small measure. But this one simply included too many. Even if you don’t mind, it’s hard to deny that it doesn’t affect Lucinda and the Band. She was visibly upset and agitated. As I stated I loved the show regardless.
I completely agree that the band was totally stoked after performing the NY Dolls tune.
Not that I care one way or another, but I seriously doubt that an Eagles performance is characterized by flawless execution. They are a nostalgia act and people will pay premium dollar whether they are well rehearsed or not. Despite the over-produced and glossy albums, I don’t think they were ever a super tight live act.
@theGrapeDotOrg wrote:
I think if people want to see a flawless show, they should go see the Eagles who will not vary a single note from the album. If Lucinda doesn’t like what she is hearing and she wants to start over, that is her prerogative. It does stop the flow and you and I might not notice the difference, but this high standard help make the final product live and in the studio so freaking special.
I think one of the reasons that Joy and Honey Bee were so hot is that the band was stoked after covering the New York Dolls. They did Looking For A Kiss justice down to filling in for the late great Johnny Thunders.
I loved the show, but the first set was a bit of a rambling mess and Lucinda was quite unnerved at times. The recording “Lucinda Williams” is a fantastic album and I was very moved by many of the performances–just sublime. Jim Lauderdale was the perfect foil for Lucinda. I just loved the two of them singing and playing in unison. It was certainly a highlight throughout the evening (especially the first set). However, there were far too many false starts (maybe 7 or 8) and they mostly appeared towards the end of the first set. It took the band out of their groove. Things were really coming apart by the end of the set. There were still far more highs than lows.
Everybody was much looser and in better spirits for the second set. Guest appearances often result in polite uninspired music with much self-congratulations. That was far from the case. I thought the set worked brilliantly from beginning to end with all of the guests making excellent contributions. The band was just smoking throughout the set. It was nothing like I expected it to be, but I loved it from beginning to end. thought David Byrne was just superb. Heaven was especially moving. David Johannsen was the perfect foil for Jailhouse Tears. The band just totally kicked ass for Joy and Honeybee playing with the energy of a punk band with great chops. I loved the show, though it was a ragged mess.
