Rufus Wainwright & Neko Case @ The Tabernacle
Posted by PJ in Concert Reviews, Guests, The Yellow StereoMy good friend Amy was kind enough to review the recent Rufus Wainwright/Neko Case show at the Tabernacle for me since I wasn’t able to make it myself. This was to be my most anticipated live show of the year and I didn’t even get to go. I had this grand plan to attend this along with the Athens Popfest, but, alas, my lame ass had to work because I can’t manage my money at all. Anyways, without further ado, here’s Amy’s review!
The Interview
I was basically allowed to piggyback into the sound check with Joe Silva who does a show for WUGA (91.7 and 97.9 in Athens called Just off the Radar. If you’ve never heard the show I suggest streaming it live off of WUGA’s site on Saturday night. Joe focuses on the same musical ear candy as this blog, with great interviews, specials and features. When I mentioned my excitement about the upcoming show a few weeks back, Joe decided to try to get the interviews lined up, and said he’d let me sit in if things worked out. I’ve been a huge fan of both Neko and Rufus for a long time, so I was pretty excited about the idea of being able to shake hands with them. As it turned out, Joe was only able to line up the interview with Neko. Though I would have loved to be able to meet Rufus as well, I had no complaints about having the opportunity to chat with Neko, as she’s been a personal hero of mine for at least 6 years. It took everything I had in me to not act out the part of the creepy #1 fan, but I managed to somehow keep myself together.
I won’t go into detail about the interview questions and answers, you’ll have to listen to Just off the Radar for that. I will say that Neko is one of the most down to earth, friendly people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. The fact that she agreed to the interview at all was surprising, considering a recent incident with a radio personality who badgered her for an interview then harassed her when she wasn’t able to work it into her schedule. Neko herself didn’t mention the incident, but I imagine she wasn’t overly excited at the notion of a radio interview after being so put-off, so it was certainly nice of her to lend her time. I will divulge the confirmation that there will be a New Pornographers tour in the fall when she’s done touring with Rufus (not that that’s a huge surprise with their new album coming out later this month). I’ll be watching for those tour dates.
Dinner
After walking around a bit we ended up deciding to get dinner at Hard Rock Cafe. My heart always sinks just a little when someone suggests eating at Hard Rock Cafe, but Joe had never been there before, and was interested in seeing a particular guitar he had heard was on display there. Who am I do deny anyone the opportunity to sit in an over-crowded restaurant with mostly crap music blaring way too loud while eating sub-par yet over-priced food? I’ll admit it’s kinda cool to see some of the items on display there, but in my old age I think I’m more inclined to see these items in a museum setting rather than Hard Rock. I’m not sure which made me feel older, the fact that I complained that the music was too loud or the fact that I didn’t recognize more than half of the music they were playing. We were able to escape while most of the staff and many of the patrons were dancing and singing along with YMCA. We hit the street and headed back to the Tabernacle with a sigh of relief.
Unfortunately for us, we completely missed A Fine Frenzy, the first act. We walked into the room just in time to see them exit the stage, so you’ll have to read about that part of the show elsewhere. As Neko and her band entered the stage we were very pleased to see that Mr. Orchid Fingers himself (or Jon Rauhouse as you may know him) and Georgia’s very own Kelly Hogan were there. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Rauhouse perform on several occasions back when I was in Arizona, and I have to say that seeing him play is worth the ticket price of anyone he’s touring with. My only complaint about Neko’s portion of the show was that her set went by way too fast, and there was really no chance of an encore. Of course I’d have been in heaven if they had kept playing all night and into the next day, so I’m sure any Neko Case set seems short to me, but still….
Though the Tabernacle is a stunningly gorgeous venue, the acoustics weren’t all I’d hoped them to be (though this could have had a great deal to do with where I was standing), so it was hard for me to hear a lot of what was being said between the songs. However, everything seemed to be perfectly tuned for the music, and hearing Neko sing still had the same chilling effect it always has on me. Her voice seems to resonate so well on certain notes that you just have to close your eyes and appreciate the pure and simple beauty of it. Her studio work is, of course, amazing, but to see her perform live outshines anything that could possibly come out of stereo speakers.
She played quite a few songs off of her most recent album, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, including Hold On, Hold On, Star Witness, That Teenage Feeling, and John Saw That Number. I also remember her playing Favorite (this is one of my very favorite songs to hear live) and Knock Loud, but those are the only ones I can say were definitely on the set list. If anyone out there remembers the lineup feel free to post it, cause it really was a fantastic set…I remember that much. I think at that point in the show I was already intoxicated just by hearing her sing again after at least 2 years without such pleasures. Thank you so much Neko!! I’m a creepy #1 fan for life.
After what seemed like forever (time enough for me to shimmy to the bar and get another drink or 2) Rufus entered the stage in the fashion of a true legendary stage star…band first, then the star’s grand entrance to cheering crowds a few moments later. Again, I’m unable to break down a complete set list for you, and I promise my next concert review will be at least a little more technical (meaning I’ll drink less and pay attention more). But here goes with an attempt at an overall review…First off, the whole thing was way more theatrical than what I had expected. It was much more reminiscent of a cabaret musical revue than a concert, which was really different and fun. I was somewhat disappointed that there wasn’t a single song played from either of his first 2 albums, but I understand that his older music wouldn’t have fit in with his current theme, so all is forgiven. The musical choices included quite a few mellow ballads that seemed more suited for an intimate setting with a smaller crowd, but if anyone can shut up a large crowd of people by singing soft and low, it’s Rufus.The only real stage deco (other than the band and Rufus himself…I’ll get into clothing in a minute) was a huge black and white “American” flag. Rufus explained that the black and white stripes represented everything that was bad about America. In place of stars were glittery icons that represented everything that was good. I wish I could have gotten a better look at it, because from my distance the only icons I could make out were a flower and a snowflake…the others were lost on me. As far as I could tell the other icons were a few glittery squares and amoebas. Still, it made the perfect backdrop for the playful wardrobes.
ACT I – Rufus sports a red and white striped suit and no shirt underneath (you know you have to be looking good to get by with this getup….and boy was he lookin’ goooood). He’s also got on a very thick and sparkly necklace and several glittery brooches or pins in various places on the suit. The band keeps with the stripes and sparkling brooches for an overall colorful effect you might expect to see in a Broadway production. Of course he opens with the title track off of his new album, Release the Stars. Rufus has gone on record saying that he’s going all out for this album, and really pushing it to make as much money as he possibly can off of it. It sure shows. You can immediately tell that he’s poured his heart and soul into this tour (his goal being to achieve pop godliness so he can move on to his opera, Prima Donna). This was my first time to hear Rufus live, and I have to admit that I was floored by the purity, strength and accuracy of his voice from the second he touched the mic. The first set included Art Teacher and Sanssouci, and finished with Between My Legs which included the local winner of his youtube contest doing the spoken word. It was certainly a roller coaster of a set, taking the audience through many ups and downs, then coming to a screeching halt for a set break that seemed to take a year (time for another drink).
ACT II – Enter Rufus in…….oh my god YES………..DER LEDERHOSEN!!! I think he might be the only man capable of making lederhosen look semi-sexy. I think it has something to do with his confidence that no matter what he’s wearing he can still bring the audience to their knees. When we should be in tears over his outfit, we’re actually just reacting to the powerful emotional pull of the music he’s making. Surprisingly enough, act 2 was even more dynamic than the first. There were some spectacular moments, including an opera-style (no mic) version of Macushla and 2 Judy Garland numbers. Before the Judy Garland tunes Rufus spouted my favorite quote of the evening…which went somewhat as follows: “A man wearing lederhosen singing Judy Garland tunes….I AM gay!” The set ended with 14th Street, and the guy playing the banjo (the band was spectacular, but due to time constraints on my part you’ll have to look elsewhere for names) played a refrain while everyone else exited the stage (he really was good).
ENCORE – Definitely worth staying for. I pity anyone who decided to leave before this last act was done. Rufus enters the stage for the last time wearing a fluffy, white terrycloth robe and sits down at the piano. The impression you get from this scene is that you’ve shown up at his house an hour too early for a dinner party and caught him in the shower or something. Rather than rudely sending you away or making you wait, the gracious host commences to entertaining you in his robe while you sip champagne on his sofa. That’s the impression I got at least, haha. Ok, so he sings 2 songs (I think), including a lovely rendition of Hallelujah with the vocal support of his sister, Lucy (what a musically talented family, my goodness), then he FINALLY breaks out the “jazz-hands” moment you’ve been half expecting to see all night. Rufus sits down on a chair in the center of the stage and starts pulling accessories out from somewhere (I was either too far back or too inebriated to see where they were coming from) and putting them on. First a sparkly ring, then matching earrings. Next he removes his shoes and replaces them with some black spike heels. Last, he pulls out the brightest, reddest shade of lipstick I’ve ever seen and proceeds to schlep it on while the crowd just roars. He loses the robe in dark while his band re-enters the stage donning tuxedos, and before we realize what’s going on Rufus is before us wearing a black suit jacket, black hat, and nothing on the bottom half except for some sheer black stockings (those sure are some long legs, Rufus). They proceed to do a fully choreographed routine, jazz hands and all. I realized as the number was in progress that we really needed it in order to complete the whole musical experience. It was like we were expecting it and not expecting it at the same time, which made it that much more surprising and pleasing to see. I don’t think that was just the alcohol talking, cause looking around, all I could see were smiling faces. Forgive me for not remembering for sure what the final song was, but I think it was Gay Messiah. I remember thinking that there was surely more to come, but then the lights came on and the crowd swarmed to the doors….all a’flutter with excitement.
This was truly a once in a lifetime experience, so if he hasn’t hit your town yet go buy your tickets now! Good news though for those of you who already missed or can’t make it to this show….the world has most definitely not seen the last of Rufus Wainwright.
A Fine Frenzy | myspace | website
Rufus Wainwright | myspace | website
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Rufus’ show in Austin, TX was also amazing. Thank you for your post!