You go out like a riptide
Published by keith on 4.16.2008 at 16:10So last night was the big indie pop show at the Somerville Theater. I took Tim to see Laura Gibson and Colin Meloy for his birthday.
Laura Gibson was all kinds of delicate. It was good - above average, but SO quiet. I tried to imagine any kind of live setting where her performance would work well and couldn't. Lots of quiet strumming, vocals just barely above a whisper and plenty of false endings and silent moments. It was real easy to both distract and get distracted.
Colin Meloy came on at 8:35 and was he dreamy? Stage presence to die for. I bet he tastes like candy. While the Decemberists LOVE to play dress up, last night Colin was quite Saturday afternoon.
The show itself was great. I liked hearing songs like "The Perfect Crime No. 2" stripped down. I liked hearing songs I'd never thought I'd hear live like "Of Angels and Angles". I liked the new song, I liked the banter, I liked the Sam Cooke cover.
What I didn't like, and this isn't really Colin's fault, were his fans. It reminds me that "fan" is short for "fanatic" and some of those kids ain't right. The best example was when he closed with "The Mariner's Revenge Song", which went on FOREVER and required more audience participation than The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which all the sweatered and bespectacled kids around me were happy to do.
I'm glad I went to the show - if Tim hadn't been such a fan I might not have even bothered. I don't know if I'll go anymore [two Decemberists and now one Colin solo show under my belt] as the weeping teenage girls kind of make my skin crawl. WHO AM I KIDDING I AM TOTALLY A WEEPING TEENAGE GIRL.
SANJAYA!