k.d.lang. We are both old
Feb. 15th, 2005 11:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jawnbcSo we went to see k.d. lang à la maison de l'Opera last night. Having grooved on her recent paen to la musique canadienne over the past several months, I was very much looking forward to the show. I've seen her once before--during the Ingénue/I'm a Lesbian tour in the early 90s. And totally grooved out, even though I didn't know a lot of her schtuff.
I'm reaffirming my allegiance to La Vraie Diva Canadienne Céline Dion. Désolé, Kathy Dawn.
Why? Well, in a word, she's no longer a hunka-hunka burning performer. She walked around a bit, did the hokey pokey now and then, but for the most part she just sang. No, to be fair, she fairly belted out the songs, note perfect, for about 75 minutes. No small feat, in a world with so many fallen (and faux) Idols. But a few more uptempo songs would've made a big difference. Such as any of the stuff from Absolute Torch and Twang, which is methinks by far her best work. Can I get a "big boned gal" or mayvbe one "luck in my eyes?" Apparently not.
*pout*
Of the new album, she sang about half. She did both Jane Siberry tracks (yay), both Leonard Cohen (yay/d'oh, I think her "Bird on a Wire" is tepid, though "Hallelujah" is, well, glorious), but no Joni Mitchell. Since she didn't attempt either on her "unpluggish" concert on MusiMax a few months ago, I think maybe she's reticent to attempt something sacred like "A case of you" live? A shame, because it's arguably the strongest track on the record--or maybe Neil Young's "After the Goldrush" is. Which she also didn't sing, opting instead for "helpless." Yay for that, 'tis also a good'un.
It was also k.d. and the Sydney Symphony: if you're gonna bother to bring a whole freakin' symphony along, at least get some arrangements that fully exploit that sound. We had very good seats, but it was more than a bit thin.
About halfway through, however, it occured to me that I'd last seen her over a dozen years ago. She's older, as am I. I wouldn't've been the powerball she was back at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Hongcouver back then. And certainly not today. So I realized I was being something of a vâche.
Because, even if I found her stage presence less compelling, she was note-perfect. Not a smidgen off, pitch-wise. Always in tune. If that sort of thing turns your crank, you might consider your ticket $$ well spent.
I'm reaffirming my allegiance to La Vraie Diva Canadienne Céline Dion. Désolé, Kathy Dawn.
Why? Well, in a word, she's no longer a hunka-hunka burning performer. She walked around a bit, did the hokey pokey now and then, but for the most part she just sang. No, to be fair, she fairly belted out the songs, note perfect, for about 75 minutes. No small feat, in a world with so many fallen (and faux) Idols. But a few more uptempo songs would've made a big difference. Such as any of the stuff from Absolute Torch and Twang, which is methinks by far her best work. Can I get a "big boned gal" or mayvbe one "luck in my eyes?" Apparently not.
*pout*
Of the new album, she sang about half. She did both Jane Siberry tracks (yay), both Leonard Cohen (yay/d'oh, I think her "Bird on a Wire" is tepid, though "Hallelujah" is, well, glorious), but no Joni Mitchell. Since she didn't attempt either on her "unpluggish" concert on MusiMax a few months ago, I think maybe she's reticent to attempt something sacred like "A case of you" live? A shame, because it's arguably the strongest track on the record--or maybe Neil Young's "After the Goldrush" is. Which she also didn't sing, opting instead for "helpless." Yay for that, 'tis also a good'un.
It was also k.d. and the Sydney Symphony: if you're gonna bother to bring a whole freakin' symphony along, at least get some arrangements that fully exploit that sound. We had very good seats, but it was more than a bit thin.
About halfway through, however, it occured to me that I'd last seen her over a dozen years ago. She's older, as am I. I wouldn't've been the powerball she was back at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Hongcouver back then. And certainly not today. So I realized I was being something of a vâche.
Because, even if I found her stage presence less compelling, she was note-perfect. Not a smidgen off, pitch-wise. Always in tune. If that sort of thing turns your crank, you might consider your ticket $$ well spent.
