Lucinda Williams -- Rock Country GoddessI managed to be one of the lucky sort of few to see Lucinda Williams at the Ryman the other night. A friend of mine had scored some free tickets through a co-worker, and so we went. The Ryman is the best place in town to see a show due to its history. Most performers are honored to do a gig there since it was the original home of the Grand Ole' Opry back in the day. This coupled with amazing acoustics and weird stained glass windows and church pews create a strangely beautiful ambience. I've seen a couple of shows there since last year, most notably David Byrne (which still may be the best show I've EVER seen) and the Pixies (which was sort of unholy madness in this pseudo church). So anyway, a chance to see Lucinda Williams there was especially enticing. She delivered the goods beyond any expectations I could have had. The way in which she would sing about love and loss and expectation in such an exposed manner... it was beautiful to watch. Raw doesn't even begin to describe her. She played lots of old stuff, and also a bunch of new songs - and it was so stirring that I can't wait until the new album comes out. Highlights included "Fruits of my Labor," "Reason to Cry," "Jailhouse Tears," and "Joy," and "What If."
Truly Dissappointed, Truly Truly Truly...There was buildup. There was expectation. There was a line that I stood in for an hour that felt like it was going to a theme park or the jaws of death. There were hipsters everywhere, some hipper than others, some trying harder than others, all pretty equally annoying (and for the most part, young). This of course, was the prelude to seeing Sufjan Stevens, whose latest offering
C'mon Feel the Illinois(e) has been blowing up on college radio all summer. Unfortunately for yours truly, I'd bought a ticket to this show. It sold out, almost surprisingly. The album is taut and lovely, beats moving around, clapping that happens, etc. The show, on the other hand, was nothing short of disappointing. Perhaps it was the long long long wait. (Why the crowd control wasn't better, I've no idea. This place had put on a slew of shows, why the line this time?) Perhaps it was my two friends who were in a fight almost all night, and when they weren't they were gooingly sweet and couply to one another. Perhaps it was the hipsters shussing people who were too loud at this rock show. Or perhaps, and most gratingly, it was the fact that dear dear Sufjan sounded just like his record, deviating not at all. And that his band of merry men and women did cheers on stage. I didn't want college football, I wanted a rock show. And this was so emo so blisteringly agonizingly emo that I wanted to leave at halftime. So in the words of Morrissey, Truly disappointing, truly truly truly....ahhhhhh ahhhhh.
