July 11, 2007
Cat Could Have Used A Bit More Power
Cat Power hit the stage at the Phoenix last night for her third Toronto show in less than a year. It was Torontoist’s first time seeing her live and after having waited a few years for the privilege, and hearing wonderful things about her shows of late, we were slightly let down.
But only slightly, and mostly for reasons beyond Chan Marshall’s control. With the Dirty Delta Blues Band, featuring Judah Bauer of Blues Explosion, backing her up, she opened with the gorgeous title track from her latest album, The Greatest. The song is a melancholy masterpiece, and last night’s version more than did it justice.
There are a few main types of live vocalists: lazy singers who don’t care how they sound, because they know people will show up anyway (Billy Corgan, we’re looking your direction), those who try but just don’t have it without the trusty help of Pro Tools and those lucky, gifted few who sound even better live than on wax. From the moment she started singing, it was evident that Cat Power is in the last group. Evident—but not quite clear, and that was the main problem last night.
The promise that the stellar opening song offered was squandered, thanks to a shoddy mix. Her voice, with its perfect balance of smoky grit and crystal clarity, was buried underneath the band. All night, we were straining to hear her and could only make out lyrics in small patches here and there.
It was an incredible shame, because Marshall has a knack for lyrics. She’s a woman who’s been to the edge and back, and her new record is a heartbreaking testament to that ("You’re supposed to have the answer/You’re supposed to have living proof/Well, I am your answer I am living," she croons on "Living Proof"). While her past shows have been legendary for their unpredictability and messiness—Marshall would often break down mid-show or abandon a song halfway through if she thought it wasn’t going well—the only faint hint of that last night was a couple of odd transitions between songs. Replacing the old, unsure Chan was a confident, charismatic performer who danced gracefully around the stage and sang with conviction.
The evening was a bluesy affair, with Marshall running through cover songs and tracks from The Greatest, which departed stylistically from her earlier releases. It would have been nice to balance the sound with the spare, stripped-down emotion of older songs like “Evolution” or "Free," though her performance of “The Moon” did help to fill that void, with its direct, heart-wrenching melody. Another high point was an uptempo cover of The Miracles’ hit “The Tracks Of My Tears”, which highlighted the fact that Marshall can hold her own among the giants of soul. As the crowd cheered in vain for an encore, it was obvious they agreed with her bandmate’s assertion that she’s “perhaps the greatest soul singer in the world today.” If only her voice had been given the prominence it deserved.
Photo by Word Freak.
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I've been to tons of shows. The last Cat Power show, featuring the Memphis Rhythmn Band, was one of the best shows I've ever seen.
I know you can't step in the same river twice, but I thought, why not give it a try?
Well I sank. The show was terrible. One of the worst I've seen.
And it wasn't her fault.
The night started off with Dex Womweber giving us a hint of things to come: in a sense, the words dull and hot come to mind. But hold on! It wasn't poor Dex's fault. In fact, he and his sister played a killer set. I thought he was going to collapse any minute because he was such a ball of energy. Remember the White Stripes? Well, let's just Dex and his sister were the one's using a two piece while lil' ol Jack White was still a twinkle in his parent's eye, and not the other way around. Dex, if your reading this, thanks. And I'm sorry Toronto is such a tightass, lame crowd. They should have been thankful you graced them with real indie rockabilly music. But who are they to know? They're too busy bowing down to the gods of Broken Social Scene and Feist.
Two parties were to blame. Toronto, being what Toronto is, stood still during his entire set with its arms crossed. Didn't you all pay 35 dollars a piece to enjoy yourselves? Didn't you realize someone was playing his heart out in front of you. Didn't you see he was the real deal and not some overproduced indie act? Well, judging by your behavior, I guess you didn't.
The other party to blame, aside from the crowd, were the bastards at the Phoneix. They oversold the venue and packed everyone in without adding any air conditioning. By the time Chan hit the stage the place was a sauna. All of the band members, particularly the bassist (the poor soul had a jacket on), kept wiping themselves off with a towel, after, or during, the set. Not taking the day's into consideration - it hit 42 - was a disservice to the crowd, who had to suffer through the night, and especially the band. How would you like to play under those hot lights when its that unbearable to begin with?
And guess what? There wasn't an encore - I don't know who was more tired and hot, the band or the audience. As I was walking out, a homeless man asking for change asked how the show was to the people emptying the hall. "Hot" replied a guy putting change into his plastic cup.
I think he summed up the night in one word.
Toronto, being what Toronto is, stood still during his entire set with its arms crossed.
One of my favourite show anecdotes is from when I was at a show at the Reverb. Someone in the band asked, "Why are you guys so quiet?" One person in the crowd yelled back, "It's Toronto!" and a third person piped up, "Yeah, listen to me fold my arms!"
As for the heat, I think that was why I saw people sleeping up in the balcony. You could tell at the end for Chan's set that everyone had wanted to be enthusiastic, but the just didn't have the energy to sustain it for the whole show.
Still, my biggest beef was the sound. I honestly only understood about 10% of what she sang.