By: Jon Behm
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Inara George of The Bird and The Bee - Photo by Jon Behm
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Near the beginning of The Bird and the Bee’s set on Thursday night, singer Inara George remarked to the crowd, “It’s fun when people don’t come to your shows… but it’s a lot more fun when they do.” If audience numbers are any barometer of good times then George must have had a blast playing to a completely sold out Varsity Theater.
I was initially surprised to learn that The Bird and the Bee, the combination of George and keyboardist extraordinaire Greg Kurstin, have reached a level of popularity where they are selling out shows. However, once George wrapped her silky smooth voice around a few poppy hooks, I came to the realization that talent like that doesn't stay on the DL for too long.
Mixing an extremely catchy recipe of jazz and ‘60s bubblegum pop, B & the B had everyone swinging from side to side and singing along with the lyrics. While somewhat similar to other chanteuses like Leslie Feist or Sia, George brings her own modus operandi to the scene. She dresses like Mama Cass Elliott and fills her set with cute humor and F-bombs. She is also not afraid to push her voice up to and beyond its limits, and it brings an interesting “let’s keep it real” aspect to the show. For instance at the end of “I’m a Broken Heart,” George repeats the refrain “I’ll Try” over and over, higher and higher until she is well out of her vocal range. Rather than exposing vocal weakness, it literalizes what the song is all about, trying and trying, and ultimately failing.
While George was every bit the focal point of the show, Kurstin worked his own magic behind the scenes. His moment in the sun came on “Because,” where he worked some cat meows into the song’s Reggaeton inspired beat and did a little impromptu keyboard solo next to the mic.
“I Hate Camera” was just about as catchy a song as I have ever heard and the highlight of the evening (It also made me afraid to take any more pictures at the show). It is one of the more rock oriented songs in the band’s catalogue, and the duo had a great time with it. Unfortunately, it was towards the end of a somewhat short set, and before the audience knew it—the show was over.
George claimed to love Minneapolis, but “hates the fucking cold,” so hopefully we can expect her and Kurstin to return during the summer. I expect that they can probably fill a larger venue than the Varsity next time around, so I am glad I had the chance to see them under that intimate theater’s gorgeous lighting.
Stream My Fucking Boyfriend
Location Info:
The Varsity Theater
Artist Info: The Bird and the Bee
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