By: Mary Rea
Sometimes a rising star and the ideal venue collide and an audience experiences a concert that stands out in individual and collective memory. Regina Spektor’s recent appearance at The Varsity Theater in Minneapolis was one of those occasions.
The intimate, vaudevillian Varsity, the only Twin Cities venue decorated to reflect not only its past but the current resurgence of cabaret sensibility and nightclub decadence, was the ideal setting for this remarkable singer/songwriter’s appearance.
Opening for Ms. Spektor was New York’s Only Son (http://www.onlysonmusic.com/). In a mostly acoustic set that featured folksy tunes straight from coffee house culture and a few upbeat numbers that Only Son’s Jack Dishel played smoothly with triggered backing
tracks, he demonstrated a self-deprecating charm that appeased the crowd in the sold-out venue, barely able to hide its expectation for Ms. Specktor.
Immediately establishing rapport with the audience, Ms. Spektor shyly walked onstage (amid adoring screams) and using her finger on the mic to accompany herself she opened the show solo and continued on keyboard through a highly satisfying set of songs from her new album, Begin to Hope, along with favorites from last year’s Soviet Kitsch.
Ms. Spektor’s distinctive vocal sound and shimmering fluency were more akin to bel canto than pop stylings and her playful, but always pure, delivery on songs such as “Poor Little Rich Boy: (where she alternated on keys and drumsticks), “On The Radio” and “Sailor Song” garnered enthusiastic laughter as well as applause.
Her use of vocal dynamics and emotional shading were particularly evident on “Apres Moi”, “Carbon Monoxide” and “Field Below”, a song that epitomizes the bittersweet
complexity of her songwriting on Begin to Hope and during which the audience was completely silent.
Her new band from Begin to Hope joined her onstage for the second half of the show and handled the job seamlessly, a perfect foil for the captivating Ms. Spektor. The soundman achieved nirvana with vocals perched atop a near perfect balance of guitars, drums and keys. “Fidelity,” “Edit” and “Better” were highlights.
For the encore, Ms. Spektor delighted the crowd with a riveting “Ghost of Corporate Future”, as well as “Us” and “Hotel” (with the band). A show-stopping rendition of “Samson” was punctuated hysterically by an abrupt stop when she lost the lyric, laughed, said shit, and apologized, claiming to have downed four espressos in an effort to avoid such an occurrence.
It was a reminder that this stunning songwriter/performer is only human, something it was easy to forget that night. Don’t kick yourself if you missed it, just be prepared to buy a ticket early next time and at a larger venue.
Location Info:
The Varsity Theater
Artist Info: Regina Spektor
Share this story:
Article comments powered by Disqus