DC Concert Oct 28 - What happened?

Right on Spiff. It has nothing to do with an artist adopting some slick Vegas pesona or a bevy of canned one-liners. It's about them representing their music. I've seen Rickie Lee Jones & Stevie Ray Vaughan ripped out of their gord...but the music/art never suffered & they didn't distract us with an attempt to chit chat.

Again after literally 100's of live shows over 30 years...I've never seen people leaving in droves midway through a show, a show of an artist that they have supported with record/CD sales. Stale performance aside, she was blatantly pissed with the venue...and the crowd put up with her in-between song ramblings. How do we sit back & relax as TomKWS suggests, when she is distracting us from the music???

I believe she has had plently of "on" peformances...Portland Oregon wasn't one of them!

I have been following this forum for a while and first posted after seeing Madeleine perform at Town Hall here in New York.  It was one of the most enjoyable live performances I have been to at Town Hall - the combination of Odetta and then Madeleine was, for me, perfect. 

I find the debate that that is ongoing in this forum curious.   Curious as it seems that there are two camps both of which it seems are want to convert the other.  There are those of us that appreciate understated performance, can as TomKWS asked us to do sit back and relax, with no expectations and find it.  Value the performance for what it is and savour the music.  There are others that want the whole shabang, want to see a star, a diva, polished and poised with all the bells and whistles and when they don't get it, some seem a little resentful and angry at the performer.  Speculating and adding commentary that I feel claims and demand too much.

It is clear that Madeleine's style is not for all.  That's okay isn't it? I don't care much for Jamie Cullum's over the top forced performance style and probably won't see him again live.  I too dislike the sacchrined veneer of super polished performers, you never quite know what is real and what is not.  But, this is my own preference.

I for one will definitely see Madeleine live again, and look forward to her return to the NY area. 

Best   Daisy 

I’m not sure either what was going on at the DC show. It was my first time seeing Peyroux live, so I have nothing to compare the show to.

One person opined in this forum that maybe Lisner Auditorium was too large or not intimate enough for Peyroux. I don’t think that is the case. Lisner is a very intimate venue, and when I saw Jackson Browne there on his solo tour about two years ago, it was like sitting in his living room listening to him play requests for friends.

As others have noted, Peyroux did seem a bit disjointed during the first few numbers. She sounded almost like she might be hyperventilating. I hate to admit it, but the thoughts crossed my mind during the first 10 minutes: Is she drunk/high? Or, is she like Carly Simon and suffers from stage fright?

Further, after the long lull (about 45 minutes) between the brief opening act and the appearance of Peyroux on stage, her first comments to the audience were simply the trite “How are you all doing tonight?” – and she waited until after the second song to say that. I would’ve expected something less generic like, “Sorry about the wait” or “Did you think we weren’t going to show?” or even something like “So, we’ll find out if it’s better late than never.”

Perhaps she was just having a bad day/night. After all, it happens to all of us sometimes. Plus, she has been on tour for a while, and the weather in DC that Friday night was miserable – a steady, cold autumn rain. Either of those two elements could take a toll on health, in general, and the larynx, in specific. To her credit, she labored on like a pro. One thing that seemed to help is  a warm, enthusiastic audience, and she appeared to warm to their vibe as the show went on. There is no question that she is an incredible singer with enviable phrasing and “feel” for her songs. Plus, I’d rather hear an artist of Peyroux’s stature struggle with her own voice and persevere on what might have been a challenging night for her than listen to non-talents like Britney or Ashlee lip-synch.  The longer the show went (it clocked in at about 85 minutes, including the encore), the better Peyroux got. By the time she got to Randy Newman’s “I Think It’s Gonna Rain Today” at the one-hour mark there was incredible poignancy in her voice.

The concert leaned heavily on songs from her new CD. I would’ve liked to have heard “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go” and “Walking After Midnight” (especially since Patsy Cline’s roots are in nearby Winchester, Va., and Cline’s first major exposure came via Jimmy Dean’s TV show from DC). But

I too was somewhat disappointed in the DC show.  The warm up singer did 6 peculiar songs and people in my section thought that he was a mistake.  45 minutes elapsed and Peyroux came on.

She looked disheveled and her timing was terrible on Blue Alert.  Her voice seemed horse.  I had the general impression that she was late to the gig.  To her credit, she got more and more comfortable as the show progressed and whatever issues she had with the first songs dissipated as the show continued.   Her band was extraordinary. 

I was disappointed on several fronts.  First, I don't think she played anything from Dreamland.  Second, her set was relatively short with 1 quick encore.  Third, she is somewhat awkward in her comments to the crowd.  Her comments between songs were odd.  In addition, she seems to have let herself go physically.  She has gained weight since I saw her two years ago.  Despite a challenging show, she and the band still had some magnificent numbers where her phraseology, timing, and voice were stunning.  Highlights were Smile, Careless Love, songs from the new CD in general, and the Cohen song.

My conclusion is that Lisner with several thousand seats was too big for her and the band and that something was wrong with the start of the show.  I will see her again but would rather see her in a more intimate setting (several hundred not thousand).  She is truly gifted but not a polished performer.  Listening to her music on a rainy Sunday is the best way to enjoy her talent.  The show had moments of greatness but was uneven.  She seems like a great person and i was happy some of the ticket proceeds were going to the homeless.