Neko Case (4/1/07)



I think this past weekend might have been the best weekend ever. Without boring you with the details, it was definitely a work-hard / play-harder weekend... and capping it all off was Neko Case on Sunday night. In fact, by the time the show came around, I almost wasn't in the mood because I was so tired... but I'll never be that tired (for Neko).

I've also gotten D listening to Neko, so it was great to see him excited about this show as well. It had sold-out a couple weeks ago, so we were lucky in getting tickets in time. I knew from her last show that this would sell out too. We got there early to grab a bite to eat in the Tavern, and then heading over to the Ballroom for some drinks while Jon Rauhouse was opening. Checking him out prior to the show, he didn't really strike a chord me (steel & hawaiian guitarist)... besides, I wanted to save my limited standing power for Neko.

While waiting for her to go on, a disheveled woman walks out on stage, with her hair up and a sweater on to test the guitars... Instantly people start whipping out their cameras and start snapping away. At first I couldn't even tell if it was Neko, but I guess the voluminous red hair gave it away. Still, she never lifted her head and was obviously not performing, so why the barrage of photographs (emphasis on barrage)? A little while later, she showed up ready to perform, and then she quickly had to tell people that she's fine with photos, but people can't actually record the show. Then after another song she proceeded to pick someone out who you could tell was recording because of the constant red light staring at her. She handled it all quite gracefully... Being that I love taking pics at shows, these people were just rabid and obnoxious. But I digress...

The performance itself was great... But by great, I mean better than most shows I see - but not living up to what I've seen Neko give before. They had admitted to still trudging along on the tour of her Fox Confessor Brings the Flood album, and equated the band to being "stallions dragging the carriage across the prairie" (or something like that). You could tell they didn't have that spark, but as tired as they may have been, they still put on a solid performance. Neko was a charming, and belting out with that booming voice as always. It was a great performance, and I'm anxiously awaiting her next album & tour!

Check out my previous Neko posts:
Neko Case Live on DVD (and much more...)
Stream the New Neko Case Album! (still active)

Posted: Wed - April 4, 2007 at 12:41 PM           |

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