I don't even know where to begin. Cat Power (aka Chan Marshall) is an American singer song-writer who performed at the Vogue theater two days ago supporting her new album Sun after a six year hiatus. It was definitely the strangest show I've ever seen but at the same time it was heart-rending and a whole new level of beautiful.
I guess I'll start with the strangeness. I read Chan's biography several years ago and was aware that she is known for erratic performances and extreme stage fright (in her early days she performed entire shows facing away from the audience). I know she's had some psychotic breaks and some substance abuse issues as well. When she came on stage her movements were very strange, she kept pulling at her shirt awkwardly and even rambling incoherently between songs. After a particularly beautiful song she would apologize for not being good enough and at one point she stopped half way through a song, deciding she didn't feel like playing it.
Chan was the most insecure musician I ever seen on stage burdened with crippling stage fright, but when the music started and she began singing it was the most beautiful thing. I burst into tears during Sea of Love, and l was not the only one. I could feel the entire audience almost holding their breath and even refraining from taking many photos to as not to scare away this beautiful and delicate creature we were all so fortunate to witness give everything of herself on stage despite her discomfort.
Chan only played three songs from the new album; Cherokee, Manhattan and Nothing But Time which all sounded fantastic. Her live performance of The Greatest and I Don't Blame You was very different than the heart-rending ballads found on the album. They were almost unrecognizable except for the lyrics and were transformed into powerhouses of drums, electric guitar and stronger vocals. Maybe this is a reflection of a personal transformation from the time she wrote the songs. She also performed several covers of artists such as Billie Holiday, Patsy Cline, and Hank Williams as well as a gorgeous Italian song. When an audience member requested 'I found a reason' she frankly told him she hasn't played it in 15 years and can't remember how to play it. She sent her band away for the last few songs so it was just her and her electric guitar which was my favourite part of the evening. She kept mentioning how she had no idea how long she'd been playing for or how long she was supposed to play for and ended up playing for almost three hours but no one was complaining and I think we were all hoping she would never stop. There was no encore or anything, she simply ended with a french song that she used to play on the streets of Paris while begging for money and then the lights then came on and she stepped into the crowd to sign people's records.
Although I would have loved to have heard 'Good Woman', 'Colors and the kids', and 'Maybe Not', I realize that she has so many songs and there's no way she could play everyone's favourites. It did seem like a strange mix of songs that she chose though however it matches perfectly to her performing style - completely unpredictable and beautiful at the same time.
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