Mmmmm....Feist-y!

I left last night’s Feist show at Metropolis thinking “it’s early, I have some solid observations about this show, and thus, I will review this it for my blog RIGHT when I get home!”. Upon my exit, I had just begun to recollect and reflect upon the performances of the various numbers, formulate my thoughts, and was on the verge of mentally grading her performance.

Then, I stepped outside.

The one thing that really distracts me from my own thoughts, is a possible flight from safety. Now that you have a clear understanding of this, I’m hoping you can forgive me for not remembering every nuance of this show, as my safety was put in peril by completely frozen sidewalks. The forecast earlier in the day called for freezing rain, and the weatherman’s prediction became a reality while I was inside watching this concert.. As I stepped outside, my thoughts about how hot Feist is evaporated, and were replaced by the terror I was experiencing as a result of wearing very flat-soled shoes on a sheet of ice. The great thing about shows at Metropolis, is that it’s about a 5 minute walk to the venue from my apartment. The bad thing is that if we are faced with inclement weather which hits the city while I am inside the venue, I am stuck walking home in it. Snow isn’t a problem at all to walk home in. Rain is a bit more of a hassle. The cold just plain sucks, but none of these is really a big deal. However, frozen sidewalks will triple time of the walk home, and if you happen to slip on the hard, frozen concrete, it’s going to hurt. To complicate matters I live on uphill sloped street. When I am describing the location of my apartment to people, they all realize where I am, and to obtain confirmation regarding their own understanding, they will state to me “Oh, you’re up the hill, eh?”.

Thankfully, I only slipped once. No real injuries or pain. It was a pretty stressful walk. But the moment I got into the building, I decided I was going to attempt to re-gather my thoughts, and pound out the review I initially was gung-ho to write. And this is it. Ready? If you’re not, go take a break. Five minutes, ten minutes, an hour – it will be back here when you come back to the screen. If you are ready, read on.

I’ve owned Feist’s second (and breakthrough) disc “Let It Die” since the summer. By that time, she had already reaped heaps of critical acclaim, and has practically been anointed Canada’s leading lady of indie rock, and quite possibly, the queen of the global indie rock kingdom. Between her solo efforts, and her status as a part time member of Broken Social Scene, she has become indie rock’s “it” girl. Moreover, she recently re-mixed her cover of the Bee Gees’ tune “Inside and Out”, and it’s been all over mainstream radio playlists. So, it didn’t surprise me when they decided to move the show from the originally-slated venue of Le Spectrum, down the street to the more spacious Metropolis.

Her disc wasn’t hard to like. She has this amazingly beautiful voice, and she has a natural allure in voice and appearance. It wasn’t hard to convince myself to buy a ticket to her live show either.

She came onstage, looking out at the crowd, while shaking arms, hips, neck, and head. This was before a single note was played by her or her band. This said to me that this lady was ready to perform. Moreover, when you see her do this, you can tell she is going to enjoy herself over the course of the next 90 minutes. Or at least, she will make you think that she is going to enjoy herself.

The woman looks far better in person than she does on an album cover or in press shots. She has 3-4 backing band members, and I was completely unaware about how much guitar she plays. Switching between a huge Gibson guitar (take a look at these pics – NOT from the last night’s show), Feist enthusiastically proceeded to charm the audience for the next hour and a half.

If you were looking for a show that will keep you dancing the whole night, this was not the show for you. The music is very relaxing & soothing, as much of it is built around Feist’s lush, yet fragile vocals. Her style can be described as a mixture of crooning and warbling, all with an underlying air of seduction. She played a mixture of stuff from “Let It Die”, and a number of tunes from what I assume will be her new album. People who love “Mushaboom”, “Secret Heart”, and (a modestly rearranged) “When I Was a Young Girl” would have gotten exactly what they paid to see. Where there may have been a disappointment, was with “Inside and Out”. This was part of her encore, where she announced something to the effect of “This song is going to a masquerade ball”. Of course, I had NO clue what she was talking about. The song started off boring, slow, and Feist on electric guitar. By the time the chorus rolled around, it was obvious she had really slowwwwed down what is most likely her most recognizable and popular number. It was no longer the danceable, catchy tune that may very well have been responsible for many a ticket-sale. I’m curious to know to what degree this upset people (and if it didn’t upset anyone, I have greatly underestimated her fan base, in which case I apologize).

All in all (bad bar service at Metropolis notwithstanding), I enjoyed this show. It certainly isn’t an all-time personal favorite as far as memorable concerts go, but Mlle. Feist was definitely worth the price of admission.