I first heard about Cat Power through a co-worker. All we ever talk about is music, and I love that. He has unusual taste and every time without fail, he mentions someone I've never heard of before and I end up a huge fan. I have to interview him routinely: "So, what are you listening to these days?" Pen and paper in hand, I’m ready to research whatever he says. When you turn me on to stuff like Cat Power, you earn a few points in the opinion department!
I love seeing shows at the Showbox. I think it's quite possibly the perfect music venue. I don't mean to compare it to the likes of an opera hall or dramatic theatre, where there is a utilization of visual and acoustical enhancement out of the Box's league. I mean that it's perfect for an intimate performance. Given the circular orientation of the main floor, it's difficult to find a bad spot, and you're never too far from the stage.
I've been quietly but madly anticipating this show since I bought the ticket a couple of months ago. It's been nice to have the lead time to bone up, as I did with The Greatest, lots of YouTube clips and articles. Drew got to see them at the Gypsy Tea Room in Dallas back in September. I haven't been there myself, but it sounds like an equally ideal setting for such an intimate show, and he raved and raved about them.
Since they didn't have an opener, I got there in time for a couple of bevs and to get a good spot by the stage. Right around the time I was getting antsy, members of the The Memphis Rhythm Band started to trickle in and take their places: drums, bass, rhythm guitar, sax, trumpet, cello, piano/organ and two back-up singers, the first of whom was a beautiful, voluptuous black woman who lent her rich velvety voice to the gospel tone. (There are fewer things I love more than the deep rolling vibrato, earth-shattering lows, and elongated, climaxing highs of a gospel woman’s voice. Spinal chills. Every. Time. I can’t tell you how close I’ve come to joining a gospel church just to hear them sing.) They warmed up the audience with a couple of instrumental jams, and made their introductions (which were none too shabby with inclusions like blues great Teenie Hodges).
At this point, I’m thinking, "Man, this is great for her image!" Everyone in the audience was anticipating her arrival, anxious to witness whatever the night would bring, which could be anything! I've heard enough stories about her stage fright and performance inconsistency that my curiosity was peaked. And there was even the allegedly bad night at the Showbox about three years ago, to add to the dramatic element. But the interesting thing I've gathered through the hearsay of other fans is that even if it's an off night for Cat Power, it still beats a lot of other bands on a good night, and if they had it to decide again, they wouldn't change a thing. They would choose the bad show again. That's intriguing to me. It's very telling of character.
And character she had in spades.
Out she crept to The Greatest. I had an inkling they would choose that to open and was thrilled to finally hear it live. It’s a song that I can, and do, listen to over and over and over again. I play it in the car and try to emulate the rich, smoky texture of her voice that is so painfully expressive.
Then came Living Proof, No. 1 & 2 on the album, and my two favorite songs. Living Proof is upbeat where The Greatest (song) is piano-ballad melancholy, and in the transition between the two, she humored us with her adorable chicken-dance shuffle-y move that made everyone cheer.
Where is my love? was so quiet, so beautiful, no one made a sound. With just her and piano, the audience and I hung on her every note like we were waiting for our next breath. She had a way of stretching each note and the distance between to such a point that we were practically breathless with anticipation. Teenie came to the mic at the end of the song; they put their arms around each other and sang. She took out a lighter and held it up to more cheering, delicately blew out the flame, kissed Teenie and they hugged sweetly.
The band left the stage, and she took a seat and played a song on the guitar. Unfortunately, she felt like she had to barf, as she said repeatedly. She said, “If I barf, just look the other way.” She would occasionally throw her head over and hold it in her hands, hair falling before her. The band returned and they played a fraction of a song until she just couldn’t do it anymore. They vamped for a bit, but it didn’t look like she would return. So, exhausted from the previous night’s activities, I left. I got what I needed. I know that I will be back to see *Chan Marshall, a.k.a. Cat Power, again and again.
From the video clips I’d seen on YouTube, I gathered an idea of her stage presence, but lost no joy from that in seeing it live for the first time. She continually tugged on her jeans and complained how she bought the wrong size. Outside of her deep and searching soulfulness, her actions are bubbly, light, elvin, and refreshingly down to earth. Her exchanges with each band member were soft, loving and utterly reverent. In her music is longing without sadness, joy in darkness, and ease on the ears and heart.
*I’m aware that she pronounces Chan like Shawn, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for word play (in the title)!
