Cat Power @ the 9:30 Club
Source: morecowbell.net
I had the pleasure of attending Cat Power & the Memphis Rhythm Band last night at the 9:30 Club. Disclaimer: I’ve not seen Cat Power before, so I should probably be thankful this was my first show, because I thought it was very good.
With all of the stories of how Chan has terrible nervous breakdowns during her shows, I was a little anxious about the show. Although, from what I saw, it definitely appears that touring with the band and cleaning up has helped Chan calm her nerves. The Band opened with a little solo number, “Soul Serenade” that lasted for quite awhile before welcoming Cat Power to the stage. Chan looked very calm at the beginning of the show. Tea in hand, she was ready to croon a note or two with her haunting voice. Chan’s voice just gets the very bottom of my soul. The intimacy she portrays is incredibly unique and it grinds me to a halt anytime I hear her.
The Cat Power set opened with familiar numbers off her latest; the title track “The Greatest,” followed by “Living Proof,” and “Lived in Bars.” Everyone looked like they were really enjoying themselves and Chan didn’t look too nervous at this point. With the opening set composed entirely of tracks from The Greatest, Chan was showing her comfort level with the MRB and the show progressed very nicely. While, her dance moves were almost comical at times, it was clearly an attempt to stave off the onset of nerves, and I say that she should do whatever works to perform well. She ended her set with a duet on “Where Is My Love?” with the rather raspy-voiced male vocalist of the Memphis Rhythm band (sorry, couldn’t catch his name).
After another MRB track, “Since You Been Gone,” and sorry, it was not the Kelly Clarkson, which I’m sure everyone else was hoping for as much as I was…Cat Power came back on stage for the solo portion of the show. I was disappointed that only “I Don’t Blame You” was played from You Are Free, but the second set was great over-all. Chan’s nerves held up for the most part, until later in the set, when she decided it was time to loosen her jeans’ button. For what, we were not to know until the end of the show when Chan announced, “Don’t believe what they say about skinny jeans, they don’t work.”
The Band joined Cat Power for a very amusing cover of the current favorite-song-to-cover, “Crazy” ala Gnarls Barkley. After a great jazz number, “Anything But Love,” Chan came out for one last song. Unfortunately, here’s where things went the way of the typical Cat Power show, as I understand them to be. After a few small mistakes, her nerves were lost and she apologized for “sucking.” “I suck, I’ve been sucking all day,” to which the crowd refuted. After finishing the track and apologizing, Chan departed the stage with the house lights arising. It’s unfortunate that she had to go out on that, but I was pleased with the show as a whole. I felt “Crazy” would have been a great bookend, but it is what it is.
Chan emerged back on stage after a few minutes with her bouquet and started passing and tossing flowers out to audience members as they were departing the venue. It was a sweet gesture, one that unfortunately, I think was another apology for mistakes during her playing. Although, I appreciate having a flower from Chan on my desk!
I have to say that I have a lot of respect for Cat Power. After all the negative reviews she gets because of her anxiety, she’s still at it and clearly working hard to overcome them. It seems to me, she must care about putting on a great show for people, and I appreciate that.
