I'd long wanted to see Will Oldham perform under whatever monicker and his appearance at the Queen E in Toronto more than satisfied expectations. The sound was immaculately balanced so that every nuance in the intricate arrangements could find its place in the mix. The venue lent itself to an intimacy befitting the sweet, strange and sometimes painfully sad tunes. But it was also a very lively, sometimes stomping performance, with Oldham twisting his figure into poses of countrified soul crooning and occasionally hooting. He was playful with the audience and even incorporating someone's sneeze into the improvised lyrics of a song. Perhaps most impressive was the band's manner of reworking old material into consistently interesting new ways which never felt arbitrary but rather rejuvenated. It would sometimes take a verse or two to even recognize the tune, but once you did you were drawn right back in to the occasionally cryptic but so frequently nakedly honest intentions of the work. A really magical night. I took a friend who was previously indifferent, even hostile to Oldham--she got a ticket at the last minute--and went home a total convert. Please, please, please return to Toronto. We're calling you back to a place beside us, or at least on our stages.