The Orpheum Theatre is one of my favourite venues to attend any show. The majesty of the building always sets the table for an evening full of treats.
Opener Sudan Archives was amazing. Great sound, stage presence worthy of any performer, period.
She immediately demanded an arriving audiences attention with a compelling display of talent both physically and musically that few openers are capable of commanding. I for one, felt impressed and thoroughly enlightened by such exuberance.
A joy to behold. She has a new follower of her music with me.
Caroline Polachek gave on the other hand, a very calculated performance. Don't get me wrong here, she delivered a solid show which I had the feeling I would be seeing if I were to attend any date on the tour.
However, the choice of isolating her band behind scenery lent itself to a lack of spontaneity of which interaction would only have enhanced the overall dynamics of the show.
Her voice is one of the reasons I was in attendance and was disappointed with the overall sound mix into the theatre. Ms Polachek was muddied at best with full band often getting completely lost.
Thankfully my anticipation was proven in the two more intimate numbers to resonate with the chilling effect that amply displayed the purity and playfulness it possesses.
The crowds enthusiasm lifted a somewhat pedestrian performance from Caroline that certain aspects need to be reconsidered to lift her obvious talent to a higher ground than the one I witnessed on Monday, May 10th.
That said, I realize it's a long long road she is on.