Showmanship

August 8th, 2004 · No Comments

Neither Rufus Wainwright nor Wilco really qualifies as ‘folk’ in my book, but kudos (remember Kudos Granola Bars? They certainly didn’t have Snickers chunks in them in my day…) to those responsible for lining them up for the last day of the Newport Folk Festival today. And maybe the same person was responsible for the weather, too, because that was just as good as the lineup: clear, warm, and breezy, otherwise known as perfect.

It was my first Folk Fest experience, and Aimee’s first without the Indigo Girls. We met Josh and Adam there, and enjoyed the coolers of food and bev we brought, though we were tempted by the pad thai, “48 Hour Chicken,” and Ben and Jerry’s selections that were available on-site.

The day started with a ten mile run, my second this week, which was actually pretty ok; maybe I will finish this marathon after all. We drove, very slowly, to Fort Adams, not far from the sit of our wedding, eleven months from tomorrow (yikes), and arrived in the middle of Doc Watson’s set, which was filled with impressive finger-picking and some great blues tunes. Joan Osborne was next, and we got to thinking about a “one-hit wonder” tour and how that would work. She was fine, not really my cup of tea, but harmless. nff_rufus.jpgRufus Wainwright was next up, and I was happy to finally see him after many years of bad timing, missed shows, and the painful fiasco of two years ago in which I missed the concert because the date was printed incorrectly on the ticket. He was dressed in navy whites befitting the Newport locale, attempting, as he said, to “outdo Dylan,” who was apparently dressed as a Hasidic Jew the last time Rufus Wainwright saw him play the Folk Festival a few years ago. Was that after or before Dylan was dressed as Vincent Price?

Rufus’s set showcased his language skills – one song in Latin, one in French, the rest in English – and his wide-ranging tastes, from his own theatrical pop stylings to his take on Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” as well as a beautiful rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” featuring the lyric “Where troubles melt like lemon drops/Away above the chimney top/Far from Bush and Cheney…” He sang a song or two with his mom, Kate McGarrigle, and his set was over before we knew it. What a voice.

We hadn’t seen Wilco since they opened for REM at Red Rocks last year, and once again, their line-up was significantly different. The addition of Pat and Nels to the band made a huge difference: Jeff is no longer required to both sing and cover the lead electric guitar part at the same time, and their signature sounds of weirdness, layers of keyboards, and thumping unison moments are back in full effect. The concert had a similar feel to the Fourth of July 2001 show we saw in Chicago – Glenn Kotche had just arrived on drums, and Jay Bennett was playing his last show with the band, we would later find out.

nff_wilco.jpg

The sound was full and loud, while maintaining an intricacy and depth that went beyond just noise. The same was true today, and they sounded great, especially playing the new stuff. “Bob Dylan’s 49th Beard” was a special treat, and Jeff even took the mic out of the stand and sung, guitar-less, to the front of the crowd, moving his body in ways that weren’t simply the required movements for walking back and forth. He called it his “showmanship,” and it was a true first, after ten Wilco shows, to see him hopping backwards on stage, banding over, using his hands a little – you don’t realize his restraint until he starts moving around, that he’s not like Bono and Chris Martin and pretty much any other lead singer who is physically dynamic. He seemed in good spirits. Glad to hear they’re still sounding great, and have found two talented additions to the band. Can they stay in for more than a few years? We’ll see.

nff_crowd.jpg

Tags: Music