6/6/03 - Koln, Germany, Gebaude 9

6/6/03 - Koln, Germany, Gebaude 9

Incomplete setlist:

Good Woman
Satisfaction
Rockets
American Flag
Maybe Not
Black Sabbath
Naked If I Want To
Werewolf
Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground
Knockin On Heavens Door
Jam

This was the 65th performance of the tour. Women & Children opened.

Gaesteliste Concert Review
Translated from German:

It has been said, the profession of musician is safe. When Chan Marshall and her colleague Olivier of the band's Women & Children, that make this tour the preliminary program, and finally just before 10 clock night - arrive and thus whopping six hours later than planned, at least a sigh of relief went through the complete otherwise already for hours assembled musicians. Was war passiert? What had happened? On the way to the club were Chan and Olivier got into a police checkpoint and - what happens if you are honest, as Chan later said, not without sarcasm - because of the fact that Olivier two days earlier in Switzerland (where the way, is legal) a had smoked a joint, have been arrested. Since this involved not a general traffic control, of course, it is very likely that the fact that Olivier is French, and now sometimes looks like, imagine how one German policeman Substance-abusers, a not inconsiderable selection criterion for officials represented.

"You know, situations like these are what I hate about America that," Chan said bitterly, "and that happened here just now is already pretty shocking." So be it: Olivier came to deposit a considerable amount released and Chan had the rest of the way to control the car. Whoever thought, however, that they would therefore complete a feared collapse of their performances were disappointed. While making the sometimes quite esoteric thought that Chan tells the audience has always been anyway, that night for outsiders even less sense than usual, but otherwise there was a show of "Piss & Vinegar" class. Women & Children First gave its debut. Singer Cheryl sing - mostly sitting at the piano - but ultimately brittle perfectly appropriate to the program minimal songs in the following (among others by the fact that all the musicians switched instruments constantly and wanted to find any stylistic box) because of their versatility, but developed a mind of its own. The quiet, sometimes a little catatonic in any case, coming so fragile and introverted, alternatively, be fitted in any case Elaborate scarring sparkled on the program and were of the Cat fans, at least with interest, in part, also received with favor.

Chan then came with her band on the stage. It began quite to quiet and conciliatory: "Good Woman", from the current disk with the full band in a lightly swinging, thanks to Margaret's folky violin violinist somehow certain country version. But then drifted Chan into what their band jokingly, "her own weird spaces" is called and it was followed by a typical, but much harder and louder than usual trip designed by Chan's inner self. So there was - in addition to the usual eclectic covers, including such treasures as "Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground" by The White Stripes, "Satisfaction," the usual "Werewolf" by Michael Hurley (also very beautiful with violin), a then somehow superfluous "Knocking on Heaven's Door". A superfluous Speaking: Nothing that makes Chan's, of course, in the eyes of the fans really unnecessary, but at this occasion Chan explored this premise, but until then from the last corner. From time to time as she left the stage to be about to make up new or take a pee break - which, given the absolutely charming volume, which struggled to break with impromptu covers of the Beatles to Spinal Tap to fill - but no uncomfortable situations led. Then - after it had partly given by the band initiated, exciting versions of tracks such as "Rocket" and the destructive "American Flag", she reached for the first time to the piano ("Maybe Not" in a powerful version, with some ad libs on " police and so on "extended) - and got stuck there somehow. The air in the stuffy hall was to cut thick and you thought that it would have been then - but far from it: After a somewhat half-baked end of the show, Chan played just for about 80 more songs. When the hall then around two clock in the morning (!) But at some point to empty and began the sprouted otherwise rather closely cropped organizers the first gray hair ("Man, I need my technicians but pay by the hour!"), Ms. Marshall put even more to the drum kit and invited her sound engineer and all those who still could somehow hold an instrument, a kind of "Weirdness Jamboree", until then - sweat-soaked, but kind of happy - but eventually had to give up. This was certainly not a great concert, the set list to shine even after several years with an eye to the study, but one which the circumstances could have been perhaps somewhat legendary accordingly. This will show the comparison for the next show in Hamburg ...

Picture is either from 6/6/03 or 6/10/03 (link) :


-------------------------------------------

Fan Review

Let me relate my experience of a show in Cologne, in the summer of 2003.

Shortly after 11 pm (she was scheduled for 9 pm), Chan Marshall enters the stage. She has obviously spent those two hours drinking most of a bottle of Scotch (the rest of which she shares with the band) and smoking various not-so-legal cigarettes, presumably to get rid of the stage fright.

What follows hardly fits standard rock concert conventions. Chan asks if someone has an eye liner. Leaves the stage (the remaining bass player and drummer are desperately trying to fill the time), only to reappear 10 minutes later in an over-the-top goth look. After that, she regularly leaves to pee, throw up, or get more booze (these are her own words). Three hours later, she has played about two known songs from her albums, one of which has only one chord, talked for half an hour about a cab driver she once met, covered the Stones, Black Sabbath, Moby Grape and Michael Hurley, and smoked at least one pack of cigarettes.

With any other artist, you would have left long ago. But strangely, you will forgive this woman anything, with her achingly beautiful voice and her fragile, minimalistic songs. You look into the eyes of the ten remaining people in the audience, mesmerized around the small stage, and they have this odd expression, like wanting to hug her and shout at her at the same time.