4/23/03 - Portland, OR, Roseland Theater

**Cokelike** Sat 30 Jun - 22:18

4/23/03 - Portland, OR, Roseland Theater

Incomplete setlist:

Nude As The News
Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground

This was the 44th concert of the tour.

Matador Forum Member Review

I saw Cat Power last night in Portland at the Roseland and it was a great show. There were a couple of dickheads in the crowd (aren't there at every concert?) but she really put on a good show. Sold out!!!

Random highlights include: bumming a smoke from the audience; several "meandering" points, with talk of when she used to live in Portland; "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" White Stripes cover played with her band (totally rawked, though he was no Jack White playing Jack White's riffs...)

Also, Janet from Sleater-Kinney was spotted in the crowd. Maybe old Portland friends? Maybe a connection through E. Vedder from S-K's recent stint opening for Pearl Jam? I can only speculate, but they did hang out together afterwards.

To be honest, I really enjoyed the admitted nervousness and self-doubt that Chan puts out. I found myself enjoying the music as much as the banter. She mentioned that she was prescribed Xanax for anxiety, but she "doesn't do that stuff", "well ok, only half a Xanax" and she was sipping on a drink throughout the show (beer or whiskey were my guesses by the amber color). Later in the show she said she was "really fucked up". Perhaps true...

She did keep saying that "this show is no good. No good." and the crowd kept reassuring her that it was good and that we all loved her.

As for song interruptions, they were minimal, only a couple of times did she stop and ask the sound guy to lower her vocals, or bring up the guitars. My only complaint soundwise was that during her sets with the band, the kickdrum was WAY TOO LOUD. It was overpowering her vocals and much of the other instruments.

One last bit... she pulled a girl from the crowd to sing with her on "Nude as the News". The girl actually did OK in spite of not knowing all of the words. It did merit her a backstage trip, though. Pretty cool.