2013 Summary

2013 Summary



2012 was all about finishing, releasing and beginning to promote Cat Powers 9th album, "Sun".

2013 would turn out to be all about touring for Sun. But also, surprisingly, the return of solo performances. Not a single month went by that Cat Power wasnt performing somewhere. In total, she made 93 performances this year including TV, Radio, concerts and festival appearances. The first 8 months of the year were all devoted to the ''Sun World Tour'', in which Cat Power made 55 performances around the world including her first ever performances in Poland and South Korea. While the last 4 months of the year concentrated on solo performances including her first ever performances in China.

In January, the band played 7 US dates, as a kind of warm-up to the rest of the tour. I caught her shows in Richmond and Philadelphia. They were quite good, but somewhat subdued compared to the shows I saw in 2012. "Back In The Days", which was played on 2012 dates, was dropped from the setlist, not to return. Also this month, the "Manhattan Remix" featuring Angel Haze was released to itunes. This was the first of only 4 new "Cat Power'' tunes to be released this year.

''Manhattan Remix'':
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXqo5M7LIHM

In February and March, the band played 11 New Zealand & Australia dates, including 3 Festival appearances. It was on this leg of the tour that the band brought several more songs into the setlist. "Sea Of Love", "Metal Heart", "Do You" and "Shivers" were added. There were some collaborations was well, Mick Turner (the tour opener) joined the band at the Melbourne concert to play on "Metal Heart" and "Shivers". 

"Shivers", with Mick Turner, Melbourne, 3/7/13:


At the Golden Plains Festival in Meredith, J Mascis from Dinosaur Jr. joined the band for some songs. Unfortunately, I have never found any video or audio of this, though I would love to hear it. Australia Radio RRR aired about 35 minutes of the concert but switched away from the music before J Mascis joined the band.  



While the band took a break from touring in April, this would turn out to be a very exciting month. First came the "Manhattan" music video. 



This was quickly followed by Chan's first appearance on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" where she performed the song.



If this wasnt enough, Chan then appeared on "Later With Jools Holland" to perform "Bully" in what is undoubtedly one of her greatest TV performances. 

"Bully", Later With... Jools Holland, 4/9/13:


The next day, "Bully" was released on itunes as a bonus track to "Sun". Featuring Chan on piano, and recorded during the "Sun" sessions, this is the only one of the "sad, depressing songs" that Chan recorded and abandoned to be released so far.

"Bully":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_n8FRDmDfc

In May, "Bully" was performed twice more. For BBC radio and for the French TV Program ""Ce Soir (Ou Jamais)".

"Bully", Ce Soir (Ou Jamais), 5/10/13:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3ikGd2Q0xo

The band then headed to South America for 6 more tour dates. Chan would later say in an interview in Europe that the shows in Recife and Rio De Janeiro were among her favorite shows of the tour. 

"Metal Heart", Recife, 5/19/13:


Most of the São Paulo, concert, 5/21/13:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7DbcVfrqMg

On 5/31/13, I attended the bands performance at the Nelsonville Music Festival. Though it was delayed by wind and rain the band played a great set, including a rare performance by the band of "Silver Stallion".

"Silver Stallion", Nelsonville, OH, 5/31/13:


June included 2 more festival appearences, at the Houston Free Press Festival and at Bonnaroo. The Bonnaroo concert was
streamed online. From late June until mid July the band toured Europe, playing 9 concerts and 7 festival appearances. The highlight of this leg of touring was the bands appearance at the Glastonbury Festival. The BBC streamed her set.

"Cherokee", Glastonbury, 6/30/13:


Other festival appearances like, "Cruilla", "Montreux Jazz", "Latitude" and "Malta Festival" were also recorded professionally. Her appearance at the Malta Festival had to be changed to a DJ set due to safety concerns involving the stage, making for a unique performance. 

In Late July, the band traveled to Asia for 2 more Festival appearances including Chan's first performance in South Korea. 

"Ruin", South Korea, 7/26/13:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbHnEMODX6A

In August the band appeared at Lollapalooza. While many other bands were streamed online, Cat Power was not. This was followed by 4 more European dates, which concluded the Sun World Tour. From the beginning of the Sun Tour back on 10/11/12 to the end on 8/10/13, there were 73 performances, including TV, radio, and festival appearances. 

On 8/16/13, the band played their last show in Los Angeles at a private party. 



September and October brought a number of surprises. First, Chan sang at Malgosia Bela's wedding. Then she joined the "Station To Station" tour to perform at 3 dates. These were her first solo performances since 2006. Just Chan and a guitar. 

"Good Woman", Barstow, 9/24/13:


In October, she performed at the "Elliott Smith Tribute Concert" (notable for featuring a mini-DDBB reunion) and the "Somaly Mam Foundation Gala", before making an appearance at a Willis Earl Beal concert at the end of the month. 

"Colors And The Kids", with Willis Earl Beal, Brooklyn, 10/28/13:


Also in October came the release of Chan's appearance on "Coming Though" by Willis Earl Beal.

"Coming Through" by Willis Earl Beal, featuring Cat Power:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUQdJC5w8S0

But the biggest news of October was the announcement of a US Solo Tour for November and December. By the end of the year, this consisted of 29 performances including a detour for her first ever performances in China at the Modern Sky Festival in December. I saw the performances in Nashville, Philadelphia and Cleveland and had a blast! The "Sun Tour" setlist was pretty much set in stone with only a few songs being added during the year. But Chan's solo concerts, beginning with her "Station To Station" shows, were a return to the classic Cat Power material with many songs from "Moon Pix", "You Are Free", and "The Greatest" being brought back. She also brought back several of her newer unreleased songs from 2010-2011 to the setlist like, "Let Me Go, "Brave Liar" and "Monster". Also, some new songs like "Framboise Je'taime" and her "Pa-Pa Power" cover made their live debuts this year.

"Swing State", Cleveland, 11/20/13:


As her solo tour was winding down, on 12/16/13, Chan's cover of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" was released on itunes and also featured in an Apple Iphone commercial. This was the 4th and last Cat Power track to be released this year.

"Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas":


It was certainly a huge year for Cat Power. She made more performances this year than 2010, 2011, and 2012 combined. She fulfilled a dream of sharing a bill with the Rolling Stones (at Glastonbury), she was nominated for Best International Female Solo Artist at the Brit Awards and she expanded her global reach by performing in some countries she had not played at before. As for next year, there is already a tour of Australia and New Zealand scheduled, and Chan had mentioned wanting to start recording a new album in January 2014.  

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The following is a list of recordings from this year. I'm sure there are others, but these are the ones I know about. If anyone has something not listed, we'd all love to hear it as well! The ones marked in BOLD are ones that I am missing. Let me know if you can help out! Thanks!   

1/28/13 - Richmond, VA, Video Edit MP4 - 46:58
2/21/13 - New Zealand, "Night Line'' Interview, MOV - 3:43
3/5/13 - JJJ Australia, Radio Interview, 56k Mp3 - 10:46
3/9/13 - Meredith, Australia, "Golden Plains Festival", Streaming Audio -> FLAC - 35:06
4/5/13 - NYC, ''Late Night With Jimmy Fallon'', MKV (16:9) - 3:59
4/5/13 - NYC, ''Late Night With Jimmy Fallon'', DVD (4:3) - 5:40
4/9/13 - BBC, ''Later with Jools Holland'', (Take 1) - *
4/9/13 - BBC, ''Later with Jools Holland'', (take 2) MP4 - 4:24
5/9/13 - BBC, "Woman's Hour", ASF -> FLAC - 10:23
5/10/13 - Paris, ''Ce Soir (Ou Jamais)'', MP4 - 5:46
5/23/13 - Buenos Aires, DVD - *
5/31/13 - Nelsonville, OH, FLAC - 38:47
5/31/13 - Nelsonville, OH, Video Edit MP4 - 1:29:17
6/2/13 - Houston, TX, ''Free Press Summer Festival'', FLAC - 56:21
6/15/13 - ''Bonnaroo Festival'', Streaming Audio -> FLAC - 1:02:34
6/15/13 - ''Bonnaroo Festival'', FLV - 57:45
6/23/13 - Berlin, FLAC - 1:31:04
6/23/13 - Berlin, M4A - 74:05
6/26/13 - Brussels, FLAC - 1:35:08
6/28/13 - ZDF German TV Interview, FLV - 20:14
6/30/13 - ''Glastonbury Festival'', Streaming Video -> DVD - 1:10:57
6/30/13 - ''Glastonbury Festival'', BBC Red Button Broadcast -> DVD - 28:09
7/3/13 - Hamburg, FLAC - 1:25:47
7/5/13 - "Cruilla Festival" - Pro-shot - *
7/6/13 - "Montreux Jazz Festival" - Pro-shot - *
7/7/13 - Milan, FLAC - 1:15:48
7/17/13 - Paris, M4A -> FLAC - 1:35:39
7/19/13 - ''Latitude Festival'', Streaming Audio FLV -> FLAC - 29:31
7/19/13 - ''Latitude Festival'', Pro-shot - *
7/20/13 - "Malta Festival", Pro-shot - *
7/26/13 - ''Ansan Valley Rock Festival'', Pro-shot - *
7/28/13 - "Fuji Rock Festival'', Pro-shot - *
8/4/13 - "Lollapalooza", Pro-shot - *
8/7/13 - Copenhagen, M4A -> FLAC - 1:27:14
8/8/13 - ''Oya Festival'', Streaming Audio -> FLAC - 15:03
8/8/13 - "Oya Festival" - Pro-shot - *
9/18/13 - "Station To Station", Pro-shot - *
9/21/13 - "Station To Station", Pro-shot - *
9/24/13 - "Station To Station", Pro-shot - *
11/6/13 - Nashville, FLAC - 1:52:08
11/6/13 - Nashville, Video Edit MP4 - 1:50:21
11/16/13 - Philadelphia, FLAC - 2:14:57
11/16/13 - Philadelphia, Video Edit MP4 - 31:57
11/20/13 - Cleveland, (various) -> FLAC - 3:58:51
11/20/13 - Cleveland, Video Edit MP4 - 3:46:26
12/7?/13 - Shangahi?, Coaker Interview, F4V -19:19
12/7?/13 - Shanghai, China, "Tonight 80s Talk Show'' - FLV - 7:32
12/8/13 - Beijing, ''Modern Sky Festival'', Pro-shot - *

+ Several interviews and short pro-shot live clips, mostly from the European Leg of the tour. 

NOTE: "Bully" on Jools Holland was actually performed twice. The version I linked to in this post is the 2nd take. I would love to see the original broadcast which features the 1st take. 

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Out of the above (that have appeared so far), I would list the following as essential:

Professional Recordings:
3/9/13 - Meredith, Australia, "Golden Plains Festival", Streaming Audio -> FLAC - 35:06
4/5/13 - NYC, ''Late Night With Jimmy Fallon'', MKV (16:9) - 3:59
4/9/13 - BBC, ''Later with Jools Holland'', (take 2) MP4 - 4:24
5/9/13 - BBC, "Woman's Hour", ASF -> FLAC - 10:23
5/10/13 - Paris, ''Ce Soir (Ou Jamais)'', MP4 - 5:46
6/15/13 - ''Bonnaroo Festival'', FLV - 57:45
6/28/13 - ZDF German TV Interview, FLV - 20:14
6/30/13 - ''Glastonbury Festival'', Streaming Video -> DVD - 1:10:57
7/19/13 - ''Latitude Festival'', Streaming Audio FLV -> FLAC - 29:31
8/8/13 - ''Oya Festival'', Streaming Audio -> FLAC - 15:03
12/7?/13 - Beijing?, Coaker Interview, F4V -19:19
12/7?/13 - Shanghai, "Tonight 80's Talk Show'' - FLV - 7:32

The live concert radio broadcasts (3/9/13, 7/19/13 & 8/8/13) are all worth hearing, especially since you can hear the bands sound mixed in stereo. Her 3 TV performances and the BBC Radio session which were promotion for "Bully" are all excellent. And her China TV appearance is also interesting. Watch Bonnaroo to see a professionally shot day-time festival appearance and watch Glastonbury for an excellent afternoon set. There were many video interviews this year, but the ZDF and Coaker Interviews are the longest and most interesting. 

Fan Recordings:
1/28/13 - Richmond, VA, Video Edit MP4 - 46:58
6/23/13 - Berlin, FLAC - 1:31:04
6/26/13 - Brussels, FLAC - 1:35:08
11/6/13 - Nashville, FLAC - 1:52:08
11/16/13 - Philadelphia, FLAC - 2:14:57
11/20/13 - Cleveland, (various) -> FLAC - 3:58:51

The Richmond video is so far the best document of the US Leg #2, shot close to the stage. Unfortunately, not a whole lot has shown up for the Australia Leg outside of some youtube videos. The South American Leg is documented very well on youtube. But I would love to watch the full Buenos Aires DVD if anyone could share this with me. Also, the Europe Leg is documented very well, with many full audience recordings making their way online. Of those shows, the sound on Berlin and Brussels is top-notch. So far the three November solo show recordings are the only ones I know of from that tour, and feature mostly great sound recorded close to the stage. 

Recordings Wanted:

Well... any Cat Power would be welcome!    But from this year, I would like to see more from the Australia concerts. I'd love to see the professional video of Lollapalooza or any of the other Festivals. And I would be especially interested in any video or audio from the solo concerts. 

Thanks for all the fans who shared recordings!! Obrigado!! Merci!!   

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Unfinished Projects:

There were some projects mentioned in 2012 that have not happened so far. 

11/8/12 Los Angeles Concert Video - Professional video recorded by Greg Hunt. Unreleased.

Ruin music video, Nothing But Time music video + remainder of "Cherokee" trilogy. - Chan mentioned that she wanted to do a video for "Ruin" and "Nothin But Time''. The "Cherokee" video was to be part of a planned trilogy. At this point it looks like she is done making videos for the album which has been out now for over 16 months.

"Sun" Remix record - Not much is known about this project except that (I think) Chan was going to try to involve Kayne West and/or Jay-Z. Remixer Diplo was reported to have been working on a remix. It looks like the "Manhattan Remix" is as far as this project got. 

Autobiography - Chan mentioned that she had begun work on this, so far no more news about it. This is not surprising given the amount of touring and traveling for the year.

Pretty much amazing year (and summary), isn't it?
Among the unfinished projects, i would add the "Nothin but Time" video.
It's a shame that Ruin never got a proper video: it would have helped the song to reach a higher place in the charts.

Wow, impressive summary  !

I realize I never knew she had performed "Manhattan" on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon"... Since we can't find the video on Youtube, this is not so much surprising. I just watched it and I really enjoyed ?uestlove's work on drums : it sounds different  

Such a busy year for Chan... I realize I'm very lucky to have listened to her cover of "Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again" in April, if not, I would have missed a lot   !

PathsofVictory wrote:Wow, impressive summary  !

I realize I never knew she had performed "Manhattan" on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon"... Since we can't find the video on Youtube, this is not so much surprising. I just watched it and I really enjoyed ?uestlove's work on drums : it sounds different  

Such a busy year for Chan... I realize I'm very lucky to have listened to her cover of "Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again" in April, if not, I would have missed a lot   !

Its too bad she didnt play this concert, it would have been the only live version. 

Cokelike wrote:and Chan had mentioned wanting to start recording a new album in January 2014.  

http://instagram.com/p/jIovgyG3QP/

The hashtag "work" could totally mean recording sessions in Paris, don't you think ?  

It could but there is not a lot of time to record something as substantial as an album, because she'll be playing in Australia next week.

Yes that's true but it could also be the first of several recording sessions...
... or maybe she wants to return to the good old Dear Sir/Myra Lee way of recording !