1/24/14 – Sydney, Australia, Circus Ronaldo Tent, "Sydney Festival" - 2 Shows

1/24/14 – Sydney, Australia, Circus Ronaldo Tent, "Sydney Festival" - 2 Shows

Setlist (early show) (not sure what was played):
Wolf Among Wolves
Old Detroit
Satisfaction
Great Expectations
Say
Norma Jean - Names Medley
Maybe Not
Let Me Go
Brave Liar
The Greatest
I Dont Blame You
Can I Get A Witness?
Star Spangled Banner
Good Woman
Baby Doll
Pa-Pa Power
Metal Heart
Naked, If I Want To
The Moon
Sea Of Love
Werewolf

These are the 2nd and 3rd performances of the year. 

The set list from the early show by Rozie Wong

Late show


by Pinkle monade


by emilyherdman

A very trivial detail but: dark hair again?

Nicolaoua wrote:A very trivial detail but: dark hair again?

I like it!

Say (snippet) http://web.stagram.com/p/640358683908076095_186777907

Review (early show): http://www.theaureview.com/sydney/cat-power-circus-ronaldo-tent-24-01-14

Another version of the setlist:

Wolf Among Wolves
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
Great Expectations
Hate
The Greatest
I Don't Blame You
Norma Jean
Can I Get A Witness
Names
I Found A Reason
Willie
Maybe Not
Say
Shaking Paper
Good Woman
Werewolf

Taken from this review: http://oceansneverlisten.blogspot.fr/2014/01/cat-power-circus-ronaldo-tent.html

Review
http://www.tonedeaf.com.au/reviews/shows/380875/cat-power-4.htm

May the hats go off all the way and the bows allow noses to grind against the gravel, because Sydney Festival have impressed above and beyond expectations. Whilst wandering around Festival Village before the show, punters were accosted by the kinds of delights that one doesn’t usually expect from Hyde Park on a Friday afternoon: wine tasting, gourmet hot dogs, and a live spray-painting exhibition that took place on an Audi. Sydney Festival’s solid foundation was its relaxed atmosphere, an event that exhibited a sense of absolute wonder and genuine uniqueness.

But, despite the gorgeous distractions supplied by the festival, the main attraction is always the astounding music program. In this case, the Circus Ronaldo tent welcomed a sold out performance from American indie musician Cat Power, aka Chan Marshall.

The audience hunkered down into the compact, stunning, and fantastically original venue. Circus Ronaldo is basically a real circus shrunk down to an intimate performance space, complete with a high-tapered, striped canvas roof, acrobatic swings, and uncomfortable benches. The lights dimmed while the stage was all but bare, save for two microphones and a vertical piano at centre stage. When Power walked out, it was immediately clear that she was about to give a performance. Not a concert, but a bona fide performance. Wearing performance blacks and with a new brunette haircut – vastly different to the spiky blonde that she sported during her visit to Australia last year – Power held a gorgeous guitar with the same grace and comfort as you would an old friend. She walked to the centre of the stage and gave an unexpectedly warm smile. This was not the same performer as a couple of years ago – one that was concerned with every facet of the performance. Instead, this was Power in her emotional prime. The good vibes were maintained throughout the performance, and the wholesomeness that accompanied this was well received. She joked, she cursed skinny jeans, and she sang ‘Single Ladies’ by Beyoncé. Although her joyous and thankful attitude was appreciated, it was the music that had the crowd under her spell. The performance began with the singer-songwriter launching into one of the many songs from her lucrative career. Even after over an hour, and at a self-described “sped up pace”, it felt like we were only going to get a glimmer of the full scale of the star’s music in one seating. There is simply too much goodness in her arsenal of nine records to satisfy a punter at the average-length concert. Regardless of the fact that everyone wanted more, the crowd were given enough to keep the Power hunger at bay. On guitar, she was absolutely riveting, but on piano, she was equally quaint and heartbreaking. On keys, the American songstress alternated between a bunch of ditzy chords as she laughed with the audience during ‘Can I Get A Witness?’ before launching into a state of focused heartbreak in ‘Good Woman’. The fact that she could alternate between moods so fluidly and give new meaning and textures to her songs in a solo live setting was a testament to the singer’s abilities as a musician and a songwriter. Songs that live on are the ones that can be reinterpreted, and when an artist is reinterpreting their own songs and still enthralling an audience, then you’ve got yourself a damn fine musician. Without her band in tow, Power put on a fearless and overwhelmingly raw performance. When she left the stage, she left in a fit of glory. Not the kind of glory that accompanies a gladiatorial win, but one that is assuring of her status as being in the top tier of contemporary female performers.


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Review + Pictures
http://www.pagesdigital.com/review-cat-power-sydney-festival/

Cat Power at the Circus Ronaldo Tent – Sydney Festival 2014
5.30pm, January 24

For many years, Cat Power was merely another name from the pool of seminal artists whom I should listen to but never had.  A bit like watching The Wire or taking up yoga, it was one of those things I knew I would enjoy but simply lacked the time and energy to commit to.  But in 2011, for no particular reason, I decided that I would spend a month listening to nothing else.  Sure, it was not the most authentic connection to an artist; motivated more by the pursuit of cultural capital than musical preference, but I fell in love nonetheless.  Her bluesy melodies were as sweet as a rose and as rough as a cheap whisky and I knew immediately we would have a lifelong relationship.

Last Friday was my first chance to fully realise my self initiated worship as 42-year-old Chan Marshall (better known as Cat Power) was performing an intimate solo show for a small, devoted crowd at the Circus Ronaldo tent.  I presumed the decision to play such an unassuming venue was related to the reports of stage fright and unfinished shows I’d caught from friends who had seen her on previous tours.  Whatever the reason, those lucky enough to be sandwiched in that tent experienced a magical hour of heartfelt yet venomous folk rock.

Donning a grey tee and black skinnies, Cat Power took the humble stage (just a guitar, two vocal mics and a piano) with the nervous energy of a primary school speech and drama contestant.  It was hard to fathom that this small, childlike figure was the woman behind the legend, especially as she fumbled about her scrap paper set list before her attentive roadie taped it down. But all doubts faded when she started to play.  Plucking seminal tracks from her back catalogue, she entranced the crowd with warm, visceral riffs and raspy the-bar-might-be-closed-but-I’m-still-here vocals.

Marshall wrapped the first stanza with her haunted reimagining of the Stones’ ‘Satisfaction’ before moving to the piano where we were treated to ‘The Greatest’ and ‘Willie’.  A jittery perfectionist, she often restarted tracks several times, either forgetting the keys or simply playing the wrong tune.  The mistakes seemed to bum her out, but the fragments still sounded incredible to us.  “You sound great!” shouted out one punter.

With the loving support of the crowd, her nerves progressively settled and she began to charmingly work her angst into the performance.  As she opened ‘The Moon’, and a front row guest decided to exit, she quickly improvised; “The moon is not only beautiful, it is walking out the door”.  It was a lame joke, but we all laughed.

The set closed on the guitar with ‘Werewolf’, perhaps the darkest tune in her repertoire.  And as a final word, she offered another lyrical manipulation; “The werewolf…might be me”, half laughing at her own hyperbolic poetry.  It kind of summarised the show – mystical, self-aware, and a strange combination of dark and cute.  It was not the biggest nor the most spectacular show, but certainly one befitting the captivating and unlikely rock icon that is Cat Power.

Review (early show):
http://themusic.com.au/reviews/reviews-live/2014/01/30/cat-power-circus-ronaldo-tent-tyler-mcloughlan/

It’s odd enough to be heading along to a 5.30pm Sydney Festival matinee show in daylight hours, though when Chan Marshall aka Cat Power is the attraction – an artist who feels more suited to the witching hours – and the venue is a circus tent complete with wooden bleachers, it’s an even stranger prospect. In solo mode, Marshall picks up a guitar attached to a small amp and starts with the first of a few covers this evening, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy’s Wolf Among Wolves. She’s agitated as she gets through the Stones’ (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction, twitching and mouthing her displeasure at several cock-ups that would otherwise pass unnoticed. Great Expectations is an old, dirty guitar moment; Marshall finally seems to relax into the performance and then she’s moving again, to an upright piano, murmuring quietly and fidgeting to get settled. Playing with her back to most of the audience, the awkward, unpolished nature of the show is to be expected from the American songstress with a history of erratic displays, though it’s far from disappointing – she manages to take the nervous energy, plus the notion that anything might happen and any song might come out, to make it exciting, endearing and emotive.

Spending much of the hour on 2003’s You Are Free, she stitches several of the album’s songs together as kicks of the piano add percussion. While I Don’t Blame You adds an upbeat vibe, powerfully moving set highlight Names plunges all into a moment of quiet contemplation as Marshall’s voice handles the emotional content with composure; she has a gift of wringing out every ounce of feeling while exertion levels sit around the halfway mark. It’s easy for a solo vocalist to impress with a bellowing range, though Marshall expertly draws attention to her generally turmoil-filled lyrics by colouring them with a natural husky charm and the demeanor of a woman who has lived them first hand. Moving back to guitar, several crowd members are compelled to yell their support during the awkward moments to propel Marshall on, though she finishes strong with Werewolf, playfully hissing and winking to the crowd. Offering the set-list and a T-shirt to a thankful punter who claims a hug, the audience is delighted and murmurs their support to the delicately talented Marshall as they shuffle out to find dinner.

Review http://www.southsydneyherald.com.au/bewitching-hour-cat-power-after-midnight/#.UvDpzoV-e5A