4/15/03 - Detroit, MI, Majestic Theater

4/15/03 - Detroit, MI, Majestic Theater

Incomplete setlist:

Lord Help The Poor And Needy
I Dont Blame You
Fool
Baby Doll
Good Woman
Maybe Not
Names
Can I Get A Witness?
Evolution
Blue Moon - Try A Little Tenderness - All I Have To Do Is Dream Medley
Satisfaction
Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground
Good Woman
Knocking On Heavens Door

This was the 40th performance of the tour.

Review from Glorious Noise -
http://gloriousnoise.com/2003/hi_hello_i_love_you_to_everybo

In anticipation of Cat Power’s appearance Tuesday night in Detroit, a line snaked south on Woodward Avenue, and around the backside of the Majestic Theatre complex. Obviously, the publicists had done their job. Inside, the crowd was sweaty from an early bout with warm weather. The Majestic is tall, and its so-so sound system usually isn’t capable of filling it very effectively. And that’s when a full band is playing. With his left-hand strung Fender and gawky, Epic Soundtracks-meets-Emo Phillips looks, the second opening act looked very lonely on the theatre’s big stage, and his wandering, bluesy laments were soon drowned out by sarcastic clapping. It was strange, considering the crowd had paid to see an artist with a similar style. Whatever. The guy bellowing “You suck! More Cat Power-FULL!” behind me must have thought Cat Power was a new NASCAR team.

Eventually and without fanfare, Marshall and her band took the stage. Sitting down at an upright piano and guitar stand at the extreme far left of the stage, she quickly donned an enormous pair of sunglasses, which were lost in her drab pageboy cut. With her feet clad in clodhopping GI Joe moon boots and a baggy, shapeless flannel, the effect was like watching an indie rock Unibomber tune a Danelectro. “Is it okay if I’m way over here?” she whispered into the mic. The crowd roared.

Joining Marshall onstage were Margaret White, who tripled between violin, bass, and keys; guitarist Coleman Lewis; and drummer Will Fratesi. The latter two were old friends from Atlanta, where Lewis’ old band Smoke used to play shows with Marshall. Throughout the evening, she would wink and laugh at Lewis’ gangsta-style antics on the microphone (at one point, he shizzalated a few words), and at one point cut a song short to desperately bum one of his cigarettes. The Hot-lanta home team pals might have been on purpose: their presence seemed to relax the normally flighty Marshall. Despite mentioning her nervousness numerous times, and chronically removing and donning her gargantuan blueblockers, Marshall and her band made it through an almost two-hour set without much of drama.

After an introductory set with the whole band that was a bit tentative and plagued with sound problems (both Lewis and White’s mics were too loud, which diminished the already halting vocals of Marshall), the three supporting musicians departed the stage. But before they left, each took time to hug their leader, and whisper words of encouragement in her ear. It was if they were the proud parents of a little girl about to play her first piano recital. Marshall proceeded into a 45-minute trip through solo piano and guitar that included material both new, old, and unrecognizable. And even though she either faced her piano or hid behind her hair, it was her voice — much more expressive and raw live than is often displayed on record — that cut through the humid air in the club. Each song became a private concert, a voice floating out of monitors that seemed too big for such personal music. While much of the crowd had either left or fallen asleep by the end of the set, the reverent diehards who gathered before her seemed to drift right along with Cat Power’s raw blues and arresting (when understandable) lyrics. But they might have been too busy blissing out to notice that Marshall sang huddled over, almost to herself. She recognized the crowd, often twirling her drink overhead in a social. And she seemed to grow more comfortable with each pause, even pushing her cornstalk hair away from her face for a moment. But she never seemed to really be in the room. It was her trick to let her somber vocals and aching blues-folk affect each fan so much, while perhaps secretly siphoning the room’s energy into an enormous self-confidence storehouse hidden somewhere behind her hair and physical barriers.

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Review by Don Handy
http://web.archive.org/web/20040611064334/http://moonpix.com/reviews/fanreview.php4?ID=12

I just read the review on the Glorious Noise website. One thing that the reviewer failed to mention is that the main reason that there was a line stretching down Woodward and around the corner is that the tickets said that the doors open at 8:00 but the venue decided to open them at 9:00 instead. I was at the end of the block, but thanks to their letting people with tickets in first I was able to grab a double-whiskey and stake-out a spot at the front of the stage (on the far right, facing the stage).

The first band was a local group called The Deadstring Brothers. I liked them, heartfelt alt-country in a Wilco-ish vein. Entrance lost me with the second song, a Fleetwood Mac cover. I retreated into the book I'd brought along, Philip Roth's "Portnoy's Complaint," reading with the aid of the stage lights. Personally, I found the cat-calls extremely funny, but not as funny as the book.

During Entrance I looked up and realised that the piano that Chan would be playing at was right in front of me and that I had the best seat in the house for the time that she'd be playing there. Imagine my surprise when it turned-out that she'd be perched in that spot all night! She wore a light blue & light green checked shirt, jeans and motorcycle boots. She took the shirt off and put it back on several times throughout the show, underneath she wore a white tank-top. She did the same with her Aviator-style sunglasses, which, when she was wearing them, gave her a look that reminded me of Patti Smith circa 1978 or so.

Her and the band opened-up with a song about a "long haired sinner man." They then did "I Don't Blame You" and "Fool." The next song was about "somebody who believes in you." "Babydoll" followed, she aborted "Good Woman" about half-way through, which was the point in the other review when she bummed a cigarette off of the guitarist. The band then did "Maybe Not" and left Chan alone on the stage.

Has anyone else noticed that the songs with this band sound different from the album? Someone posted something about one song in concert being "the John Peel version," but I was pleasantly surprised that almost all of the songs were not played note-for-note as the recorded versions. Bob Dylan once remarked that he changed his songs so often so that they'd still sound fresh to him. "You Are Free" has only been on the shelves for a coupla months and already Chan is breathing new life into them!

She opened her solo portion on piano with a song pleading for some "mama" to "speak to your son for me." She then went into "Names," the opening chords of which drew a round of appreciative applause which was punctuated with some girl exclaiming "but this is a depressing song!" The talking behind me started to build, one drunk, giddy girl a couple "rows" behind me was especially loud and obnoxious.

Chan does this weird thing when she's playing piano, keeping rough time with her booted feet. When I last saw her I wondered whether she was playing the foot pedals, but, no.

The songs were played without interuption by this point. She did the first of two songs written by Detroiters, "Can I Get A Witness," I believe I was the only person who applauded it. She then answered my prayers and did "Evolution, " sans E.V., of course. There was another song, unknown to me, played before she switched to her black, Danelectro guitar.

The first song that she played solo on guitar was "Blue Moon." After that she played something that had me wondering whether or not it was an improvisation; at one point of it she quoted a couplet form the Bob Dylan song "Isis." She went on with something that sounded like her song "Say" concerning a runaway. The solo portion ended with the only song from any of her albums other than "You Are Free," "Satisfaction."

The band kicked-in to the second Detroit-related song, "Dead Leaves & The Dirty Ground." The White Stripes played about ten blocks away earlier in the night and I wondered whether Jack White would show up (he did three songs with Beck in Ann Arbor last summer) to assist. No, but the following evening I saw him do a cover of his song that she covered. (That is why this review is a day late, by the way.)

They then did a complete version of "Good Woman." Margret White, who I thought was astounding on the violin, especially shined at the end of this song. The evening should've ended with the following song, a gorgeous cover version of Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door." Instead, the guitarist croaked some hoary blues-rock "classic." After that Chan again mentioned that it was his birthday, which the drunk girl behind me also laid claim to. So Chan led the crowd in a sing-along of "Happy Birthday." I wasn't about to participate after hearing that wench bleat-out things like "You're a genius" DURING the songs. Which was shouted only slightly louder than her speaking voice. The same girl was at the last Cat Power concert, calling-out for "Metal Heart." which she repeated.

Chan then went into what I consider another improvisation. At one point she started singing the title line of Joy Division's "She's Lost Control," but I don't think she was able to remember the lyrics. ("Confusion in her eyes that says it all/ She's lost control? And she's clinging to the nearest passer-by and said/ She's lost control again..." I think the song is appropos here, but then again, my boy's name isn't Ian Kurtis for nothing.) It a good thing that she couldn't however, as the guitarist hadn't a clue as to how the music goes. (Hint: it's based on Iggy's "Lust For Life.")

Anyways, I have to get up for work at 4:00 A.M. If I'd known that they were just going to bullshit around then I would've left after "Knockin' On Heaven's Door." I mean, if it was a weekend then I wouldn't have minded. When Chan and Margret started talking about going out into the audience to dance I finally left, so pissed-off that I didn't listen to my car-tape copy of "You Are Free," as is my wont after a concert (brings it all back to me). Has this lady ever worked a job where she had to get up early in the morning, I wondered? So I didn't get home until about 2:15, only managed about an hour-and-a-half of sleep. Plus, I had another concert to go to the next night! And if you think that this is unreasonable of me, well, I once saw Patti Smith instruct the crowd at the end of a concert that her & Fred were going to do something experimental and that they could leave if they wanted to. She then effectively melted my earwax with some loud, symphonic feedback that had my ears ringing for days afterwards. But I digress.

I have mellowed-out a bit about it, believe it or not. I mean, when she was singing I was enthralled. She was in good voice, slightly weak at times. The sound was surprisingly good. I wish she'd done more older stuff -especially "Colours & The Kids" - and was disappointed that she didn't do "Rockets." Is it because the "war" is "over," according to the media?

As for quirks, she kept fussing with her hair. At one point, while on solo guitar, she tried tying it up into a bun, but was unsatisfied with the results. (I got a good look at her unadorned face, though.) Anyways she then flung her shirt haphazardly over her shoulder, but it kept falling over her guitar strings. She seemed to be trying to be cool about it, but annoyed with herself. At another point around the same time she kept fussing with her hair so long between songs that one girl in the audience asked "are you alright?" She was better than alright - she was great. Just somewhat eccentric. Not to mention, very interesting.

Fan Reviews (sorry about the weird formatting.)

The Cat Power show was the weirdest experience ever. Here is a series of events that made it weird:
-doors supposedly open at 8, acccording to the ticket, but they don't really open until 9.
-1st opening band=lullabye.
-2nd opening band=worst thing i have ever seen in my life.
-cat power: huge black workboots, huge plaid shirt, huge aviator sunglasses.
-cat power: marching along with songs.
-cat power: cheers the audience and gulps down some alchololic beverage in between every song.
-cat power: so drunk she cannot put her sunglasses on.
-cat power: stops midway through two songs saying, "i'm fucking this up. i need to stop. it's gone."
-cat power+drunken asshole guitarist: attempts to lead audience in a screaming contest.
-band leaves: cat power plays a string of songs that she apparently makes up on stage for the next hour.
-after 6 hours of standing and no sign of cat power halting her drunken serenade or at least bringing the band back on, i finally decide i have had enough. having no attention span or will to stand, i leave with kot, ange and emma.

ps. ange informed me via ali that chan played until 2:30 am and that she played songs over and over again, and covers...after that she tried to engage the audience in a dance party.

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a brief summary of what happened after you left:
-the band comes back on in an effort to stop chan from continuing her drunken serenade, and they play a cover of "dead leaves and the dirty ground"
-"good woman" is played for the second time.
-chan begins singing to herself. the band attempts to play along. for at least 8 minutes. the band stops. chan continues singing until the guitarist walks over and has a word with her.
-chan starts singing "she's lost control" in an ian curtis voice. doesn't appear to remember most of the words. throws in a few "JACKSON! JESSE!"s, after which the band tries to play "nude as the news". but chan's not having it.
-things get a little blurry here in my memory. there are several more attempts to play another song, any song.
-a dance party is suggested. the guitarist asks for "track 5", loud rap comes on, chan jumps into the audience. chan goes behind the dj booth to smoke pot rather than dance. the show is over at 2.30.
-michael and i attempt to find an explanation for what we've just witnessed, fail miserably, and fall into a troubled sleep in the backseat of ethan's car.