'Twas a sweltering day in
Ithaca, New York. The humidity level was bordering on sauna outside and
it was even worse inside Ithaca State Theater. Nonetheless, Fiona Apple kicked off the second leg of
her North American Tour in support of her new album The Idler Wheel... (or
The Idler Wheel Is Wiser than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords
Will Serve You More than Ropes Will Ever Do if you prefer) with energy and
spunk.
The band took the stage
shortly after 9PM and kicked things off with "Fast As You Can" to get
the energy flowing right off the bat. The band was tight and Fiona was
whipping her hair around and flailing her arms back and forth in between verses
(possibly in an effort to keep cool as opposed to providing energy and
entertainment).
Fiona would bounce back and
forth between the mic stand at center stage and the grand piano on the right
side of the stage for the duration of the show. She excelled at center
stage when she was providing vocals to certain songs, but I really thought she
performed her best when she was seated at the piano while harmoniously tickling
the keys as she belted out her signature vocals. Seventeen songs were
performed all together (setlist can be found here)
and the setlist provided a great mix of songs spanning Ms. Apple's entire
career. Four songs off The Idler Wheel... were performed with 3-5
songs each off her previous albums. All the hits were played and the
deeper tracks off each album were also very enjoyable.
The only downside of the
night was being told to "BE QUIET!" by the asshole sitting in front
of me (pictured above). I was more than mildly offended by this.
Now it's not like this was an ear-blasting metal show where you would have to scream
just so the person next to you could hear anything at all, but it's not like we
were at the theater for a string quartet performance either. To be clear,
I remain silent any time music is being played when I go to the
orchestra. Fiona Apple plays rock music. It may be piano rock or
balladesque... but it is still rock music. We're at a fucking rock show
dude. I don't care how much you like Fiona Apple and what your story
is. I drove three fucking hours each way to enjoy this show too and if my
aside whispers piss you off that much than maybe you should reassess the
decision to go to concerts. I'm sure there will be plenty of people who
read this article and label me as the asshole, and that's fine, you can go f yourself too. I paid $75 just like every other person who went to the
show and I'm gonna enjoy the show... I'm also going to make a comment about a
particular song or passage if and when I feel the need to. I review
things. It's what I do. I review restaurants, music, wine, you name
it. Anyways, I thought the guy was a dick, I'm sure he thought I was a
dick... whatever, rant over.
Other than that small
mishap, everything was righteous. The band was very enjoyable and Fiona
was energetic and took time to converse a little with the crowd between songs, making
quips about the heat/humidity, how magazines never allow her to be barefoot
during photo shoots, and other musings about the press and other things she's
dealt with over the course of her career as a musician (and she seemed very
upbeat about it all in a "poking fun at" sort of manner).
Here is a video of last night's performance of "Shadowboxer":
I guess the question to ask is were you drinking at or before this event? I've been at both ends of this "be quiet" issue. I know I I can to be louder at these types of concerts when I've downed a few. I remember being shushed during a Brian Wilson show at DL and may have deserved it. I still ticked me off though. I've also been on the other end, but the other person has always been completely smashed and out of control.
Don't fucking talk during shows. I don't care. It is a blatant sign of disrespect to the artist. If you were any kind of fan (who gives a fuck if you paid your money....you paid money to LISTEN to the show...not TALK....at least I did), you would have seen the very well played (via youtube) video from her tour this spring where she tells people that talk to shut the fuck up before the show!
And you review things, eh? This reads like more of a teenage girls blog than a proper review. This coming from a journalist himself.
No, just because you pay a ticket price doesn't mean you get to talk. Really, you ARE quite ignorant.
I mean.....I never thought I'd read something where someone defended talking during a concert. Wow. The person who posted the comment above this is right. Really? You think it is Ok to talk during a concert because you PAID to do it? Riiiiiiight.
Next time bring a pen and write down your 'asides' instead of vocalizing them.
Whispers are louder then you think.
Thanks for the video.
Wow. Just wow. You think you can talk during a show? Ok, bud.....because ya know...that's what everyone else around you paid to do -- was to hear you run your mouth over the performer on stage. total sense = made.
"I review things. It's what I do. I review restaurants, music, wine, you name it. Anyways, I thought the guy was a dick, I'm sure he thought I was a dick... whatever, rant over."
.......what you forgot to add was that you *poorly* review things.
Lets all sing 'Kumbaya'. Whenever one is around 'The Public' not everyone will agree with you or what you are doing. Getting along with others is one of the most important skills to acquire. sorry for the cliches. You ever encounter a loud talker on a cell phone? Same principle. You get annoyed, mutter an obscenity, then move along. Hopefully your whole day won't be ruined by one person.
I think what the folks above are getting at is that they aren't paying to walk down the street (citing your example). Further, one does not have any expectations of silence/listening intently to one particular sound when walking down the street. Further, you *can* walk away from a loud cell phone talker, but you can't walk away from a person you're seated next to at a sold out show.
I have to agree with the previous posters. Talking during a concert is obnoxious, particularly when the artist asks you not to.
1) people who talk at quiet shows suck
2) people who shush others anywhere suck more
The moral of the story: Fiona needs to eat something
HOW DARE YOU SPEAK WHEN FIONA IS SINGING HER SONG.
WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, DREW KLINE?
IF YOU WERE HALF A MAN I WOULD THROW YOU DOWN THE STAIRCASE FOR INTERRUPTING THE LISTENING PLEASURE OF THE OLD MEN IN THAT SWEATY LITTLE VENUE.
IF I HAD HALF OF ONE DOLLAR FOR EVERY NICKEL, DO YOU KNOW WHAT I WOULD HAVE?
HALF A MIND TO TELL YOU WHAT FOR, THAT'S WHAT!
YES, OH YES!
YES INDEED!
I was at the show, too. We drove three hours both ways and paid extra for the premium tickets to hear Fiona Apple, not some dick talking.
Good luck ever getting a real writing job. Anyone who Googles you will find this article and realize how incredibly unprofessional you are. As a music writer, this is tremendously insulting. You're not entitled to anything. You and Gwendolyn Elliott are giving us all a bad name.
white people problems
to bad all of the comments centered around your disdain for being told to be quiet. I just saw Fiona here in Danbury, CT this past weekend and she was amazing!!! a nice outdoor venue where even she remarked on the heat and humidity but by the time it was all said and done, she put on one hell of a show! oh, and I didn't be told to be quiet by anybody...