Extraordinary Spectacle
On Wednesday Jessica and I went to see Fiona Apple at Chastain Park Amphitheatre. (I typed Amphitheatre for spelling practice.) Let’s get right down to it: I don’t know what Ms. Apple was on that night, but it was some crazy shit. I’m also not sure how to go about describing what we saw.
We parked and ate our Subway sandwiches in the Jeep, listening to an old episode of This American Life (”Julia Sweeney“) while thunder played in the distance. Eventually we made our way into the Amphitheatre for the show. We found our seats covered with ants, and so we sat a bit closer, uninterrupted for the duration of the evening. It was not a full house.
Apple’s band took the stage just after 9:00 — 2 keyboards, 1 bass, 1 drummer — and she emerged seconds later under cover of darkness, wearing what I like to describe as a cavewoman’s evening dress (you know, it has one strap like Wilma, but black, of course). After a brief interlude they got started with one of the songs off the most recent album. Within the first half dozen or so they had played “Shadowboxer” and “Sleep To Dream”, leaving one to wonder what the rest of the show would consist of. (”Criminal” was yet to come, I was reminded. The title track from Extraordinary Machine was to come later, too.)
As for the performance, the band was top drawer as can be expected, but Apple appeared to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown, sometimes singing, often shouting and growling lyrics with a certain degree of fury. We all know she’s rather throaty, but this was throaty squared. It was as if she was reliving the events behind the lyrics. Most songs found her squatting in a near fetal position in front of the center monitors with a band member on the piano, rocking with the music. During instrumental portions she would disappear to the keyboard riser behind the piano, curled up with her head down.
Certainly, Apple cannot be expected to adhere to all of the patterns of popular musical performance, and even though many of her songs are so miserable, doesn’t she seem the sort to chat with the audience? The following describes the entirety of her communication with the audience:
- “Thank you,” twice.
- A few unidentifiable shrieks.
- “You are all just wonderful!” After 70 minutes.
- “This is…!” (Introducing the band in a bizarrely trippy/euphoric manner.)
That’s it. It was as if she was doing her best to keep quiet, to keep everything she said very short, for fear she might blurt out something embarrassing. When she returned to the stage for the encore she started out first, and then the band followed up quickly behind her. I couldn’t help but imagine them scrambling, “Woah! Don’t let her get out there alone!”
Is it wrong that, for $57 plus “convenience” fees (each), I feel somewhat entitled to hear something resembling vaguely friendly banter with the audience? It just seems like something that a professional performer does. The entire set, including encore, was 90 minutes.
As bizarre as her behavior was, she was remarkably good about meeting her cues and remembering lyrics. “Drugs” seems a somewhat inadequate explanation, but it’s the best we had. How sad, I kept thinking.
Today I read in Wikipedia:
Apple has spoken openly during her 2006 tour about an obsessive compulsive disorder she has experienced regarding insects, which has made outdoor performances challenging for her, though she has sought treatment.
Interesting, considering the state of our seats (recall: ant-covered). I haven’t been backstage at Chastain, but it seems to me it can’t be any more insect-ridden than, say, The Tabernacle. It’s not like she’s performing in the middle of a field. And if you’re having problems with insects, why would you want to crouch on the stage in a dress? Perhaps, as someone who’s been camping for years, I have a hard time understanding serious problems with insects. Or maybe she was just f’d up.
Jessica enjoyed the show but expressed her lack of desire to return to Chastain Park Amphitheatre ever again, and to a certain degree I sympathize. We do have tickets to Chris Isaak later this month, however. Hopefully he won’t fall prey to any phobias and turn into a recluse.
August 9th, 2006 at 2:08 pm
I was at the concert as well, and she was seriously disturbed throughout the whole show. What about the mindless whipping of her microphone like she was a lion tamer? Maybe that was to get the bugs to go away. Great music though, I mean I really did enjoy the songs. But I agree that it would have been nice to hear a bit more conversation between songs. Oh well!
August 9th, 2006 at 2:21 pm
Ah, how could I forget the microphone cable whipping. I did the same kind of thing with rope and string back when I was a kid, sending waves down the line. When I first saw it at the show I thought, “That’s awesome! She’s doing the thing with the microphone!” And then — and maybe this is because I’m 28, and so is she — doubt entered my mind and I thought, “Is this really something a recording artist does onstage?”
As time passes and my memory softens, it seems to me that the music was pretty good. Certainly the band was very good, and aside from the erratic aspects of her performance she did sing pretty well in several songs. ;)
Thanks for dropping in, Bonnie!
August 9th, 2006 at 2:27 pm
Also, photos from her performance are available at wireimage.com.
August 9th, 2006 at 6:10 pm
Being a somewhat older fan of concerts, I can remember seeing Rodger Daultry, lead singer for The Who, and how he would take his microphone which by the way was super taped to his cable, and he spin that thing like it was lasso. The girls went nuts and they sold alot of albums.
August 10th, 2006 at 10:12 am
Perhaps I’m being unfair to Fiona, but to me it’s okay if Roger Daltrey plays with the microphone. That’s rock’n'roll. Roger Daltrey didn’t come onstage in a black evening gown (as far as I know) — he was probably more prone to blue jeans. I suppose the black evening gown somewhat limits the range of acceptable onstage behavior. :)
August 10th, 2006 at 10:45 am
I saw Nine Inch Nails at Lakewood several years ago. Trent Reznor spent a good deal of time not just whipping the mic cable, but actually beating things with it. There’s a 50/50 chance that he was wearing a black evening gown.:-)