|  FEIST
The
Troubadour, Los Angeles
September 16, 2005
She entered the stage with a video camera, not a guitar, but Feist
had good cause to document the occasion—the last time she
played the Troubadour she was greeted by an audience half the
size. Now, six months later, a sold-out crowd is an easy indication
of her growing appeal here in the U.S., following the American
release of her album Let It Die in April.
The Toronto native was surrounded by an excellent new band which
featured Julian Brown of Apostle of Hustle on baritone guitar
and keyboards, Jesse Baird on drums, and Jesse’s brother,
Buydon Baird, on flugelhorn and trumpet. Sixteen months of touring
has found Feist at complete ease as a performer, but most astonishing
for anyone unfamiliar with her act might be the considerable umph
she puts into the songs in a live setting. For all of Let
It Die’s gorgeous balladry and intricate production,
it’s a decidedly light record; but onstage that’s
just not the case.
Opening
with the tribal-flavored “When I Was Young Girl,”
she bettered the album version by more or less attacking it. They
followed with “Secret Heart,” dedicated in a Southern
twang to its creator, Ron Sexsmith, before engaging the audience
in a sing-along with “Gatekeeper.” Trumpet and xylophone
parts added character to the bossanova-tinged Let It Die
opener, and Feist implored the audience, “Keep going, even
five songs from now,” after teaching them a vocal part.
During a break to tune a guitar, she continued the banter by asking
everyone that, ‘if they had a choice, would they go out
to sea or tend the lighthouse?’ When a majority chose the
former, she said, “That’s the problem—we all
want to go out to sea. Who’s gonna keep the home fire burning?”
Then she did a neat little thing, recording a vocal part into
her microphone, which she was able to play back and loop over
and over again while she sang a new song over top of it. It was
a set highlight, not just for the special effects, but also for
the song itself. No title was given, but it was subtly mesmerizing
number, reminiscent of an old sailor’s song—something
you could imagine men rowing underneath the deck of a ship humming
on the darkest of nights many years ago.
It was the first of several songs that found the singer alone
on stage, dipping far enough into her repertoire to play numbers
that existed only in her head. “[This is] about a year when
I broke absolutely no new ground, only wearing the color red,”
she said introducing “Anti-Pioneer.” Sample lyrics:
“For a year she was an anti-pioneer/Singing sappy songs
about what went wrong/Two years ago.”
When the band returned they picked up where they left off, playing
lively renditions of the R&B-inspired “One Evening,”
as well as “Mushaboom,” which relished in its natural
“country” setting. A broken guitar string was of little
concern for Feist, removing it mid-song and placing it around
her neck, while stepping up onto her monitor to the delight of
many. More humor ensued when the singer was unable to make her
replacement guitar work, until someone in the audience pointed
out that it was unplugged, forcing her to reminisce about a similar
experience a few years ago when she brought a “broken”
4-track to a repair shop.
“See-Line Woman” followed and was transformed into
a ballsy 1-2-3-4 stomper, before a wonderful reinterpretation
of The Bee-Gees’ “Inside & Out,” inspired
by a member of Broken Social Scene. This one took on the air of
an old country ballad, with only the Troubadour’s shining
disco ball to remind those of the song’s musical origins.
“This is the slow song that proves all others are lies,”
she said of set-closer “Let It Die.” She wasn’t
serious, but then gave a performance that suggested she was, up
until she got on her knees to indulge in some melodrama. Despite
her attempts to keep it light, her set was no less transporting.
By Gary Knight
www.listentofeist.com
10/2005
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