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Magnetic Fields at Fitzgerald (May 9-10, 2025)
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Five Artists, Four sets, three records (or CDs if you prefer), two nights, and one Stephen Merrit: 69 Love Songs the 25th Anniversary tour at the Fitzgerald Theatre in St. Paul. What a sublime couple of evenings. The Magnetic Fields know how to put on a performance and those in attendance were treated to an amazing one. I had the pleasure of seeing them perform 69 Love Songs like this back in 2002 and was blown away by the fidelity to the sound of the album while simultaneously being its own event. The voices of Claudia Gonson and Stephen Merrit were flawless. Having been to my fair share of recent shows by bands from the '90s and '00s, I was not sure what to expect of their voices 23 years later. Well, spoiler alert, they're still flawless, and I don't say that lightly.
For those who don't know, the set-up for these shows is the main touring members of the Magnetic Fields playing all 2 hours 52 minutes and 3 seconds of 69 Love Songs from "Absolutely Cuckoo" to "Zebra". There were no surprises when it came to which song was next, which was probably juust fine with this audience. On Night One at about 8:10, with cheers from the audience, the band sauntered on to stage to their individual spots, which looked like modern desks at a hip communal workspace. Stephen (vocals and various "random" instruments) was in the front stage left with Claudia Gonson (vocals, ukulele, whistling), in the front stage right. Sam Davol (cello) was center stage slightly behind. With Chris Ewen (keyboards/synthesizer) back right and John Woo (vocals, guitar) back left, both on a raised stage. Upon taking their positions and without a word, they launched into song. There is not a lot of physicality to their shows, but don't let that fool you; there is a tremendous amount of energy to their sets, and they know how to entertain an audience.
After the third song, "All My Little Words" sung by John Woo, Stephen in his subdued baritone casually offered that a lot of their songs are about animals, some of which aren't so pretty. Obviously referencing "A Chicken With Its Head Cut Off", which followed. Before the next song, "Reno Dakota" sung by Claudia, Stephen offered that a lot of their songs are about cities, too. Animals and cities. Both of these comments were met with laughter from the audience, most of whom were well aware of this information. "The Luckiest Guy On the Lower East Side", another city song, was a highlight of the show with everyone waiting to see how John Woo, taking lead vocals, would compare to Dudley Klute who provided vocals for the album and held the note on the lyric ride for 16 seconds. I know 16 seconds doesn't seem like a long time, but for those of you who have tried to match it while singing along know -it is challenging. I don't think John quite made it 16 seconds, but the audience still rewarded him with some love. The first set ended with "Parades Go By", which was preceded by Stephen announcing there would be a 20-minute intermission and a casual mention of merchandise, including a few posters from their Toronto show left, at the merch shop and if you hurried you might get one. You might also be realizing that there is a second night and head to the box office to get tickets only to realize there aren't any left... you shouldn't have gotten the poster first...
"Boa Constrictor", a lovely song about potential infanticide, sung by Claudia, kicked off the second set. Every song they played is worth writing about, but there are only so many words I imagine you’re willing to put up with. Of particular note: “Sweet-Lovin’ Man” sung by Claudia, “When My Boy Walks Down the Street” sung by Stephen, which had the audience feeling it, and three of the final five, which are slow, beautiful, melodic gems that really tug on one’s musical heart strings: “You’re My Only Home”, “My Only Friend”, and “Promises of Eternity” all sung by Stephen. Prior to the last song, Stephen informed us that this would be the last song followed by a 24-hour intermission.
Night Two (a new seat) The band’s entrance was much the same as Night One except the first song was “World Love” sung by Stephen. The next song, “Washington, D.C.” sung by Claudia was an opportunity for some theatre and subtle political commentary in the way the song was performed. The audience got the bit and responded with approval. “Long-Forgotten Fairytale” sung by John immediately followed and was delivered so beautifully as was “Papa Was a Rodeo”, a duet between Stephen and Claudia. You could feel the uncertainty of and the marveling at love. “Acoustic Guitar” was a fan favorite delivered with the appropriate level of humor and resigned longing by Claudia. Finally, the first set wrapped up with Stephen singing “The Death of Ferdinand de Saussure” preceded by the same general announcement of a 20-minute intermission and merch available delivered with the all the enthusiasm of a “management is making me tell you this” style. The joke, obviously, being he is management.
The second set started slowly with “Love In the Shadows” sung by Stephen. Two duets were particularly entertaining as judged by the audience reaction: "Wi' Nae Wee Bairn Ye'll Me Beget" sung by Claudia and John with Stephen providing backing vocals and "Yeah! Oh, Yeah!", a song about a wife realizing her husband no longer loves her sung by Claudia and Stephen complete with glasses of rosé and hand gestures. Then finally Chris got in on the singing with the oh so meh “Experimental Music Love”, which thankfully is only 29 seconds long but is worth mentioning for how much it sounded like the version on the album. John Woo delighted the crowd with his rendition of the humorous and pithy "For We Are the King of the Boudoir". Prior to the last song “Zebra”, sung by Claudia, Stephen let us know that this song would be followed by a 25-year intermission after which we could join them for the 50th anniversary and purchase the 69 Love Songs gold album.
The show closed with a minutes-long standing ovation even though the audience knew there would be no encore. It's truly amazing how many great songs there are on 69 Love Songs most of which have held up remarkably well over the years. Being able to spend 3 hours over two nights with hundreds of Magnetic Fields fans listening to the album sung live from beginning to end helps you appreciate what a masterpiece it is.
| matt ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com |
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