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10/23: London @ Koko
Read More10/24: Manchester @ Cathedral 10/25: Glasgow @ Oran Mor 10/27: Amsterdam @ Melkweg 10/28: Berlin @ Festsaal Kreuzberg 10/29: Prague @ Palac Akropolis 10/30: Zurich @ Abart 11/01: Antwerp @ Trix Club 11/02: Paris @ La Maroquinerie 11/03: Cologne @ Gebaude 9 11/05: Vienna @ Arena 11/09: Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Theatre 11/10: Chicago, IL @ Metro 11/11: Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall 11/13: Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall 11/15: Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club 11/16: Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club 11/17: Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club You may remember that seeing Amanda Palmer at the Cedar in 2010 was one of the best shows I've ever seen. It was hard to describe, but it wasn't just a regular rock n roll...
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I have to admit, Amanda Palmer puts on a very good live show. I knew what to expect, having seen her previously, but it was a different type of show at her appearance last night at First Avenue. This is one of the reasons why we love her: her ability to re-invent herself from band to band, album to album.
Amanda Palmer's tour is in support of her latest album, Theatre Is Evil, which got a massive $1 million plus funding from her fans.
As the new name, Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra, suggests, with this latest tour, she has various volunteer string quartets and chamber-style players join her on stage*.
What I like about Palmer's shows is they act as one long show. All her various warmup bands would eventually join her on her "Theatre Is Evil" show, and Palmer does show up in various costumes before the band comes on stage to introduce them.
Her live bassist, Jherek Bischoff, started off the show. He said on stage that he's played some depressing gigs, and he seemed so happy to be playing chamber music to attentive fans.
His brief three-song set included some Congo song cover, "Blossom", and "Eyes". The latter song had Michael McQuilken on drums and Chad Raines on guitars.
I also managed to catch Ronald Reagan, billed as "Boston's premier 80's pop saxophone duo", who had a two-song setlist: Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" and Michael Jackson's "Beat It."
Just before Amanda Palmer took the stage, her husband, Neil Gaiman took the spotlight to tell this story about the F-word. Even though he's known for his Sandman books and American Gods novel and film work for "Coraline", you can tell that Gaiman is a natural public speaker and performer as well. The whole audience was clinging to every word the man had to say.
Amanda Palmer started her set with "Smile (Pictures or It Didn’t Happen)", followed by her single, "The Killing Type." As you would expect, the rest of the songs performed live were from Theatre is Evil, including "Want It Back", "Bottomfeeder", "Berlin", and "Olly Olly Oxen Free."
About midway into her set, Amanda Palmer read notes from her box. I didn't catch why/what it was for, but I'm going to call it "bummer notes." The notes were from anonymous audience members who wrote very depressing and dark things that happened to them. It probably wasn't very long, but it felt like an eternity as Palmer read each and every note, with the next more depressing than the last. One uncomfortable audience member shouted out, "Are you trying to get us to commit suicide?" I'm not going to lie: it got dark. The sad tone, at least to me, shouldn't be part of this upbeat "rock" show.
After the bummer notes were recorded, Palmer took those spoken words and looped it into her next song. I don't know the song, but it sounded like a cover song, "In My Room."
The second half of the show was on the happier side. My favorite song from the set their Wham! cover "Carless Whisper." This song is already great to start with, but having it performed with Ronald Reagan and a surprise "twist" with the camera girl.
Surprisingly, she did a few Dresden Dolls, including the set closer, "Girl Anachronism."
Encore was "Do It Like a Rockstar" and "Leeds United" from her Who Killed Amanda Palmer album.
Amanda Palmer is currently on tour in support of Theatre Is Evil. You can get the album on a variety of formats on her website.
Amanda Palmer's tour is in support of her latest album, Theatre Is Evil, which got a massive $1 million plus funding from her fans.
As the new name, Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra, suggests, with this latest tour, she has various volunteer string quartets and chamber-style players join her on stage*.
What I like about Palmer's shows is they act as one long show. All her various warmup bands would eventually join her on her "Theatre Is Evil" show, and Palmer does show up in various costumes before the band comes on stage to introduce them.
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JHEREK BISCHOFF
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I also managed to catch Ronald Reagan, billed as "Boston's premier 80's pop saxophone duo", who had a two-song setlist: Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" and Michael Jackson's "Beat It."
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NEIL GAIMAN
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Amanda Palmer started her set with "Smile (Pictures or It Didn’t Happen)", followed by her single, "The Killing Type." As you would expect, the rest of the songs performed live were from Theatre is Evil, including "Want It Back", "Bottomfeeder", "Berlin", and "Olly Olly Oxen Free."
About midway into her set, Amanda Palmer read notes from her box. I didn't catch why/what it was for, but I'm going to call it "bummer notes." The notes were from anonymous audience members who wrote very depressing and dark things that happened to them. It probably wasn't very long, but it felt like an eternity as Palmer read each and every note, with the next more depressing than the last. One uncomfortable audience member shouted out, "Are you trying to get us to commit suicide?" I'm not going to lie: it got dark. The sad tone, at least to me, shouldn't be part of this upbeat "rock" show.
After the bummer notes were recorded, Palmer took those spoken words and looped it into her next song. I don't know the song, but it sounded like a cover song, "In My Room."
The second half of the show was on the happier side. My favorite song from the set their Wham! cover "Carless Whisper." This song is already great to start with, but having it performed with Ronald Reagan and a surprise "twist" with the camera girl.
Surprisingly, she did a few Dresden Dolls, including the set closer, "Girl Anachronism."
Encore was "Do It Like a Rockstar" and "Leeds United" from her Who Killed Amanda Palmer album.
Amanda Palmer is currently on tour in support of Theatre Is Evil. You can get the album on a variety of formats on her website.
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Amanda Palmer at First Avenue, Minneapolis (10/03/12) |
* PS In doing research on the latest tour, there seems to be a lot of negative press against Amanda Palmer for her not paying her volunteer bands. I find it hard to believe that Palmer with her million dollars from Kickstarter (plus regular ticket prices at the door) that she could not afford to pay for the musicians. As of mid-September, she started paying her guest musicians. You can read how she came to this conclusion at her 09/16 blog.
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