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11/27 - City Winery - Chicago, IL SOLD OUT
Read More11/28 - Radio Radio - Indianapolis, IN 11/30 - Mr. Small's Theatre - Pittsburgh, PA 12/01 - Virgin Mobile Mod Club - Toronto, ON 12/03 - La Sala Rossa - Montreal, QC 12/04 - Paradise Rock Club - Boston, MA 12/05 - Joe's Pub - New York, NY 12/07 - First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia, PA 12/08 - The Night Cat - Easton, MD 12/09 - U Street Music Hall - Waasshington , DC 12/10 - Local 506 - Chapel Hill, NC 12/12 - Vinyl - Atlanta, GA 12/13 - The Bottletree - Birmingham, AL 12/14 - 3rd & Lindsley - Nashville, TN The last time I caught Rachael Yamagata, she was waxing nostalgia about the "twelve years" (exaggerated) since she's been gone ...
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With her latest ep, ’Heavyweight’, Rachael Yamagata compares the rollercoaster ride of romance to a boxing match, and she brought the ‘fight’ Monday to the lush surroundings of Minneapolis’ Varsity Theater for a dark, delicate, and ultimately cathartic 90 min. performance.
This tour was billed as more intimate, and with a smaller capacity, sparse lighting, and a completely seated crowd, gave a more personal invitation into her world that demanded your attention.
Yamagata’s band included a small string section (The Duhks’ Tania Elizabeth and cellist Ben Kalb), two guitarists (including Americana opening act Ed Romanoff who covered both Patsy Cline and Rachael in his set), and a one-man rhythm section who handled both bass and drums.
Her self-depreciating storytelling lifted the veil on what might be considered a lot of depressing songs- “All of my humor injected between songs is purely... just to make sure you don’t kill yourself”, she joked.
With previous opener/bandmate Adrien Reju no longer on the tour, the setlist was slightly altered to fit the remaining lineup, but the ensemble remained tight with sweeping strings and gentle piano framing most songs. Ann Klein’s guitar emoted like a dark drive down a lonely highway and Romanoff took up the Ray LaMontagne part during ‘Duet’. The new songs held up well live, particularly ‘Has it Happened Yet’ which worked into a mid-set crescendo.
Only missing were any covers, to tease her upcoming ‘Covers ep’ (Feb) - 10CC’s “I’m Not in Love” was on the setlist, but not played. Something to look forward to, the next time Yamagata is in town.
This tour was billed as more intimate, and with a smaller capacity, sparse lighting, and a completely seated crowd, gave a more personal invitation into her world that demanded your attention.
Yamagata’s band included a small string section (The Duhks’ Tania Elizabeth and cellist Ben Kalb), two guitarists (including Americana opening act Ed Romanoff who covered both Patsy Cline and Rachael in his set), and a one-man rhythm section who handled both bass and drums.
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Rachael Yamagata
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With previous opener/bandmate Adrien Reju no longer on the tour, the setlist was slightly altered to fit the remaining lineup, but the ensemble remained tight with sweeping strings and gentle piano framing most songs. Ann Klein’s guitar emoted like a dark drive down a lonely highway and Romanoff took up the Ray LaMontagne part during ‘Duet’. The new songs held up well live, particularly ‘Has it Happened Yet’ which worked into a mid-set crescendo.
Only missing were any covers, to tease her upcoming ‘Covers ep’ (Feb) - 10CC’s “I’m Not in Love” was on the setlist, but not played. Something to look forward to, the next time Yamagata is in town.
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Rachael Yamagata at Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (11/26/12) |
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