Damien Rice @ State Theatre
Posted on September 5th, 2007 – 1:22 AMBy Jon Bream
Did Damien get up on the wrong side of the bed? Or what? I haven’t witnessed an artist so ill-prepared for a show since Jackson Browne in 1990 at Northrop.
This was a solo show and Damien was unfocused, unsure of what to play next. He kept babbling on with intros to songs that went on so many tangents that they rarely made sense. The guy should rehearse with himself.
To be sure, a few songs worked. And the encore was wonderful because he was focused. And props to the two fans who joined Damien onstage to make the encore unforgettable.
There was Hannah, who flirted with the singer, as they drank six glasses of red wine as he told a story and sang “Cheers Darlin.”
At one point, he threw a lit cigarette at Hannah. Understandably infuriated, she threatened to dump her wine on him — and she finally did…right on his crotch. “Those were new jeans,” he said with less anger than heard in his songs.
Damien asked Hannah if she could sing and she declined. So some dude with a necktie, dress shirtandBuddy Holly-likeglassesfrom the crowd volunteered. Crouching on one knee, Cory Carlson wailed on Prince’s “Purple Rain” and received a standing ovation.
This concert didn’t live up to Damien’s concerts at Northrop and the Orpheum. But the encore made the show for me.
What did you think of the concert? Please post your opinion here:
11 Responses to "Damien Rice @ State Theatre"
Disagree. The whole show was great. So what if he was a little unfocused in the beginning. Can’t believe you could criticize this fantastic show. He had the audience in the palm of his hand. Did ya notice?
I really enjoyed the show but thought that his last one was better with the whole band. While he did seem generally unfocused, it was a nice refreshing view of an artist: bare and unprepared. His talent and interaction with the crowd shined through. The encore was amazing.
I have to disagree. The raw nature at the core of Damien’s songs were at their best in this free flowing orgainic performance. Damien gave him self to the crowd and they in-turn gave back. He broke free of a typical, formulaic performance and let the crowd in. Bare and raw yet intimate and reflective… the best of what Damien’s music has to offer.
I, too, disagree. My name is CORY CARLSON, not Troy Johnson. I was the neck-tie wearing gentleman that sang Purple Rain with Damien Rice. Please correct the name. I found the show to be wonderfully genuine, much like the artist is in person.
Was it a cigarette or wine Damien threw at Hannah? I was sitting towards the back, so I may have missed it, but I thought it was wine he threw too. I thought she was wiping it off later. Since Jon missed so much did he miss this too?
What a great show! A rare intimate time wtih the incredible Mr. Rice. I’ll take the unfocused Damien any day to get the chance at the opportunity this show created - a guy, his guitar, piano and passion. He gave everything to every song. There probably won’t be many more opportunities like this when he starts selling out bigger buildings.
Cory Carlson - you rocked! Too bad a seat was wasted on Jon Bream.
Agreed with the other commentors, Damien was fantastic!! So fantastic in fact all the ladies in the audience couldn’t stop themselves from hootin’ n hollerin’ during his songs. His sets were incredibly intimate.
Cory … you were amazing. !!!! Totally unexpected and seriously awesome. That was the most fantastic end to an hour-plus encore ever. Best. Ever.
Jon,
You need to find a new career.
You have no clue.
I do think Damien was a bit off and his ramblings did seem a bit drawn out and confusing at times. This is forgivable because playing a solo show, at the whim of the crowd, can be a bit scatterbrained anyway.
After the last few shows, I am starting to feel a bit like Damien is a one-trick-pony with that looping pedal that he loves to use. Don’t get me wrong, I think at times that it can be awesome and allows him to display some genuine artistic qualities in his music, but when he started playing around with the over-volumed distortion in combination with the repeater pedal my ears were on the verge of bleeding. At times the layering of sounds was just too much and too full to really enjoy. There were other times that this technique was absolutely qualitative and enjoyable to listen to. Hey Damien, where is the rest of your band? And what the heck happened to Lisa Hannigan, I guess she went solo too… it is a shame.
I thought it was a trite display of arrogance that the same girl not only presented herself to Damien in the middle of the show in a “pick me again I am special” kind of way, but that Damien actually did pick her nonetheless. Her antics on stage did make me a bit uncomfortable, like some improvisation performance gone awry.
For me, the highlight of the evening was the rendition of purple rain sung by a supper-club-attired Cory Carlson. I am not sure Damien knew what he was in for when this undiscovered prince-a-like walked up on stage. Thanks for the laughs and props to you Cory.
Overall, the concert was almost equally as enjoyable as the last. Watching artists do their thing with just a guitar and a microphone… and piano, several effects pedals, wine, girls named Hannah, and a hand rolled cigarette, can certainly lead to a new found appreciation of the music, lyrics and the essence of the artist’s message.
The “professional” reviewers were obviously at a different show - Damien seemed very relaxed, and actually in a good mood, even if a little forgetful. My wife thought he might have been baked. He had some great stories, and the encore was the best we have ever seen - very fun.
It was wine that Damien threw on Hannah, not the cig. I was sitting first row and center, which made the show even more unforgetable.
Damien did seem a bit out of it, but I seemed to like the randomness. How often do you get to go to a show of this caliber and the artist actually takes song suggestions from the crowd. It just shows how talented he is, and is prepared for anything.
And yes Cory did absolutely nail purple rain. The performance was up on youtube.com, but they took it down because of a “copyright claim”… nonsense. If anyone had a chance to download it, keep posting it.
To the absurd Christian Oestreich who left the review above - aren’t you the same person who created a Wang Chung remix a few years ago, about 20 years too late?
Go back to DJ-ing weddings and holiday parties - you are not qualified to critique music other than dance music of the ’80s. The trite, arrogant one is you.
