For a band to play its first-ever Utah gig on a Sunday night is a dicey proposition–plenty of times, that combination of circumstances makes for a frustratingly sparse crowd.
The Waterboys built up enough interest in Utah over the past three decades to thankfully fill most of The State Room for their show Sunday night, and those lucky enough to motivate were treated to a ribald set that lasted more than two hours and 21 songs, a performance full of insistent Irish folk-rock, incredible musicianship and some cheeky between-song banter from leader Mike Scott.
The band started the proceedings with two songs from arguably their most popular album, 1988’s Fisherman’s Blues, opening with “Strange Boat” and moving quickly into the title track, to the delight of the long-time fans crowding the front of the stage. After a dive back to their self-titled 1981 album with “A Girl Called Jonny,” it was yet another song from Fisherman’s, the ballad “We Will Not Be Lovers,” that marked the band truly hitting its stride.
And what a band Scott has backing him up. Dublin-based fiddler Steve Wickham was a wonder all night, dancing and playing an array of electric and acoustic fiddles to bring the traditional Irish vibe. He’s a remarkable player, and a blast to watch, and knew when to use restraint when called for–on “White Birds,” his delicate strokes across the strings evoked a distant bird’s cry to great effect. Jay Barclay was another ace–moving between electric guitars, mandolin and banjo, ripping off incredible solos on songs like “Song of the Wandering Aengus” and the set-closing “Don’t Bang the Drum.”
Scott introduced “The Girl in the Swing” as “a love song, in the blues idiom,” and it was one of a batch of killer romantic numbers. “When Ye Go Away” was right up there, and “Spirit” leading into “Whole of the Moon” made for a powerful one-two punch, with Scott starting the songs solo at piano before his band filled the stage and took the song from simple to expansive.
Among the other highlights Sunday night: a raucous “Just Found God” from the band’s Dream Harder album, “The Raggle Taggle Gypsy,” a traditional Irish jig, “Mad as the Mist and Snow,” a sprawling set piece from the band’s latest, An Appointment with Mr. Yeats, and a fine cover of Hank Williams’ “Your Cheatin’ Heart.”
By the time the band finished with a monstrous take on “Be On Enemy” from their This Is the Sea album, giving each musician a chance to solo, and featuring plenty of false stops–only to have Scott crank up the band again. It was a truly joyful night full of traditional sounds and honest-to-God rock and roll, courtesy of a guy who still sounds great more than three decades into his career.
It might have been the first stop in Utah for The Waterboys, but judging by the performance on Sunday, the band should have plenty of juice left to come through town again. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take Scott another six years to get to The Waterboys’ next North American trek.
(photos courtesy of The Waterboys/Paul MacManus)
THE WATERBOYS, THE STATE ROOM, Sunday, Oct. 13, 8 p.m., $42
The Waterboys have been around, off and on, since 1983, and while I haven’t lived in Utah straight through since that time, the band’s appearance Sunday at The State Room might be (at least to my knowledge) their first Utah stop. Perhaps someone out there knows of a long-ago Zephyr Club appearance–let me know if you do, I’d love to hear about it. And that’s because the crew led by Mike Scott is one I’ve wanted to see live forever and a day, and this is my first opportunity to do just that. This fall jaunt is the longest North American trek in the band’s history, coming in support of Scott’s 2013 opus An Appointment with Mr. Yeats, a “collaboration” of sorts with Irish poet W.B. Yeats, whose prose provides inspiration and lyrics for the collection. The result doesn’t sound all that different from past Waterboys and Scott solo albums–dramatic Irish folk and rock with an almost magical way with words. Scott’s current band is comprised of Americans, rather than the usual stew of Irish, Scottish and British players, in addition to himself and fiddler Steve Wickham. With a new album and a killer back-catalog to draw on–hello Fisherman’s Blues!–Sunday night is going to be a memorable one. Freddie Stevenson opens the show.
GARY CLARK, JR., THE DEPOT, Thursday, Oct. 10, 8 p.m., $26
The buzz that accompanied Gary Clark Jr.’s now-year-old debut, Black and Blu, was so deafening that it’s still reverberating as he makes his way to Utah for his first visit since a Sundance Film Festival appearance a couple years back. A prodigy of sorts since childhood, Clark earned his stripes in Austin, Texas, and it’s hard to think of a better place to learn and appreciate the blues-rock canon than the self-proclaimed “live music capital of the world” and the home stomping grounds of Stevie Ray Vaughan and his brother Jimmie. Jimmie Vaughan actually helped Clark along the way, and legendary Austin club Antone’s gave Clark a fine place to work before he broke out nationally. Max Frost opens the show Thursday.
KT TUNSTALL, THE STATE ROOM, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 8 p.m., $40
Scottish songstress KT Tunstall has developed quite the reputation as an excellent live act since first bursting on the scene with her debut 2004 single “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree.” Her blend of pop hooks and aggressive folk makes for winning tunes, even when the lyrical content delves into the darker side of life. That’s certainly the case on her latest release, Invisible Sun//Crescent Moon, a collection she recorded in two stints. The Invisible Moon half chronicles her emotions around her father’s death and mortality, while the Crescent Moon half is more wide-ranging in theme. Expect a big dose of the new material Tuesday night, as well as a decade’s worth of fine songs. Brian Lopez opens the show.
GLENN TILBROOK, THE STATE ROOM, Friday, Oct. 4, 9 p.m., $23
I am one of those people who finds Squeeze to be a criminally under-appreciated band, one of the best of the British so-called New Wave bands of the late ’70s and early ’80s. Part of the reason is that I was turned on to Squeeze very early in my music fandom. And most of the reason is simply the songwriting chops of Glenn Tilbrook and his Squeeze partner Chris Difford. Songs like “Black Coffee in Bed,” “Pulling Mussels (from the Shell)” and, later, “Hourglass,” turned me into a lifelong fan of the band’s insistent hooks and witty way with lyrics. Between Squeeze stints–the band visited SLC last summer with The B-52s–Tilbrook tours solo in support of albums like his own Pandemonium Ensues. He’s a charmer as a frontman, no matter what the configuration he’s leading, and you can bet some of those Squeeze songs will be a big part of the show. Joe Michelini opens.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoOyCDOJVyM
Two days after watching the opening-night performance of Venus in Fur at the Salt Lake Acting Company, I’m still turning the play over and over in my mind, considering its themes of power and sex from every potential angle and struggling to reach any over-arching conclusions.
Consider that a great reason to check out the complex play penned by David Ives and opening the 43rd year at SLAC. Ives’ rip-roaring way with dialogue and the two actors’ deft handing of ever-changing accents, emotions and narrative threads make it easy for the audience to dive right in and revel in the story of a playwright/director and the impromptu audition of an unexpected visitor in his bare-bones office.
About those actors–Marza Warsinske (as aspiring actress Vanda) and Patrick Kintz (as the playwright Thomas) both deliver powerhouse, multi-faceted performances. As the only two characters in Venus in Fur, talented actors obviously are necessary to carry the 90-plus minutes on stage. Then you must consider that the play you’re watching, Venus in Fur, contains many scenes of a play within the play requiring Eastern European accents from both, and you quickly come to appreciate how well Masinske and Kintz handle the tricky twists Ives packed into his script.
I’m not going reveal much about those twists, except to say Vanda proves to be much more than simply an actress who showed up way late for an audition at Thomas’s office. She somehow has an intimate knowledge of both his play and his personal life, and she spends the play pushing buttons that make Thomas confront just how much of his play is based on an old favorite book, and how much it is a reflection of himself.
It’s a blast to watch the sparring between the two characters, and uncomfortable at times as the jokes that fill much of the initial stages of the one-act play give way to a psycho-sexual showdown that leaves you juggling all sorts of questions as you exit the theater. Director Tracy Callahan paces the action nicely–despite the fact there are two characters on one set throughout, there is action–and Venus in Fur proves an excellent way to start the season for SLAC.
Venus in Fur runs through Oct. 27. Tickets and showtimes are available at SLAC’s website. Photos courtesy of Salt Lake Acting Company.
Daniel Nailen 