PJ Harvey
Date: October 15, 2004 Burning Anything That Will Burn Having seen PJ Harvey perform twice previously in Toronto, I had no doubt that she would once again deliver a fantastic concert. In fact, my only concern was quantity, not quality. Considering that she was returning to The Phoenix, which has a very early curfew, would her show again feel abrupt? Fortunately, this turned out to be the first PJ Harvey concert from which I was able to walk away as satisfied with the length of the set as with the excellence of the performance. Getting the night started was solo act Moris Tepper. I enjoyed his wide-ranging guitar work, whether acoustic or electric, as well as the force behind his rough vocals. The absurdity of many of his lyrics, though, did prove to be a distraction in a set that was unhinged at the best of times. After a notably lengthy changeover delay, which fueled my anxiety over the show's timing, PJ finally took the stage with her three-piece band. I was initially curious over the presence of two drum kits; however, the backing unit quickly proved to be a dynamic group. Long-time drummer Rob Ellis also was able to switch to keyboard duties, as the songs demanded, with guitarist Josh Klinghoffer stepping in behind his own kit. The constant was bassist Dingo, who was a towering force physically and sonically. Overall, the rhythm section proved to be more prominent than in past shows, with the bass feeling like the dominant element of many songs. Of course, the true centre of the concert was PJ Harvey herself; and she took control from the onset, opening with the soaring "Big Exit." Polly quickly established the range that the night would offer, stylistically and chronologically, by transitioning to the abrasive new number, "Who the Fuck?" before reaching back to her first album for "Dress." With such an impressive catalogue of recorded music, it was a treat to hear Polly willing to mix up the set, even dropping the unreleased "Evol," a swaggering number that was well received by the adoring crowd. As usual, PJ played guitar for a number of songs, while confining herself to vocals for others, with the band shifting instruments behind her. One of the more interesting configurations came when "Victory" was transformed into a ferocious two-drummer attack, an approach used rarely but effectively over the night. Also as expected, crowd interaction was brief, which kept the show moving at a brisk pace through "A Perfect Day Elise," "Good Fortune," "The Whores Hustle and the Hustlers Whore," and "Catherine." While the muted but lovely "Catherine" was an exception in a predominantly uptempo night, that calm only accentuated the unparalleled intensity of "Taut." While this song did not hit me quite as strongly as the first time that I experienced it live, it still ranks as a concert highlight. With the hair-raising chorus dropping sharply to the wild, strained, half-spoken verses, "Taut" remains a vocal tour de force; and PJ's physical delivery, including falling to her knees to hiss the lyrics, increased its impact. The set wound down with the fierce quartet of "Harder," "50 Ft. Queenie," "Uh Huh Her," and "The Letter." "Queenie" fulfilled the promise of Polly's outfit, a dress based on a T-shirt design for that single. The band was in excellent form for this fan favourite, making it another stand-out moment. For me, though, the peak was the pulsing "Uh Huh Her," a castoff from her PJ's latest album, of the same name, which surely deserved to make the final cut. With the pace of the concert, the first goodbye came quickly, increasing my worry that a short encore could be leading to a repeat of the last 65-minute show. Fortunately, the night was far from over, as the encore moved through the delicate mood of "The Garden" to the crowd-assisted "Down by the Water," which sounded particularly menacing because of the huge bass presence, to a personal favourite, the distortion-heavy blues of "Meet Ze Monsta." The darkly humorous "Pocket Knife" reaffirmed the strength of the new album; but it was a pair of unexpected older tunes, "Reeling" and "Me-Jane," that concluded the first encore. The night had not quite exhausted its share of surprises, as a second encore began with Polly's vocals accompanied only by the guitar work of a kneeling Josh Klinghoffer, as the two of them tore through the striking Desert Sessions song, "There Will Never Be a Better Time." The rawness of this song succeeded tremendously live, with the hammering guitar perfectly framing Polly's expansive voice. Finally, "Is This Desire?" cooled the concert from its previous frenzy, finishing on a quiet but equally triumphant note. Looking back, I have to assess this concert as the best of the three that I have seen from PJ Harvey. Once again, the setlist was extremely far-reaching, offering a diversity that was much appreciated by the fans. Despite a song selection that was definitely unobvious, there were no miscues and numerous highlights in the affair. With another strong backing band, great sound quality, and Polly being in fine form, all of the elements that I loved in previous shows were again present. Having now seen her play for an hour-and-a-half set, I can confirm my previous belief that the only improvement that I was looking for in a PJ Harvey concert was more of the same. PJ Harvey setlist Main Set
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