Feist
Date: January 19, 2006 Collect the Moments One by One Three months after lighting up the Capital Music Hall with Broken Social Scene, Feist returned with top billing. Although this show was one of the last on that stage, as the club is being demolished to make way for a condominium development, it was certainly another high note for the short-lived hall. Feist personally introduced show opener Peter Elkas, who has recently been making his mark as a solo artist, after several years with Local Rabbits. Despite that solo designation, his supporting squad made their presence felt on this night. In particular, the strong female backing vocals and breezy keyboards added colouring to a setlist that was often melancholy and always perfectly smooth. After a tight half-hour set from Elkas, it was time for Paso Mino, previously seen in Ottawa as the backing band for Jason Collett. The singer's voice set the tone for the set, with a series of low-tempo, country-tinged songs seemingly designed to showcase his deep drawl. This uniformity of sound did keep the band in somewhat of a rut, although they broke out of it towards the end of their thirty-five minute performance, with a couple of energetic offerings. From then on, the night belonged to Feist, who came out solo and started by providing her own support, looping her voice repeatedly until she built a densely layered opening song. Her three-piece band joined her as she launched into "The Build-Up," a song that she recorded with the Kings of Convenience. Proving that she could easily switch from the tender to the intense, Feist delivered a soaring rendition of "When I Was a Young Girl." With her drummer banging his kit bare-handed and the guitar notes ringing above it all, "Young Girl" was a definite highlight whose ferocity eclipsed its album version. The versatility that Feist proved early was sustained throughout the concert. Whether playing solo or fronting her talented (and comical) band, whether exhibiting fragility or forcefulness, she always hit the mark. Considering the charisma that she displayed with Broken Social Scene, it was no surprise that her stage presence matched her musical output. What did surprise me, though, was the number of new songs. After "Gatekeeper," Feist took a detour from Let It Die, instead performing a series of songs that will see the light of day after she begins recording a follow-up album next month. The fact that these new songs kept the audience rapt, even when delivered solo, speaks volumes for Feist's live presence and offers the promise of a great new release in the near future. When she did return to Let It Die, she injected "Secret Heart" with a startling energy, creating a raucous burst of joyous noise that carried through the remainder of her set, which also included the ecstatic bounce of "Mushaboom." Feist kicked off the encore with a solo take of "Intuition." Her band rejoined her in time to ham it up as her backing choir, before moving to a radically transformed version of "Inside and Out." Towards the end of the night, Feist had been assisted first by Peter Elkas and Paso Mino's frontman on guitars, and later by members of both bands for a stageful of percussion, claps, and vocals. The most surprising help, though, came from a young couple in the crowd, whom she invited on stage to slow dance through "Let It Die." True to the spirit of the night, they seemed to have a great time playing up the opportunity for all that it was worth, closing the encore with a smile. As a final treat, Feist returned for a second encore, giving a nod to her membership in Broken Social Scene with "Major Label Debut." Feist surprised me by stacking together a long set that offered a lot more than Let It Die. Playing in front of a quality band that knew how to add to the fun mood, Feist utilized her amazing voice, fine guitar talent, and limitless charm to ensure that my last night at the Capital Music Hall was another excellent experience. <--Prev (Controller.Controller) | Next (Cuff the Duke)-->Return to Concert ListReturn to Main Page |