Last night I went to see Madeleine Peyroux. That’s a lede, short, direct, and to the point. Thanks to that I can now wander around. I won the tickets through the WFUV Member Line. This is a great perk of membership that I don’t take advantage of often enough. You can win once a month. Last month I saw Lucinda Williams on WFUV’s dime. I have an advantage in that the music they offer that I like the best are not the usual WFUV fare, so there’s less competition.
Get a plus one is great but gives me anxiety. I have to find someone to go with me. I’ve had so many occasions that I couldn’t that it’s become a source of insecurity. This time I found someone pretty quickly, a friend I haven’t seen in a long time and a friend that I very much wanted to see; perfect. Then yesterday morning she had to cancel, and I had to scramble. I sent out a mass email, no takers. I posted on Facebook, no takers. I ended up going alone. I have to fight the urge to consider this a personal failure and a sign that nobody likes me. I succeeded, there was a time that might have been true, but no longer.
Going alone has the advantage of only having to please myself when it comes to dinner plans. Food at the venue, Sony Hall is too expensive, so I opted for my favorite restaurant in the theater district, Nathan’s Famous. I’m a man of simple tastes. It’s pretty hard to beat two Nathan’s hot dogs, fries, and a drink for $10. They are the best hot dogs and the best fries, money can buy; the glory that is grease. I know that many of you are making faces but I’m sure that some of you see it my way.
I’ve never been to Sony Hall before. It’s your basic rectangular space, but not the industrial design like Mercury Lounge or Bowery Ballroom; it’s elegant. Last night it was set up with long tables. It makes a good listening room. The pricing and seating are flexible, you can pay more for a reserve seat but that price changes with availability. My ticket was general admission. That didn’t mean I could sit where I wanted. This is my least favorite aspect of the venue. The reserved tables are not marked, and they don’t ask you where you want to sit, the host takes you to a seat. I asked if I could sit closer and he said this was the closest there was. I was near the back and facing the side, so the stage was to my left and behind me. That’s never a comfortable way to sit. There was one woman at the table sitting across from me. That’s much better. I asked if I could sit on the other side of the table with her. I was told no with some silly explanation about other people being able to see. She then asked if I could sit on her side but at the far end and he let me sit there. Later a family came, and I was asked if I would mind changing my seat; to where? The seat I wanted at the start.
I got there at six for a seven-thirty because I wanted a good seat. While near the back there really isn’t a bad seat in the house, other than the ones where you have to crane your neck to see. I sat there and read until showtime. That was the next problem, the show started half an hour late, with no apologies or reasons given. Some of the people got restless and started chanting for the show to start.
Once Madeleine starts singing all else is forgotten. She’s on my very short list of greatest singers I’ve ever seen, her, Annie Haslam, and Rhiannon Giddens. Her alto is beautiful, but it goes so far beyond the sound of her voice. Her intonation, her phrasing, her expression, are all flawless. She reaches right into your heart while delighting your brain. She plays her voice as an instrument and is a virtuoso. She divides are songs into three categories, love songs, blues, and drinking songs. They all work for me. When she sings in French I melt. I have to resist acting like Gomez Addams when Morticia speaks French. Last night her only French song was J’ai Deux Amours; I melted.
Last time I saw her she performed sitting down. That’s so rare for a singer. This time she stood; I wonder if she had a health issue last time. She might have just been experimenting. I’ve been following her since 1996, when she was a 22-year-old who came out in a t-shirt and jeans. She looked like a typical college student. I’ve seen her perform in an elegant evening gown and all made up. I’ve seen her dressed like someone who threw something on to go grocery shopping. She knows that all she has to do is sing and the audience will be pleased. I know that I’ll always be pleased. If I could afford it, I’d never miss her.
Today’s a beautiful day so I’ll walk to Monroe College to vote early. This is the first year New York State is offering that. On of the things I’ll be voting for is another reform, Rank-Choice Voting. I’ve always been against it but recently I’ve been convinced that it’s worth a try.
Wise Madness 