Good morning campers! Last night I went to see Dar Williams at City Winery; life is returning to normal. I’m even getting my commuting mojo back. I wasn’t going to eat there and had a reserved seat, so I forced myself to not plan on getting there an hour early. That takes an effort on my part. Where I’ve been losing my mojo of late is actually being late! I’m never late! This is a serious blow to my self-image. Yesterday I left in time to catch one train earlier than I needed. Because I took that precaution the fact that I just missed the D and the connection to the A or C was slow did no harm. I arrived a few minutes before showtime, just like I wanted.
The opening act was Antigone Rising. They were not your typical Dar opener; they are a full out no adjective rock band! There’s an electric guitar played with rock aggression, acoustic guitar, and drums. The electric guitarist and drummer are sisters. The name is so familiar I wonder if I saw them, or perhaps planned on seeing them in the distant past. I am up for seeing them again. They have opened for Dar before, though not when I’ve seen her. Maybe Dar’s appreciation for Antigone Rising is related to the reasons I love Dar despite the fact that she fits the mold of many musicians I’m indifferent to, sensitive, gentle, singer/songwriter. Under Dar’s sensitive and gentle surface lurks the anarchic spirit of a Warner Brothers cartoon. That is the heart of rock and roll, it’s not the beat. Antigone Rising has in spades. They are not a girl group; they are a rock band.
This was a classic Dar solo performance. She takes the stage and instantly everyone feels better. Dar says everything breathlessly, her mouth is moving at 60 mph, but it struggles to keep pace with her brain. She has internalized that the audience is with her so there are no pretensions. If there’s a performance issue, she shares it with her audience. There was a rattle in her guitar that people in the audience thought came from the drum kit, but it continued when the offending drum was removed. She said that the acoustic guitar player from Antigone Rising had offered to let Dar use her guitar. She also offered her Lesbian boots. Dar had forgotten her boots and was on stage in tights and open-toed sandals. She felt that was a fashion faux pas and that the fashionistas in the audience were judging her. When the guitarist came on stage, she not only gave Dar her guitar, but she also took off her boots and acted as Dar’s valet while Dar put them on. That’s rock star stuff. I am sorry Dar, but I will have to correct you. Those were not Lesbian boots. Queer footwear consists of either two lefts, two rights, or two ambidextrous shoes. These were straight out straight boots, one left and one right, heteropedical.
The third or fourth song in the set was The Babysitter. As soon as she announced it the crowd got excited. For many this was the Dar they first fell in love with. My love goes back to those days. I was watching people watch Dar and saw the rapt attention. I turned around to get a look at the faces and was taken by a woman who couldn’t take her eyes off Dar and whose smile radiated joy. My thoughts were that she was an adolescent when she first heard it and the song struck a chord. For the first time she heard an artist and thought, “Yes! She gets it!” My utmost wish as a blogger is that somebody feels that way about me.
Dar talked about teaching a songwriting class. She asks the students to described what happened when talking about a real life incident. I’ve always wondered how you teach songwriting, but here Dar was getting at something essential for all art. Everyone looks around but an artist does more than just look, she sees the truths others miss. It’s like a magic eye picture. At first it looks random, but you can learn to change the focus of your eyes and the three-dimensional image appears. Some people can never get it. Some learn to do it with little effort. An artist does that with the world. Many people had babysitters that they loved, but how many can see the grand drama going on under the surface. Dar can also see what’s going on in herself, “I can’t wait to give her the card, I can’t wait to give her the card.” That’s insight. That’s truth. That’s art.
I was surprised and disappointed that I didn’t see one person I know in the audience. Where were ally my Darling friends? During the break I walked up around the room looking for someone I knew to no avail. I knew that Patty was there but couldn’t find her. Most people were not masked but I was, so I was harder to recognize.
Remember the young woman enraptured by The Babysitter? I went up to her and the man she was with after the show and told them how much I enjoyed watching her watch Dar. They appreciated my appreciating them appreciating Dar and thanked me. I will look around for them next time I see Ms. Williams.
You won’t hear from me again until Monday as I’m off early tomorrow for the New Bedford Folk Festival. Things are coming back to normal. This year we won’t have the full experience. We can’t crash with our once a year family at Gary’s. Instead, Mike, Bob, and I will be in a motel for one night. It’s rushed we have to leave early enough tomorrow to be able to catch the first act at 11 AM.
It’s a little early now for me to post last night’s Gord’s Gold, it doesn’t come live in the Mixcloud Archive until noon. If you read this after, then click on where it says Gord’s Gold and the link will take you there. It’s a great one.
Wise Madness 