God knows these morning television shows are easy recipes for cringe-worthy entertainment, but I’m being told that the usual mix of mainly tourists and some local fans who show up at such events was largely replaced by a mass of loyal Feist fans (the first three showed up at 4:30 AM), who bothered little to follow cue cards asking for cheers and applause, and offered their fan-ly services only when Leslie Feist herself showed up with her band. Kashish, who took the photos, suggests that tourists and families may have opted for the Miley Cyrus show at Rockefellar Plaza for the Today Show on NBC instead. Also, two girls participated in a singing contest and the one in yellow (pictures after the jump) won for her rendition of “1, 2, 3, 4″. It’s very possible that the ladies in the wigs were the prizes.
As tiring as it is to hear how much someone likes Feist, the woman’s got the rock and roll. I wasn’t at the show at Prospect Park, but I’ve been told it was an absolute fulfillment. The loyal Baird brothers are still hanging tight, and the dangling beads of light we saw last has been ditched in favor of beautiful paper cutout shadow animations. According to one security guard, the turnout ran in the 6000’s, the truth of which depends on his counting abilities, but that is what he claimed. And for whatever reason, despite the weather forecast that rightly predicted it would pour, umbrellas were not allowed inside! A man who skateboarded to the show wasn’t allowed to enter with his skateboard either. A woman tried to hide her green umbrella amongst the leaves of a tree, giving up on the strategy eventually. Ticketed shows at the Bandshell can come with bitchy rules, as I’ve learnt in the past. Videos coming next posted below, take the jump for all photos, taken by Kashish.
Update: several rebellious encounters occurred with the security guards over the issue of said umbrellas. Some of my friends pointed out to them that many people had sneaked in umbrellas, so they haughtily picked theirs up from what the security had amassed and walked back in.
McCarren Pool was the busiest I’ve seen, and Feist performed with perfection. I am always saddened by the image of her that has been created by people, though well-intentioned, who only know her through music videos and promo photos, or for that matter, through only studio recordings. She is no goddess, they say, and I say that too, but she saves rock and roll, and she must be watched live to believe this. It was only when she told the story of a Janet Jackson concert attendance at the age of 11 or 12, it struck me that her music, with its clear roots in blues and essentials of rock, is an honest representation of how “rock and roll” has collected, after gushes and falls and transformations and simplifications and complications, into this generation.
After all the exposure to magazine spreads featuring Feist’s pretty face, it was much relief to see one my favorite badasses in person. Her live version of songs have always been more gutsy (and often more blues-y), but the material from her latest, The Reminder, does especially well. “My Moon My Man,” for example, sounded almost legendary. “Sea Lion Woman,” which has been a live favorite ever since she started playing it, was an absolute blast and a great choice for the encore. Feist’s boyfriend (and Broken Social Scene frontman) Kevin Drew made an announced entrance for a solo piano accompaniment to a slow version of “Lover’s Spit.” But he also casually came back with a tambourine for “Sea Lion Woman,” dancing away silly with Bryden Baird, Feist’s trumpet player. It was a great sight.
Here we have our highly-rated, totally-popular question of all time: “What inspires your music?” And the equally adored compliment: “Oh she’s so intelligent!”
[youtube Is2q0t44hIg]
I imagine these TV appearances will be happening frequently now, and I had forgotten how surreal these TV shows can be. I like what Feist has to say about not feeling at home in France.
So. Feist is dating Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene, they say, and some Stereogum readers think Drew’s an asshole. Though I’ve little to say on their personal alliance (and more on the professional, if you’ll read on), I wanted to provide evidence, in pictorial form, of Kevin Drew’s Feist Worship that I picked up on from little, perhaps unnecessary, observations, though this worship neither proves nor disproves his asshole-ness. Also, my real motive here: I had temporarily deleted my Feist Summerstage photos when I re-did this site, so I’m using this as an excuse to bring them back.
hooves on the turf is a mostly-music blog based out of brooklyn. i can be reached at hoovesontheturf [at] gmail [dot] com - please send me your lovely music as an attached mp3 or an mp3 link. if i like what you send, i'll be sure to ask for more.
Evan Hammer: and now i’m excited too! thanks for the new band.
Jens: Where can I order t-shirts from the Tallest Man On Earth online? Is it possible at all?
nat lyon: three cheers for secret garden! it’s been too long.
jamie: Yo! You should definitely check out this awesome video MPLS.TV just shot of Dark Dark Dark this week for City...
sarahana: they were taken with the new iPhone 4 using the Hipstamatic app
