April 07, 2004
Edie Brickell at the Moore
Tuseday night we went to the Moore Theatre in Seattle to see Edie Brickell.
Like most people we first encountered her music when she had a few big hits as singer for the band New Bohemians back in the late 1980s. We've followed her through her various albums with New Bohemians, her great improv work with Jerry Garcia and Rob Wasserman in a couple of tracks on Wasserman's album Trios, and on to her solo albums. Her first solo album (Picture Perfect Morning) was okay, but not very exciting. It was over-produced and lacked the energy imparted by the excellent musicianship of New Bohemians. Here ten years later she has a new album out called Volcano. It's pretty good. And a good thing too because she and her band played all the songs from it but one at the concert!
In addition to the stuff from Volcano (two songs of which were first released on the New Bohemians album The Live Montauk Sessions), they did two numbers from Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars, "Oak Cliff Bra", and the obligatory "What I Am" (in a funky new arrangement). They also covered a great old Freddie Fender song.
This was the first show of the tour and it showed a bit. The mix needed a little work. The bass was way too loud and Edie's vocals were way too low. Overall the show felt a little over-rehearsed, a little tight, trying too hard to hit all their marks. But those relatively minor quibbles aside, we enjoyed ourselves. The band is really great. I couldn't catch all their names (Becky might remember), but all four, lead guitar (Charlie Sexton (the only one not in my blurry picture)), drums, bass, and keyboards were fun to watch and listen to.
I think Edie is at her best musically when she goes off-script so my favorite bit was the Fender cover where she seemed like she got to just relax and have fun instead of trying to reproduce the album experience. I suspect the later shows in the tour will be better throughout in this regard.
Here's a pretty accurate review from the P-I.
Posted by jeffy at April 7, 2004 12:20 AMCool. I'm glad you got to go see her. I saw in the paper that she was coming to town and I was curious. Thanks for the review!
Posted by: Julie at April 10, 2004 07:59 AMI didn't catch the names of the band members, but "Oak Cliff Bra" is from the New Bohemians' SECOND album, Ghost of a Dog.
Posted by: Becky at April 12, 2004 05:16 PMI got to goto the concert also. I thought it was awesome. I agree that the sound wasn't all that great. I'm not sure how much of that was mixing and how much was the acoustics of the house. I had never been to that theater before. Edie may have been a little tense, but her voice sounded as sweet as ever to me. I have been a fan for a long time....I had a smile on my face the whole time.
Cheers!
You left out the song that they did from Picture Perfect Morning, "Another Woman's Dream". And I think they wrapped up the show with the title track from that album as an encore.
BTW..at the risk of being nit-picky... I've seen Edie described as the lead singer for New Bohemians; I don't think that is accurate. The first two albums by "Edie Brickell and New Bohemians". She was the voice, they were the band, and I think that distinction does well to respect both for the great talents that they are.
Posted by: Kent at May 3, 2004 03:51 PMFor Kent; the name Edie Brickell and New Bohemians was forced on the band by Geffen, evidently in an effort to seperate her from the band to cash in on her appeal. Whenever they haved played Dallas, they are New Bohemians.
For all Edie/New Bo fans; visit www.woyaho.com, New Bo fansite.
Cheers!