Rufus Wainwright + Joan as Police Woman – Benaroya Hall (Seattle, WA; November 8th, 2009)

Sometimes it’s the little things.

As a recent student of the speech and hearing sciences department, I’m constantly reminded about hearing damage and thus the important need for hearing protection. I’m pleased to report Benaroya Hall is an exception to your average concert experience: no ear plugs required. The massive grand piano, of stage-filling proportions in a smaller venue like Chop Suey, looked almost lonely in center stage. Simple lighting, simple dress: Rufus Wainwright demonstrated that you don’t need any flashy business to awe the crowd (ok, maybe his tie/scarf did sparkle just a little bit). In the absence of such full orchestration that accompanies him on his albums, the night was about the basics: a man, a piano, and sometimes a guitar.

With no fanfare (musical orchestration or personal drama), Rufus Wainwright walked promptly out to the stage and launched directly into “Grey Gardens.” Though his relatively calm and effortless singing might suggest otherwise, on stage the young Wainwright is somewhat restless, constantly wobbling his head backwards or looking like he wanted to break into a dance while strumming his guitar. I’d say he even resembled his father’s mannerisms at times, although I’m not sure if he’d like this comparison. On the piano, Rufus seemed most at ease, his hands bouncing effortlessly across the keys or resting calmly on his leg when not in use. He played a couple new songs, which he noted were the most demanding on piano he has attempted in some time, and warned we might get “...rehearsal mode. No guarantees, I might not even finish. This is a reality, it’s not funny. ” He had a few mistakes at the beginning, though I doubt the full room of such devoted fans would have cared if he’d messed up 50 times. Rufus seemed to know this as well, his joking tone playfully confident. See for yourself on the video (though the quality is lacking a little).

Wainwright drew from the full range of his catalog, including songs from Release the Stars, Want One, Rufus Wainwright, Poses, Want Two and even a sample from his Sonnets and new opera, Prima Donna. He chose “Sonnet #20” because, “it’s the most sexual, well, at least controversial.” And recited it first so we could become familiar, although I actually caught the lines more smoothly the second time as his musical delivery was slower than his recitation.

Opening the encore with “Hallelujah,” Rufus was accompanied by Joan Wasser who provided the vocals of the fourth verse and some striking ascending harmonies, slowing Rufus down just a bit from his normal quick tempo version of the song. He closed out his set with the last aria—"Feux"—from his opera, prepping us with the context: “This is Madame alone in Paris. She is enjoying the fireworks. Like life, brief and spectacular.” He further explained there would be a dramatic pause in which “you will think it is over, but it will not be. I will indicate this with a dramatic gesture.” Despite the instruction and a somewhat exasperated head roll towards the audience, people couldn’t seem to help themselves, and clapped at the pause anyways. As the opera is in French (and I don’t speak French), I can’t say for sure, but I imagine the opera has a more serious tone. It is certainly a diversion from his frequent juxtaposition of grandiloquent piano and vocal work with his more humorous lyrical writing:

“My phone’s on vibrate for you
Electroclash is karaoke too
I tried to dance Britney Spears
I guess I’m getting on in years”

I greatly admire the vast wealth of material he has created, but I think my favorites will remain the most playful numbers, such as the cabaret-esque “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk” that still manage to carry their grandiose nature with a mere piano and set of singular (albeit powerful baritone) cords.

I’ll admit, though somewhat embarrassingly, that though Joan as Police Woman has been around for years working with many famous musicians, I was not aware of her before Benaroya, at least not in name. It turns out I have heard her before, but I didn’t make the connection during the concert as she performs on various projects. I spent the first few minutes of her performance trying to pinpoint who came to mind as a comparison. The list is long but filled with talent: Nina Simone, Regina Spektor, Leslie Feist, Joni Mitchell, etheral like Sarah McLaughlin and even Jeff Buckley. As I was a novice in that moment, I didnt realize that the latter was her boyfriend at the time of his death, so in retrospect both the “Hallelujah” duet and her style seem all the more appropriate. Despite being initially distracted by her extremely silver dress, blue tights and equally blue footwear—which was somewhat of a cross between moon and cowboy boots—what unequivocally stood out was her voice. I can easily say she’s one of the best singers I’ve ever seen live. Though her intelligibility was impressively clear as she sang about matters of love and the human condition, I continually found myself distracted following the amazing control she employed throughout her wide vocal range. I would liken the experience to that of listening to a display of raw emotional singing, except that would undermine the smooth quality of her delivery, even when she was singing her new track “Flash” that is delightfully dark and slow. She’s worth looking into on her own right, and was an excellent compliment to Wainwright.

Rufus Wainwright setlist:

01—Grey Gardens
02—The Maker Makes
03—Beauty Mark
04—Sanssouci
05—Gay Messiah
06—Vibrate
07—Give Me What I Want and Give it to Me Now (new song)
08—What Would I Ever do with a Rose? (new song)
09—Sonnet #20—A Woman’s Face
10—California
11—Greek Song
12—Not Ready to Love
13—Art Teacher
14—Zebulon
15—Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk
16—Going to A Town
17—Hallelujah (with Joan Wasser)
18—Feux (final aria from his opera)

DOWNLOAD: Rufus Wainwright - Going to A Town (MP3) or Follow us for more Rufus Wainwright MP3s (Twitter)

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