"So, the album's coming out on Halloween," Nellie McKay said early on in her Bimbo's set, regarding the follow-up to Get Away From Me which has been m.i.a. since last December. "Same day as K-Fed's, so you better save up." And that's a pretty good summation of the fantastic, nearly two hour set McKay played Thursday night. She talked after each song, going through political rants, expressing distaste with her former label, telling funny stories about her parents, and interacting with the crowd. During an intermission in which McKay gave away such gifts as a giant Superman coloring book, someone in the back shouted that she should resume playing. Like a pro, McKay made fun of the heckler throughout the rest of the evening, went about her business of giveaways, and then continued to thrill us with her one-woman show.Bimbo's had the place done up all Cabaret style with tables leading all the way up to the stage. McKay played solo the entire night, and her offbeat mix of lounge and jazz with a little pop and hip hop, and her dynamite sense of humor made for a bit of subversive dinner theatre. The intimate setting suited her perfectly as she went through a setlist that seemed to include every song she'd every written. No complaints from Hillary and I, as we got to hear a number of new songs - which sound phenomenal by the way - as well as all of our favorites from that debut ("David," "Sari," "Ding Dong," etc). When performing "Rumor Has It," (which I think was written for the film of the same name and subsequentlt rejected), McKay turned the song into a bizarre duet, imitating/mocking Bob Dylan every other line. She then continued her impression with a fake Dylan song that poked fun at everything from his choice in clothing to his Alica Keyes name-dropping. Incidentally, I also reviewed Dylan's Modern Times over at the Record Room yesterday.
Maybe it was the record company trouble that accounted for the fact that McKay had no merch table whatsoever - I think that's a first.
7 comments:
I love it when a singer can dispatch a heckler mercilessly. Good for her!
She was SO great- we had a blast. She's amazingly talented.
I love when artists interact with the crowd, makes the concert a true hit in my books.
I've not heard of her Will, you'll have to introduce me.
Free gifts from artists ! It would be interesting to think what other artists would give to their audience as a freebie
e.g.
Pete Doherty
Elton
K-Fed
Paris
The mind boggles.
Oh lord, Ben! A free gift from Pete Doherty. Run! The other direction! (although I wonder how a plasma painting would look in my living room)
LOL Barb!
Just being within 10 feet of Paris I feel that she would 'give' her audience some kind of STD. That, or the computer program which made her voice.
Great review, love how much chutzpah this woman has for - what- 21? (Wish I had her confidence then or now) and I like her music.
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