Holy cow, Martha if brilliant! She's as kooky as I thought she would be - friendly with a stream-of-consciousness conversation -- but her voice was a shock. She played a few of her songs accompanied only by her guitar, but invited her husband to the stage to play piano. Her rendition of an Edith Piaf song knocked me over.
Here are some snaps of the show from my seat.
And her version of "Stormy Weather" was unbelievable. It was sad, breath-taking, and above all, thrilling. This performance below was from Rufus's concert DVD, "Rufus Does Judy." Check it out below with full orchestra.
Rufus's first act was performed as a song cycle. The audience was instructed not to applaud until the close of the act, just as one would for a classical concert. It was an interesting, arty thing to do, but truthfully, I lost focus half way through. There was some beautiful music there from his latest record, "All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu", and some wonderful piano playing, but his playing the entire CD felt more like self-indulgent therapy. I applaud him for doing something different and creative, but Act 2 was more my cup of tea.
Here's a pre-show article from the San Francisco Chronicle with Rufus.
Rufus sang many of his popular songs, "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk", "Going to a Town" and even one of his early songs, "Poses". Rufus then invited Martha back to the stage and they sang a couple of songs in French (being from Montreal, it's only natural). There rendition of "Complainte de la Butte" really kicked my ass. While the song "Hallelujah" is a natural fit for the two to sing together, I find the haunting ballad a bit over-done.
Here's Rufus in Central Park (along with a friend) singing "Complainte de la Butte". Enjoy!
A great show. Lots of surprises, tough musical choices, and experimentation. A great artist at the top of his game. And Martha... wow, what a find!
A kiss good night... until next time, I hope!
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