Quick Concert Review
Somewhere there is an alternate reality better than our own. In this timestream, Garrison Starr released her amazing first album, “Eighteen Over Me,” just like in our own reality. And, also like in our own reality, she went on to realize two more albums after that, “Songs... From Takeoff To Landing,” and the recent “Airstreams And Satellites.” The difference between the two is that in that wonderful other reality, whoever cornered her between her first and second albums and convinced her to stop rocking never did. I don’t know how this alternate universe came about, perhaps that reality had the great fortune of that person being hit by a car or something before issuing his non-rocking mandate to Ms. Starr. But, regardless of how it happened, the long and short of it is that in that alternate reality, the second and third albums rock just as much as “Eighteen” did--and rock it does, at least in places. “Superhero” is way catchier than 95 percent of the stuff you hear on the radio, and it’s a huge loss to the world that it never became a hit single. “Passing” has one of the 10 best rock guitar intros in history. I had the privilege a couple of years ago of hearing her do that blistering bit live, and I imagine a new black hole must have been formed somewhere by the way it ripped a whole in the universe.
But, regardless, we don’t live in the alternate universe I’ve described; we live in one where that blessed car wreck or whatever never occurred. In our reality, I’ve bought G. Starr’s last two albums, and have grown to love each in its own way for what it is, but, each time, upon putting it in, I have literally asked aloud, “Garrison Starr, why won’t you rock anymore?!” On the most recent, she even, at her producer’s request, retooled “Superhero” to fit her new folk/alt-country scene. The effect is like a kid who was really, really cool when you knew them in college that you’re now seeing for the first time in six years, only to have him drive up in a pickup truck wearing a cowboy hat.
Last night, though, was like a visit to the mirror universe. Garrison, in short, rocked. She and her band went through a huge chunk of the most recent album, and played them the way they were supposed to be played. It was so gratifying hearing them live up to the potential that I knew they had. Songs that never really completely grabbed me on the CDs were great last night, and the ones that were my favorites were awesome.
As an added bonus, for whatever reason, in midstream most of the band left and she and her Jacksonian keyboardist Neilson Hubbard did a cover of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time,” which is Nicole and my song, and just put us in heaven. I’m a firm believer in the idea that you shouldn’t cover a song unless you can bring something to it, and the feeling Garrison put into her performance made it entirely her own. I hated that I don’t have, and can’t get, a copy of it.
One small gripe about the concert: Say you’re a performer, and you’ve just put out a new album, and you’re going on tour to support it, and you’ve got to put together a new band, and they’re not going to play every date with you. Even in those circumstances, I firmly believe, you should make your new band at least listen to your old stuff. In case the audience, you know, wants to hear some of it.
At a fan’s request, the band, hampered by the bass player, who had “heard the song, but didn’t really know it,” stumbled through “Five Minutes,” one of the best songs from Starr’s second album. It was a valiant attempt, made even more impressive by Garrison, who had been having guitar problems all evening, tuning her guitar midsong while singing. “Passing,” on which one simply couldn’t fake one’s way through the guitar work, was completely out of the question.
All in all, though, well worth the price of admission, and a very nice concert experience. I had the opportunity to talk to Garrison afterwards, and after getting my Mississippi and Hal & Mal creds out of the way, begged her to please, please, please release some live material. Even if she has to record it herself and sell it through iTMS, to please, please, please make it available.
But, I fear, not in this reality.
