Semi-Daily Scribbles

Natalie Merchant, Winspear Opera House, 19 August 2010

Over the past twenty-three years I have seen Natalie Merchant perform as both a solo artist and as a member of the band 10,000 Maniacs. I am, indeed, a loyal fan of long standing. Thursday my husband Michael and I were treated to a rousing evening of music new and old from Natalie and a stellar group of musicians, not the least being guitarists Gabriel Gordon and Erik Della Penna, who have worked extensively with Natalie these past several years. The concert venue was the architectural and accoustic gem Winspear Opera House located in the heart of Dallas’ Arts District.

Natalie took the stage in the near packed to capacity house to present selections from her latest work, Leave Your Sleep. A six year labor of love and obsessive research has yielded a rich collection of poems that have been musically arranged in styles that span the globe and the centuries. The performance opened with the fantastical The Sleepy Giant, dripping in rich, atmospheric strings and woodwinds. My favorites were the Emerald Isle-inspired Nursery Rhyme of Innocence and Experience, The Peppery Man’s delta blues vibe, the rootsy bluegrass Adventures of Isabel, and the flapper-era jazz infused The Janitor’s Boy. Having been off the road the last few years to raise her daughter, Natalie’s smoky alto sounded fresh and robust. I believe the long rest from constant touring helped Natalie find the right notes in her higher register that had become less prevalent in recent years. A youthful tone and energy buoyed Natalie’s performance, making her singing sound as silky and beautiful as I have ever heard.

Encore, anyone? Natalie and Company gave the crowd two shows for the price of one. The first half of the evening was devoted to poetry and new melodies. The second half brought out serious head bobbing and sing-alongs. Wonder led off the amazing encore performance that included fan favorites from Natalie’s solo and 10,000 Manicas repertoire. I was overjoyed to hear Maniacs tunes transformed by artful arrangements. A beautiful example of this reimagining was City of Angels from 1987’s In My Tribe. One of my much loved songs from the album, Natalie’s haunting rendition made it even more gorgeous. Another outstanding new take on an old favorite was River from 1995’s Tigerlily. Kind & Generous was the rollicking nightcap as Natalie sang her heartfelt Thank You’s to the out-of-their-seats-and-on-their-feet audience. A Thursday’s worth of poetry and song, backed by a first class performance by Natalie and Band, set the Winspear a-rockin’. I won’t soon forget this wonderful evening of inspired and inspiring music.