A fine Spektor-cle comes to the TLA

By Joe Pelone
Collegian Editor
April 26, 2006

The Theater of Living Arts’ stage saw two fairly classy-yet-sassy female singer/songwriters, Regina Spektor and Jenny Own Youngs, on Saturday, April 15. The two artists played to a sold-out, enthusiastic crowd, which is extra-amazing given how hard it can be for a solo artist, sans a backing band, to entertain and hold the attention of large, inebriated groups.

First up was the folk-ish Youngs, clad in a sweater and many, many layers of sarcasm. She plugged in her acoustic guitar, spouted some jokes about taking off her pants in exchange for applause, and then began plucking and strumming in a determined and nervous fashion. The seriousness of songs like “F--- was I” and “Voice on Tape” was palpable and moving, while the between-song banter was hilarious. Talking feverishly like Natalie Portman in Garden State, all half-formed semi-comical thoughts and random observations, Youngs was just as entertaining while speaking as she was singing.

It’s pretty daunting to play in front of hundreds of people by one’s self, but Youngs handled heckles and cat calls with the greatest of brazen attitude. Her voice has a smoky Cat Power-ish vibe to it, while her self-deprecating humor recalls that of New Pornographer alum Neko Case. After about 35 minutes of acoustic rocking and soul-searching (and one stripped cover of Kelly Clarkson’s mega-hit “Since U Been Gone”), Youngs stepped off the stage and went to her merch table to greet fans.

A nearly insurmountable 25-minute wait (crowds want instant gratification, and they clearly want it now, clam flammit!) slowly slid across before headliner, underground favorite and all-around nice gal Regina Spektor came out. Looking surprisingly (or maybe fittingly) like Tori Amos that night, she walked passed her piano in favor of a lone microphone off to the side. She began singing “Ain’t No Cover” a cappella, showing off her voice’s flexibility. It can be cutesy and sugary sweet, or full, soulful and omnipotent (no, really). It can also be completely weird and out of key on purpose, as if to keep listeners from taking anything Spektor might do too seriously.

This is only sort of a shame, as she’s got a great voice, but it does add to the overall quality of a Regina Spektor show. While Youngs seperates her show into funny conversation and serious songwriting, Spektor combines everything into one consistent, emotionally multifaceted experience with coy demeanor. Even her lyrics can jump from melodramatic to playfully nonsensical and back.

Anyway, “Ain’t No Cover” was really good, and Spektor even tapped her fingers on the mic for percussion. That’s another interesting thing about her shows: she’s only one person, but she manages to incorporate so many bits of drumming, beat boxing and remixing (she’s really proficient with her voice).

Spektor then hopped on her piano bench and went into “Carbon Monoxide,” off of the Sire release Soviet Kitsch, to the crowd’s growing delight. This was followed up with some rarities, like “Prisoners,” and the Shakespeare-referencing “Pound of Flesh.”

The rest of the night was full of songs from Soviet Kitsch, the self-released Songs and a whole slew of unreleased tunes from Spektor’s secret canon. Popular songs like “The Flowers,” “Us” and regular set closer “Ghost of Corporate Future” all went by sweetly and pleasingly. But it was Spektor’s surprises that really wowed the audience, like her brief burst of guitar work on the comical “Bobbing for Apples” and “That Time,” which audibly astounded many first-time Spektor concertgoers. She also played a chair for “Poor Little Rich Boy.” Yeah, it was pretty cool.

After concluding her regular set, Spektor came out about 10 seconds later for an encore of more obscurities, much to the joy of intense and casual fans alike. “Music Box” and “Summer in the City” went by deliciously. But it was her last song of the night that really came out of nowhere: the five-minute, mostly rapped “Consequence of Sounds.” Using her piano keys, thigh and hand, Spektor created her own makeshift drum machine. She’s got great pipes and piano playing skills, but it’s these random moments of minimalist instrumentation that give her live show a little extra something.

Having finished her last song, Spektor walked off the stage to rapturous applause. Fans went to their cars, enveloped in a mix of warm spring air and the playful vibes of Youngs and Spektor. Spektor’s new album, Begin to Hope, will be out in June on Sire Records.

pelonej1@lasalle.edu