Attending this was a last-minute decision; Ecology Action was a bit shorthanded for the first sold-out show (she’s booked for two evenings). I’m not a fan but if a show is on a Friday or Saturday evening and I don’t have any previous obligations, I will help out whenever my EA “boss” Lauren asks. Trust me, I’m dedicated. I’ve volunteered for shows starring White doofuses who think they’re Rappers playing to a crowd blanketed in a fog of weed and no, it wasn’t a Cyprus Hill reunion, it was much worse.
How was it? Definitely interesting. Certainly one of the more mellow, mild-mannered concerts I’ve been to Stubb’s. At Owl City, I was on the right side of the age curve as expected. At Norah, I was more on the left side which surprised me. I know she’s a staple of Adult Contemporary/AAA radio, namely K-Geezer (KGSR) in Austin, but I figured her following would be predominantly people in the thirties and forties. After last night, I can’t shake calling her Norah Geriatric especially when I overheard this gray-haired woman asking an employee, “Is there a spot I can see the stage without getting crushed?” It sounded like my mother talking!
The music was good. Norah and her band focused on the current release The Fall. I have no idea what were the hits. I recognized the two older ones she had, I don’t know them by name though. She did a couple covers too: Tom Waits and Neil Young; stumped me there too (I’ll keep searching on the Internet for a set list, my co-worker Peter is a fan). The encore was amusing. Norah and most of the band did a couple acoustic numbers on the stairs near the VIP section. I didn’t notice this until I saw the crowd shift dramatically, leading me to think some people were getting trampled. Nothing ruins a concert like a broken hip as David Lowry once warned.
Do I recommend a live Norah Jones shows? If you’re into what she does, sure. The only caveat I would emphasize is the price tag. Not only was her swag higher than average, one ticket to last night’s performance was over 50 smackers at the box office. Stubb’s usually runs between 20 to 35 dollars for other artists. I’m only glad I had the opportunity to see her once. Despite the horrible state of radio, I predict a promising future for Norah Jones.