So I went to see Goldfrapp perform last night, not expecting all that much. The album is flawless, but I questioned whether it could be pulled off live. Besides, how could a band with only 40 minutes of music in their repertoire play an entire show? My questions were answered in the grandest form possible, and I witnessed one of the most powerful, intense shows I've ever seen in 16 years of concert-going.
First off, Allison Goldfrapp had the entire crowd eating out of her hand from the first note, and she knew it. If you can imagine this, she was wearing an army fatigue top buttoned in such a way to reveal her bustline, coupled with a classy slit skirt and a beige beret. She looked like Debbie-Harry-meets-Joe-Strummer, singing torch songs!! She commanded such a huge stage presence that I don't think anyone there was prepared for, and the LOUD, boisterous response she received after every song was all the proof she needed that we loved what she was doing.
If you could believe it, "Felt Mountain" sounded better live than it did on cd; I literally had shivers running up and down my spine several times during the performance and left with goosebumps; I was literally left speechless. Seeing what goes into making such a great record being performed live, and watching the flawless interplay between musicians went far beyond my expectations for this show. Having seen 200 plus concerts in my life, I'd have categorize this one as being in the top ten. Yeah, that good. Judging from the crowd response, I wasn't the only person who felt that they were witnessing something special. The crowd of about 700-800 people were as loud as any crowd I've ever heard, and the applause and cheering was continuous; it wasn't the typical "the song's over so we gotta clap" kinda thang. Allison Goldfrapp had each of us hanging onto her every note and movement, and she completely blew us away with her wicked voice, flawless delivery, and picture perfect performance; these were pros who put alot of practice and effort into making sure that the music came out sounding perfect, and it did.
As they got off the stage, I think even they (the bandmembers) were taken aback by the boisterous response that they were receiving; it's as if they'd never seen any crowd react as positively to their performance. Judging from the crowd's (and my) reaction, that might have actually been the case. I have a feeling that yesterday was the start of a long love affair between Goldfrapp and Montreal, and I was glad to be there to witness their first performance.
If Goldfrapp come to play in your city, do yourself a favor and make sure that you go. If the level of performance is consistently as high as it was last night, I could almost guarantee that all of you will find it to be one of the best concerts that you'll ever witness. There's already talk here of having them come back during our Jazz Festival; I know I'll be there when they come back.
Stimp
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