Sparky's Review

[sparky]

Since I saw two shows, I have to kind of gang this together. I am not going to go into all the specific songs, the order. My response is delayed and all of that is done to death.

Let me just start by saying that the vibe of the room was STRANGE. The ushers seating us, the dim lights, the quiet music. Everyone was compelled to whisper, and it felt extremely subdued to be a venue for a rock concert. It felt more like a ballet performance. Even theatre shows in NY are a little more electric and chatty. People seemed intimidated by the surroundings. May I also comment that that ratty little bar in the lobby charged me 14 bucks for a drink with a small amount of ghetto tequila in it ?

No matter, but it made an impression.

As for the show....

Enchanted was an interesting choice for an opener. I like this song live, and everyone seemed pretty charged just to see Stevie. The crowd clearly adored her, even if it wasn't all die hard fans. Is this the right opener ? I am not sure. It wasn't WRONG, but I couldn't help but think as I saw the shot from ICW on the RP screen that it might have been a hell of a way to open the show. Wasn't too fond of the RP images in this song, but it opened the show pretty well.

The raindrop RP for OTR/Dreams worked better - I have to say again that having center seats made ALL the difference as Stevie plays strictly to the center front of the house, and the RP has to be seen from this angle to be appreciated. I don't think that this version of OTR is as good as when Carlos was the MD. He added these really nice, heavy guitar riffs under the melody that beefed the song up a lot. I also question if this song combo really needed to be in the set at all. She sang the hell out of OTR. But as this song segued into Dreams I felt the pace of the show was off. A little bit calm.
However, the piano intro to Rhiannon was wickedly dark and orchestral, and I have to say the band made me like this song live again. I don't ever need to hear it again live, but I enjoyed it, and the crowd went nuts. For once, the pace of it was up to snuff. This song has been played at a draggy tempo for the better part of two decades, and kudos to the drummers for kicking it up a speed - especially during the end.

I don't think Sorcerer was a great choice. I like the song, and it was a good version, but I don't think it worked. It is the kind of song that doesn't make you want to move, and doesn't make you want to sit, either. I feel exactly the same way about If Anyone Falls. The harmonies were EXCELLENT in IAF, but it was too midtempo. Nice to hear it after 14 years ? Sure. Fitting for Vegas ? Nah. And those columns. Lord Have Mercy, the columns. Number one, they looked like high school students made them out of papier mache, and they didn't hit the ground. They just creeepily floated. The scenic designer, if indeed she hired one, needs to be beaten. Severely. And I am just the man for that job.

On the other hand, the cuts from the video, superimposed over shots of a beach, were cool.

The placement of SB in the set shocked me. It never comes this soon in the set and I feared the show had shot it's wad way too early. Of course the intro was too long, but it was worth it. Especially for the inclusion of a kick on Saturday. The things we are thankful for. And on Friday, the spinning was pretty impressive. Beat the SYW spins. For the first time too, the RP really worked. It was old school Vegas cheesiness at it's best. The blinking, traveling white blocks ! So damned funny. And the fact that they projected her in the middle. That was the first moment of the show that I felt the show was up to the standards of being "special" or "Vegas". It was way cliched, but spot on. Loved it.

GDW ? The sitar effect on someone's guitar made this good. That was an interesting choice, to be sure. Don't know that this song needed to be in the set either. It was a jarring comedown after SB. But, the new sounds were cool. And she played with the ending both nights. I loved her whispery outro on Friday. It was very Tusk tour. Gotta love that.

FFG kicked my butt. The only problem is that 90% of the house didn't know it. I therefore think it could have been placed better in the show. It would have made a barn burner of an opener - a good trick to pull as people would have been so excited to see her they wouldn't have sat down. Friday she nailed the end better, but I love this song so I enjoyed it a lot.

HSML was a welcome addition. Is it a new song to do live ? Nope. But I haven't seen it since 94 so I won't complain. Stevie clearly loves doing this song, the girls shine, and it evidently gets homegirl's juices going. She got very sexed up doing this song. I don't know exactly what I feel about THAT.
But she seemed to be enjoying herself. She did this nasty Mae West dance in the ending vamp with one hand on her hip and the other swaying over her head. Very hot.

OF COURSE she had to do Edge. But God Save Me from the RP guy who chose the animated doves. I like the fllmed ones way better. The problem is, the song is 20 minutes LOOOONG, and they just wore them out. The song needed a bunch of other cool imagery - it evokes so much imagery in the lyrics that a monkey could choose images for it. The TD or Designer ( I repeat, IF THERE EVEN WAS ONE) really missed the boat on this. Good rendition and I give SN big props for swimming into the crowd for her stage walk. God love her for doing that. It sets her apart and people just adore her for it.

INTK is a dead horse. It really is an anti climax of an encore. It simply isn't that great of a song. She needs a better first encore. It is simply a habit. It worked all right, but she deserves a better song to follow Edge. If she is going to do a cover, how about "Shout" ? How about "Rock and Roll" ? Either of those would blow people's sox off. She could sing around the melodies just fine.

As others have said, the piece de resistance was BATB. This is the song that made going worthwhile. Everything worked. The little candles on the piano, the film clip, the chiffon drapes which echoed the design of the film, her costume, hair...
And let us just take a moment for the singing. She kicked the ass of this song to France and back. I have not heard her sing with this much emotion and pathos live since....the 80's. It was transcendent both nights. Genius. And because of that, her whole body showed it. She was completely committed in the performance of this song. Every element was perfect. It reminded me of the Stevie of old, who did feel every note she sang. If anyone doubts if she still has "it"...this proved she does.

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Now, the problem. BATB, in perspective, also showed how much the rest of the show lacked. Was it a fine show ? Sure. Was it all that special and memorable as a whole? Not for this veteran fan. BATB made the entire trip worth it. However, there were so many simple things that could have pitched the show over the top. The RP screens were very underused. There was next to no scenery. Those three tiered lace covered lamp things were tragic. Maybe I am a harsh critic because I do sets for a living, but man...I also know LV is full of cheap drapes and scenery. They could have, with 15 grand, done enough to push it to the next level. And.....a funny thing happened to Stevie when she put on that beautiful costume and swept her hair up...she became a different character. She was transformed into something else, and it made for a chilling performance. It added the theatricality that the venue demands. She
proved she could do it. In order for this show to be a VEGAS HIT if she does it again, she needs to add maybe two other songs where she does this, and that's it. Get a real set designer, use the RP screens with a bit more creativity, and it would have been the show she said she was going to do. I think if she just rejiggered three of the songs, the set list would be fine. Perfect. I know she has to shut the casual fans up with the chestnuts. I get that. That's fine. But BATB proved she can go into that theatrical vein, and if she did a few more of those BATB level songs, with costumes and sets that worked with the material, I would go back once a year for two shows. It would be easily worth a thousand bucks.

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So all in all, I had fun. On a personal note, I am bummed I didn't run into Livia, except for a moment. Thought you had disappeared with John Kinney backstage, Homegirl ! We had a drink at the Seahorse, and stayed till 11.

AMber, I looked for you at Margville Friday night but damned if I could spot your ass in that dump.