Concert Review: Rufus Wainwright at the Fitzgerald Theater

Rufus Wainwright at the Fitzgerald Theater, April 13, 2013. (Photo by Mark Taylor.)

Last night my wife and I went to see Rufus Wainwright at the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul. We also saw him last summer at the Minnesota Zoo, which I wrote about here. This show was a solo concert, presented by Minnesota Public Radio station 89.3 The Current. It was a terrific show, and Rufus was in a very good mood. Wainwright has an easy, relaxed charisma on stage. He’s able to do a solo show very easily because he’s so obviously at ease in front of an audience. He’s funny, charming, and intelligent. As I noted in my review of Rufus’s show at the Zoo last year, he definitely has some traits in common with his father, folk singer Loudon Wainwright III, who is also a very funny, charming, and outgoing solo performer. (I saw Loudon in concert last year at the Cedar Cultural Center, which I reviewed here.)

Rufus Wainwright is a very unique singer, songwriter, and performer. There’s no one I’d really compare him to, which I think is a good thing. His songs encompass many different sounds and styles. Rufus’s voice is so amazing. He has a huge range, and he can project so much emotion with his vocals. He held some super long notes on “Vibrate,” and it was fun to hear him show off a little bit.

It’s clear that Rufus really enjoys the Twin Cities, as he mentioned that he’s always loved Minneapolis and that he’s beginning to love Saint Paul as well. As he put it “Saint Paul’s not trying too hard.” This is a great explanation of the charm of Saint Paul. Saint Paul is what it is; it’s not trying to be showy. (I grew up in Minneapolis but now live in Saint Paul.) Rufus also revealed that he was wearing a new pair of shoes which he purchased from Heimie’s Haberdashery, which is one of the best men’s stores in the Twin Cities. This also gives me something in common with Rufus, as I have also bought a pair of shoes at Heimie’s-in addition to the suit I was married in. 

Wainwright opened with “The Art Teacher,” which is one of my favorite songs of his. I love the story the song tells, I love that it’s about art, and I love that he sings it from a female perspective. “The Art Teacher” tells the story of a schoolgirl who has a crush on her art teacher, “He asked us what our favorite work of art was/ But never could I tell him it was him.” Great song, and with Rufus’s dynamic piano playing it made for a dramatic concert opener. 

Rufus’s vocals were soaring on the catchy “Vibrate,” aka, “My Phone’s On Vibrate For You,” and he held a very, very long note at the end of the song. Wainwright has an amazing gift for writing infectious melodies that remain in your brain long after you’ve heard them. 

Rufus switched from piano to guitar for “Out of the Game” the super catchy title track to his most recent album, and “Jericho,” also from “Out of the Game.” “Out of the Game” is one of my favorite Rufus songs; it’s so catchy and has such a great arrangement. 

For the rest of the concert Rufus played piano, and the next song was “Who Are You New York?” His piano playing on “New York” is so gorgeous and lovely to listen to. Rufus told a story about meeting the singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley, shortly before Buckley tragically drowned in 1997. Rufus said that he had been somewhat jealous of Buckley, as his career seemed to be advancing at a faster pace than Wainwright’s. But Rufus went on to say that by spending time with Buckley he learned how gifted and fragile Buckley was, and his envy went away. Rufus said he wished they could have sung together, which would have been a magical meeting of great voices. Rufus then sang “Memphis Skyline,” which he wrote for Buckley after his death. “Skyline” segued directly into “Hallelujah,” the Leonard Cohen song that both Buckley and Wainwright recorded well-known versions of. Then it was time for intermission, with Rufus promising us a special surprise for the second half of the concert.

The special surprise was the very first choral performance of  Wainwright's piece "Bloom," which was written for a dance company. "Bloom" is based on poems by Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson, and was sung by the Twin Cities choir Vocal Essence, conducted by Philip Brunelle. "Bloom" was very nice, and you could tell that Rufus was really thrilled to have it sung the way it's meant to be. This special touch made Wainwright's affection for the Twin Cities clear. That he went to the time and trouble and expense to have a local choir perform this piece says a lot about how he feels about the Twin Cities.

Rufus then returned to the piano and sang “Going to a Town,” another one of my favorites of his. He followed that with the very catchy “Montauk,” which imagines Rufus’s daughter going to visit Rufus and his husband on Long Island when she’s an adult. The next song was the very moving “Zebulon.” I’ve heard “Zebulon” before, but had never paid it much attention. For whatever reason, the emotion of the song really struck me when I heard Rufus sing it last night. “Zebulon” was the closing song on Rufus’s 2010 album “All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu,” his concept album about the death of his mother, the folk singer Kate McGarrigle. So obviously the song has a lot of meaning for Rufus. It’s a slow song, with a melancholy melody. Lyrically, it’s about the narrator’s friend Zebulon coming to visit, whom the narrator has not seen in a long time. The only reference to death is the lyric “My mother’s in the hospital,” but a prevailing sense of sadness runs through the song. It also struck me last night how close Rufus obviously was with his mother. The first time I saw Rufus in concert was 2010, when he was touring “All Days Are Nights.” He performed the entire album from start to finish, with a request for no applause between songs. Rufus also didn’t talk between any of the songs. Once that half of the show was over, Rufus was his usual outgoing self. It was a strange experience, seeing this singer I wasn’t very familiar with performing sad song after sad song with no interaction from the audience. He seemed like a man possessed. Looking back, I think I get that concert more. His mother died and he was obviously very close to her and was still mourning her through performing these songs. References to his mother’s death still crop up on the “Out of the Game” album. On “Montauk,” the lyrics reference “One day years ago in Montauk lived a woman now a shadow/There she does wait for us in the ocean.” The closing song on “Out of the Game” is the lovely “Candles,” which is also a tribute to Rufus’s mother. During the encore, Rufus spoke effusively about tribute concerts for his mother this summer in New York, and the upcoming documentary, “Sing Me the Songs That Say I Love You,” which documents one of the tribute concerts.

 Rufus closed the show with perhaps his most famous song, “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk,” which he gave a lovely reading of. He quickly came back for an encore, and played an interesting mix of four songs. First up was “Millbrook,” from his first album, followed by a song written by his mother, “The Walking Song,” which was lovely and quite moving. Next was “Complainte de le Butte,” which is a cover of a French song that Rufus sang for the “Moulin Rouge” soundtrack. Finally, Rufus closed the show with “Foolish Love,” the opening song from his first album. On one of the encore songs, I think it was “Foolish Love,” he made several mistakes in his piano playing and laughed at himself for it, but if he hadn’t pointed them out I don’t think I would have noticed-his playing still sounded great to me. It was a fun evening with a very talented and gregarious performer.

Set list:

The Art Teacher

The Maker Makes

Vibrate

Out of the Game

Jericho

Who Are You New York?

Memphis Skyline

Hallelujah

Intermission

Bloom-sung by Vocal Essence

Going To a Town

Montauk

Zebulon

Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk

Encore:

Millbrook

The Walking Song

Complainte de la Butte (from Moulin Rouge)

Foolish Love

Concert Review: Rufus Wainwright at the Minnesota Zoo

Rufus Wainwright

Last Friday night I saw Rufus Wainwright in concert at the Minnesota Zoo. Rufus put on a great show, which wiped away my memories of his weird 2010 concert at Orchestra Hall. During the first half of that concert Rufus played all the songs on his then-latest album “All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu” straight through with no dialogue and no applause in between songs as disturbing images of eyes opening and closing flashed on the screen behind him. The album was about the death of his mother, folk singer Kate McGarrigle. I can understand some of Wainwright’s artistic motivations behind the first half of the concert, but it didn’t make for a very fun experience, as most of the songs on the album are downbeat and very similar sounding. In the second half of the concert he had a lot more fun and talked to the audience. It probably wasn’t the best tour to see Rufus for the first time, but I was more than willing to take my wife’s word that Rufus was usually a lot more fun than the subdued troubadour we saw 2 years ago. I’m glad we saw Rufus again at the Zoo, as I think this concert came closer to capturing his essence as a singer, songwriter and performer. 

There were two opening acts for Rufus, which had the effect of making me more excited to see Rufus, because they weren’t that great. Krystle Warren was the first opener, and she also sings backup in Rufus’s band. She has an interesting voice, it’s super low and very jazzy, so she reminded me a bit of Nina Simone. She performed solo, mainly using her guitar to keep the rhythm of the song. I’d be interested to hear her with a full band. She was followed by Adam Cohen, who is the son of Leonard Cohen. Adam Cohen’s voice is somewhat similar to his dad’s, and his lyrics are similarly obsessed with religion and sex. But I found Adam Cohen’s lyrics to be trite and full of clichés. My wife said, “I would have really liked him when I was 13.” I also thought he was trying too hard to be funny. Cohen is straight, as anyone listening to his numerous lyrics about going down on women could easily tell, but he felt compelled to make a number of gay jokes, which, although not really offensive, were out of date 20 years ago. Adam’s sister is the surrogate mother for Rufus’ baby, thus making them sort-of brothers-in-law, so Adam was joking about how Rufus knocked up his sister, “And he also tried to knock me up!” Not really funny in 2012. You’re opening for Rufus Wainwright, and probably everyone in the audience knows Rufus is gay, and no one in the audience cares that he’s gay. It’s not a big deal, there’s really no need to joke about it. Cohen name-checked his father’s song “So Long, Marianne” in one of his own songs-which just smacks of lazy writing to me. But for his closing song of the set, Cohen actually sang “So Long, Marianne.” This just seems like riding on his father’s coattails to me. If you’re in the same business as your very famous and successful father, wouldn’t you rather carve out your own identity? Rufus doesn’t sing his father Loudon Wainwright’s hit “Dead Skunk” as an encore. Adam Cohen and Rufus Wainwright have both followed in their father’s footsteps by entering the music industry. But Rufus has some advantages over Adam. Rufus’s songs are so different from Loudon Wainwright’s that no one is going to confuse them. They’re not working the same territory. Adam Cohen’s songs sounded like Leonard Cohen songs-his style seems very similar to his father’s. And there’s not much that Adam can do about that, except to expect constant comparisons. Their fathers are also at different levels of success. Loudon Wainwright is not as famous and shrouded in myth as Leonard Cohen is. Loudon Wainwright is, by and large, a cult artist. Leonard Cohen, though not as commercially successful as Bob Dylan, is often mentioned in the same breath as Dylan, and his critical standing among music critics is probably nearly as high as Dylan’s. This gives Rufus an advantage in that Rufus most likely had an easier time not being overshadowed by his father. 

Okay, now on to Rufus! Rufus opened the show in darkness with the largely a cappella song “Candles.” It was a great way to open the concert, and it showcases his truly amazing voice. There’s nobody that really sounds like Rufus Wainwright. His voice is so singular and distinctive. The only comparison I can make is that Rufus’s voice sometimes reminds me of Harry Nilsson, another supremely talented songwriter who had a soaring voice. Rufus was wearing sunglasses, black and white pants, a t-shirt and a blazer with red piping. He took the sunglasses off after 2 or 3 songs. It was clear right away that Rufus was in a really good mood. This was the last night of this leg of his tour, which probably helped contribute to Rufus’s exuberance. He performed a lot of songs from his new album, “Out of the Game.” I haven’t listened to “Out of the Game” very much, but after hearing Rufus sing these songs in concert, it’s next on my list. The title song is a great, catchy piece of pop writing. I’ve listened to it at least 4 or 5 times while writing this review. I was very happy that Rufus threw in a Judy Garland song, the terrific “The Man That Got Away,” written by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin, from “A Star is Born.” If you’re a Rufus fan, you should get his great tribute album, “Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall,” in which he re-creates Garland’s famous 1961 live album, “Judy at Carnegie Hall.” Rufus did a fantastic rendition of “The Man That Got Away,” with just piano, bass, and drums, which showcased his amazing voice. During the intro to the song, Rufus said that Liza Minnelli has been very critical of his tribute to her mother, saying in an interview that she would never listen to the album. So Rufus got back with a couple of digs at Liza during the song. Rufus also sang one of his father’s songs, “One Man Guy.” It was a nice rendition of the song, and interesting to hear Rufus sing something his dad wrote. After having seen Loudon Wainwright perform live in May, I can say that there are definitely some similarities between father and son. (I wonder how many other people were at both Loudon’s concert and Rufus’s?) Loudon and Rufus look quite a bit alike-do a Google image search for the cover of Loudon’s second album and you’ll see what I mean. Both Loudon and Rufus are naturally funny people who are very engaging performers. They’re having fun on stage, and they let the audience in on that fun by establishing a very quick rapport with the audience. Both Loudon and Rufus are kind of hams on stage, you can tell that they like the spotlight and enjoy performing.

Rufus also sang some of his older songs during the concert. He did a great solo version of “Art Teacher,” with only his piano accompanying him. Rufus played rhythm guitar on quite a few songs, which surprised me. I think he only played the piano when I saw him at Orchestra Hall. He also didn’t play any instruments on some songs, which also surprised me. But he did his trademark head shake move quite a bit, which worked well since he has nearly shoulder-length hair. One of the things that struck me most about listening to Rufus in concert is what a gift he has for melody. His songs are always very catchy, and usually very complicated. His songs are a lot of fun to listen to. He sang a haunting rendition of “Going to a Town,” which features the chorus, “I’m so tired of you, America.” Rufus said he had just performed the song in Milwaukee the night before and dedicated it to the victims of the August 5^th shootings at a Sikh temple. For the encore, he sang his most well-known song “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk,” and then brought Adam Cohen back for a duet of Leonard Cohen’s song “Chelsea Hotel #2.” That was awesome, and it was fun to hear Rufus’s soaring voice on another Leonard Cohen song. (Rufus sang Cohen’s “Hallelujah” on the “Shrek” soundtrack.) Rufus then closed with the dance-y “Bitter Tears” from his new album. Maybe that’s a sign of things to come from Rufus? This concert was a great show from one of the best singer/songwriters around.

Set list:

Candles

Rashida

Barbara

Grey Gardens

April Fools

The One You Love

Respectable

Out of the Game

Jericho

Perfect Man

The Man That Got Away

One Man Guy (Loudon Wainwright song)

Art Teacher-solo

Going to a Town

Montauk

14th Street

Encore: 

Cigarettes & Chocolate Milk

Chelsea Hotel #2 (Leonard Cohen song performed with Adam Cohen)

Bitter Tears

Concert Review: Loudon Wainwright III at the Cedar Cultural Center

Loudon Wainwright III

Last night I saw Loudon Wainwright III in concert at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis. It was a really fun show, as Wainwright is a very engaging performer to see live. I’m not familiar with very much of Wainwright’s work, but I think last night’s concert was a good introduction. Wainwright sang a lot of new songs from his latest album, “Older Than My Old Man Now,” which just came out in April. The album focuses on mortality, and it was specifically inspired by the fact that, at age 65, Wainwright is now older than his father ever got to be. (Loudon Wainwright II was a longtime editor and writer for Life magazine who passed away in 1988 just days shy of his 64^th birthday.) The songs that Loudon sang last night were a mixture of funny and sad. Some were serious meditations on aging; others were humorous songs like “My Meds,” about all the prescription medications Loudon now takes. 

On stage, Wainwright is a very funny, engaging performer. He really acts out his songs as he sings them, which makes him very fun to watch. It’s clear that he still enjoys performing, as he smiles most of the time he’s onstage. Performing solo, he had the audience in the palm of his hand from the beginning of the show. Many of Wainwright’s songs focus on family relationships, whether it’s the relationship between him and his parents or himself and his own children. Wainwright performed most of the songs from “Older Than My Old Man Now,” but he also mixed in some older songs like “Red Guitar,” and “Five Years Old.” (No, he didn’t play “Dead Skunk,” his one hit single.) Wainwright is able to take simple ideas and make a song from them, which isn’t as easy to do as it might sound. He sang one song about an older man taking his dog for a walk which was very funny and silly. It’s a simple idea for a song, but he made it entertaining. His song “In C,” from “Older Than My Old Man Now,” mixes humor and sadness very well. Loudon starts the song by joking that when he plays piano it’s always in the key of C. But the song turns into an eloquent meditation on family relationships, and at the end of the song Wainwright sings the funny and heartbreaking line, “And if families didn’t break apart/I suppose there’d be no need for art.” 

I enjoyed seeing Loudon live, he’s an artist I’ve heard about for a long time but haven’t investigated yet. My wife is a big fan of Loudon’s son Rufus, and I’ve started to get into Rufus’s music through her. I’m looking forward to exploring more of Loudon’s music. I bought “Older Than My Old Man Now” at the concert and got it signed by Loudon after the show. He’s a really funny guy off stage as well, and he was very nice to talk to.