Boxes of Tangerines

Concerts

I have been to loads of concerts, and I am not saying that to be vain. My father is obsessed with music and so every chance  that he gets, he takes my family to some free concert or show downtown (I live in Richmond). Few of them have been memorable, due to the fact that my concert-goings began at the age of 4, and I’ve kind of been dragged along since. That’s not to say that I don’t appreciate music, but I am of the quality over quantity mind-set. The dynamics of the music don’t seem to matter at all to my father it’s just the fact that it is sound in its most concise and purposeful form. He becomes captivated by the loud noise and the live music so much so that he is practically oblivious to the actual songs and musicians themselves. Now, this is speculation on my part, but his rapture and obsession for music appears to spread for him across all domains from bluegrass to rock to folk to soul. There are no limits.

Due to this passion, I have experienced a lot of live music and have consequentially forgotten the majority of concerts that I’ve seen( this may also be attributed in part to young age). The big ones and my favorites though still stand out: The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Widespread Panic, String Cheese Incident, Virginia Coalition, Dave Matthews Band, Little Feat, James Taylor, Joan Osbourne, and of course The Spice Girls (sarcasm implied)!  Yet none of these compared to seeing Regina Spektor.

This statement I know will cause outrage and some will cry blaspheme. Most would argue that seeing a legend like Eric Clapton is incomparable to some 20 something upstart who has had maybe one hit. Yet I would argue in my defense that seeing a person with buckets of talent exorcised to its full potential ( no matter the breadth of their fame) is still an incredible sight. The Stones made me cry (I kept thinking WOW I’m seeing one of the greatest bands of the century, a sight that I will probably never have the oppurtunity to repeat), but Regina filled me with elation. I sported a gigantic smile throughout her entire perfrmance and I couldn’t help but rock with the music throughout until her last song was sung. I kept thinking she is so extraordinarily talented, and I am so fortunate to get to see her live. This was in part because her live renditions were superior to her recorded tracks, which for me was a first. Vocally, live performances, to me, have always fallen short of the crisp resonance from a prerecorded track, yet Regina did not miss a note. I’ve seen a lot of concerts, but I’ve never seen such a spectacular performance that encompassed excellence in all of the following areas in addition to vocals: instruments, lyrics and charisma.

Of course I liked her prior to going to the concert, yet seeing her live completely changed my perspective and increased my appreciation. The Richmond Times Dispatch two days later reported in an article, “Seated behind a grand piano, her ruby red lips and black, billowy dress a dramatic contrast, Spektor utilized her impressive range with the piano her only accompaniment.” Though this statement is a little wrong ( she also played the electric guitar, stomped, clapped, and used an accompanying beatboxer), the intent is correct in that she really did make an impression.  All in all, she hit the ball out of the park, out of the parking lot, across the street, and directly in my face.

   

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