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REVIEWS

Gion & Fiona


Fi & April

Tracy & Fiona
pictures courtesy of April

From April:

solid. fiona was solid tonight. she was a little nervous at first, but shortly into the set the talented fiona we all know was commanding the stage once again.

for the first time in a while she wasn't wearing anything pink! she was wearing the long skirt and a really cool white shirt. she looked a little sad at first, but that went away about 5 songs into the set.

the set list was the same as the other shows (the 16 songs) but you could tell she was working hard tonight. for me the way things are, a mistake and fast as you can were definite highlights. 

the crowd was pretty calm for most of the night until fast as you can, almost everyone was up and dancing and running to the stage for this one. fiona loved that! 

some things she said were about really liking david letterman a lot, also saying she didn't have an interesting day so she didn't have much to talk about, and then before fast as you can, she mentioned how she messed up the roseland show but didn't want to talk about it earlier in the set because she didn't want to 'jinx' herself. she also gave thanks for certain comments about the event to a certain review-writer at this end of the computer... i was so thankful that fi appreciated my words!  i also made her a sign that said "fuck the bullshit and the reviewers, fiona you'll always rock!" when she came out for the first encore she giggled at it and looked pretty pleased. towards the end of the main set and the encores, she was our jovial and bouncy fi again. she was so dancy all over the stage once the nerves disappeared. albany tonight should tell us all that tuesday night was an anomoly and that fiona is still putting on a kick-ass and quality show!

some side notes: 

david and nan thanks for being so calm around my fiona nerves!
fiona thanks for being sweet and taking my words to heart!
thank you keith for chatting after the show, you're a really cool guy!

picture courtesy of April

albany is really, really cold. the security staff at the palace theatre (the local staff, not fi's guys) were complete assholes (with the exception of one who was nice). i got into fights with them and tried to tell them while they were chasing fans away that the way they do things isn't the way fiona does them, and once fi came they saw that and felt dumb! they should for the rudeness and hard time they gave some of us, also instead of nicely talking to people they yelled and were condescending towards the fans. they also pushed around some people physically and that was soooo wrong. people who work at theatres shouldn't have a larger than life complex just because they think they have jurisdiction to push around some fans.

besides the cold, the long travel, and the palace staff everything was awesome. everything on fi's part went really well. if you can catch a show do it and show her your support she really values it!

well, it's late, i'll see you guys tomorrow night in phili, stay warm!

fi got a vocal pickup for her ear so that she can hear herself sing. this is a good addition to the tour and should help her out with vocals! her voice was in top shape tonight. she pulled out every note on target and her piano playing was on target as well.

april

From David:

Hey everybody,

What a great show!  Fiona really nailed this show when she needed it most.  This Albany show was the first show that Fi used an "in-ear" monitor.  She was awesome.  She made a comment about the Roseland performance.   She mentioned that if you had nightmares about performing in front of all your family and friends and people that matter to you the most and you embarrass yourself, that you shouldn't worry because she's done it.

She really loves her fans and you could feel her confidence build as the concert progressed.  "A Mistake" was sung with a greater than great fervor.  She did a tremendously moving rendition of "Carrion."  It was amazing!

She thanked the crowd over and over for being so supportive.

From Megan:

        My boyfriend bought me tickets for my birthday (even though it's not until March 29th).  While we were grabbing a bite to eat after my long train ride to Albany, I asked my boyfriend where our seats were.  He told me that they were "in the balcony, as far back as you can probably get!"  I arrived to the theatre a few minutes into J5's act (sorry guys!) and when we entered the lower floor--I thought we were just going to just peer over the edge, where the arches were, for a few minutes...however, we kept walking.  My boyfriend surprised me with seats in upper orchestra!!  I was so ecstatic!
        After J5's act (during the intermission-like time), I happened to catch some guy holding a big book--like a sketch book.  I thought, hey that might be David! (Though it wasn't.  It was just a different guy signing it.)  Then I saw Nanikita sitting down, 2 seats in front of me and David walked back up to his seat (love the hair!).  However, there was a bunch of people there by that time and they were all chatting...and being the odd person I am, I didn't want to interrupt.

Now for Fiona stuff:
        She totally totally rocked LIMP.  (She did awesome the night before on Letterman too!)  The crowd seemed to loooovvvve PAPER BAG...and I will always love LOVE RIDDEN.  I don't care how many people hate the whole piano part...I love it!  It is such a beautiful song--and it is just great listening to Fiona sing it live!  CARRION was much more mellow than her Wallingford appearance--and it still rocked the house.  I also love I KNOW.  I like how it is just Fiona at the piano, with Keith and Jebin (hope I got you correct!!!).  The whole lights on the piano deal just makes the song and performance so so so much better and prettier and nicer--it is perfect, in my opinion. As usual, Fiona wasn't sure what to say to the audience--no jokes, etc--so she was just going to sing.  See, that's ok--I came to see Fiona sing and dance and perform and such.  She also made a note that she liked David Letterman the best out of hosts--despite how other people say that he's mean.  She also mentioned towards the end of the show that Roseland was awful and she didn't mention it earlier cuz she didn't want to jinx herself, etc.  She then proceeded to totally rip A MISTAKE...hmmm...I wonder why?!!  I just love how Fiona puts so much emotion into her songs...like if it's angry--she is angry.  If it's somber, she's somber.  I love it...  When she sang FAST AS YOU CAN, the practically the entire theatre walked up to the stage (after hearing her comment about Roseland) to show their love and appreciation for Fiona. Everyone stood up that wasn't in the aisles...it was just too great.  I could tell Fiona loved it too...she kinda gave a giggle at April's sign (I am assuming it was April, after reading her review), and smiled so big...you could tell by the sparkle in her eyes (I'm serious!).  The crowd overall, was real good.   I believe during Sullen Girl, though, there was a minor disturbance in the back of the right orchestra seating area.  My boyfriend's friend told me that 2 girls were making out or something and someone yelled out "What the hell are you doing?"   Not sure if it's entirely true...but whatever it was, it annoyed me cuz it was very distracting to the entire audience (everyone turned around to see what was up).
        After the concert, I stood outside with a crowd of about 40.  One security guard was giving us an attitude right away for no reason--so a bunch of us kinda gave 'tude back.  (Yes, he was even physically pushing people away.  I know it's his job, but he was real nasty for no reason--though he calmed down later on.)  We watched as they loaded the truck, the band got on the bus, etc.  Matt Chamberlain gave away 2 drumsticks (dunno if they were used during the concert...but they were his!) to random people in the crowd.  I had my hand on one...but, as you guessed it, I was attacked.  I have a scratch on my right hand now (seriously).  No biggie, though--the people that waited outside afterwards were big fans as well.  One of the girls that did get a drumstick was a big Matt fan too.  The security guards even tried telling us fans that Fiona left "on the other side of the theatre in a limo, a white limo."  But, we still stood outside.  Eventually David and Nanikita came out of backstage...some guy from the crowd yelled "Hey, NEVER IS A PROMISE!!!"  and I screamed real loud (cuz you two rock).  Much later, a woman came out and explained that Fiona wasn't feeling well, and didn't want to sign autographs.  We all were cool with that--we just wanted a glimpse of her!  So eventually, Fiona came out all wrapped up in a pretty scarf over her head and a nice dressy sorta coat.  She waved and said some words, which I believe she said "thank you."  I'm not 100% sure though, since we were all screaming and yelling "I love you," "Thank you," etc.  I'm guessing Fiona has or is coming down with a cold--you can kinda tell in her voice--and of course, we respect the fact that she doesn't wanna sit out in the cold signing her name...we don't want to make her sickness worse!  I hope you feel better Fiona!!!

Some thank yous:
Mario:  thank you for the tickets! I love you!
Jon:  thank you for picking me up at the train station (I think Jon fell in love with Keith Lowe.  He's a bass player too. Oh, and just a few weeks ago, we were talking about how if he was ever in a band, he would wear a trench-like coat on stage....how funny is it that Keith did the same?!)
The Tour Band:  thank you for being so cool after the concert...I learned that it's Lucky with the cool hat.  It has such a cool effect when his head is lowered and he just plays...there's just something about it.
Fiona:  thank you for a cool concert, your music, lyrics, performance...i could go on and on...I hope you feel better!
David and Nanikita:  of course...  (I will make it a point in the future to meet you two when we will all be at the same place!!)  THANK YOU!

--Megan

Getting tickets was a problem where I am. The D.C. concert had been sold out for quite some time and the local DJs didn't bother to give tickets away. Now, before I continue, let me explain. I am a 20-year-old boy that depends on a full time day job. I don't go to college and I do pay rent. What I don't have is vacation time. As in I never had any to begin with, which means that if I want a few days off, I don't get paid. Oh, and by the way, I'm broke.

But money be damned! I was going to see Fiona! I was going to be her sweet fix of a daydream of a boy! I was going to see her, and when she would see me she would forget all about that director boyfriend, P.T. what's-his-name. Yeah, right. But the handshake was well worth the drive.

Okay so I found tickets on eBay without a problem - except for one problem. Not tickets, but ticket. One ticket. But one glorious, second row, Orchestra Left center ticket. A right in front of the piano ticket. I didn't really want to go alone but who cares, with a seat that close, I could throw my underwear at her!

It was a six hour drive to Albany. I gave myself two extra hours because I was sure I would get lost. In accordance with Murphy's Law not only did I not get lost, but I was twenty minutes early. The neighborhood looked a little sketchy at best. I didn't want to hang around my car very long in case I was parking in someone's "spot." I couldn't see any place to eat within walking distance so for about two and a half-hours I stood outside the theatre.

After getting there I walked around the same block to keep warm and I noticed a group that looked to be my age standing around the stage entrance. I asked one of them for the time and what they were waiting around for. They were waiting for Fiona. I had expected a mob. A grey bearded stage manager type kept opening the door and looking out. I felt this was the spot to be so I hung out. Various people kept coming out and looking down the street. There were a few characters, one guy with a Harley-Davidson jacket. There was a black leather clad young guy who was actually nice to "us." and there was a thirty-something receding hairline guy who was very protective of the sidewalk around the stage door. The sidewalk guard chased us away several times until we were far enough away not to get yelled at but close enough to see.

When Fiona's tour bus pulled up our little huddled group became brave and started for the bus. I wasn't too familiar with the band members but some of  the girls I was standing near were and I think they yelled their names. Finally Fiona hopped off and everyone knew her name. She stood there and waited for us to shuffle over from where we were standing. Magazines and CD covers came out and a round of signatures followed. I was impressed that I got to stand so close to her. I somehow imagined that bodyguards wouldn't let us within three feet of her but no one seemed to mind. The group told her about all the places they've seen her and they took pictures with her and hugged her and touched her arm and did fan stuff. My chance to say something was passing quickly and all I could do was stand there and watch! I didn't have anything for her to sign but I had to say something! I managed to blurt out, "Fiona, can I just have a handshake?" She stopped signing things long enough to look directly at me and extend her hand. I took it and said, "Can you let Paul know that I am a big fan of his work?" to which she nodded. Great. Go ahead. Email me and tell me how stupid that was. (mut20@hotmail.com) My only chance to say something profoundly cool and I professed my love of her boyfriend. My only shred of rationale at the time was that she has probably heard how wonderful SHE is at least a million times that day and she might appreciate something other than the norm. So that sucked but I can guarantee you she doesn't remember me, so I'll have another chance to make a better impression next time I decide to hang around a stage door.

Another hour and a half standing out in the cold before a crowd built up and they started to let us in. The theatre was warm and the décor was pretty old. It was the kind of style that was "in" a long time ago, and has been around for so long that it came back in style for the "retro" look. The restroom had more urinals than I've seen at baseball stadiums and a whole two sinks to wash your hands with using a big communal bar of soap. One look at this bar of soap and washing up with toilet water suddenly seemed sterile in comparison.

Got my ticket and sat down. I can't say a whole lot for the opening act, "Jurassic 5". There are six of them. All of their songs were about how old school they were. The two DJs were excellent but they seemed totally interested in showing off their skills as DJs than in making the four other rappers sound good.

Fiona bounced right out on stage without a bit of hesitation and did a two handed full arm wave to the audience. She was smiling a lot more from when I saw her outside. She had a full-length dress that was like an inch off the ground. She had a cardigan style sweater on which came off somewhere between the first and second song. The piano she sat at had one of those "woman silhouettes" that you would find on the mud flaps of trucks. Also taped to the piano was a small paper with words that I can only guess is the Martha Graham quote I've read about. She carried a hot cup of something out (soup?)
and put it on the piano. As she started in on the first song, steam curled out of the cup (nice atmospheric touch). Between songs she seemed to get charged by the crowd and frequently dashed between the microphone to various points on the stage. I had read about her stage banter "problem" but I didn't see much of a problem. She was just really quick and didn't know what to say - I know the feeling. Sometimes she talked too fast for me to understand but I was mostly happy to see her excited and didn't mind one bit! The whole thing went way too fast for me to take in.

Fiona has this great little dance that's unlike anything I've ever seen. It's the kind of dance you do when you're a kid 'cause it feels good to do but when you get older you stop because you're worried about what people will think. Well Fiona just goes right on with her dance and you can't help but be a little envious that she's up there dancing like that while you sit and watch. The band members seemed to flow with Fiona well as each of them seemed to know what to expect from her. Members of the band would occasionally break out into a mini "Fiona dance" when she was looking their way which was cute. A few fans came down and danced to the acknowledgement of Fiona during songs. Of all the band members Fiona seemed to connect with Keith (bass?) the most. They frequently gave each other smiling glances and Fiona interacted with Keith the most on-stage.

The lyrics were superb but I decided that a few of the songs sounded best in a studio than live. The best part of the show was the way she sang - it sent chills down my back. There were lines that had so much feeling the crowd cheered mid-song and I've never seen anything like that before. During the concert fans came down near the front row and sat on the floor and eventually security would come along and make them move. But when Fiona started in with "Fast as you can" so many people crowded the isles, security just gave up and watched. Two guys hopped the wall and started for the stage but security took them out so fast by the time you noticed all you saw was security dragging them away.

At the end she thanked everyone for being so great and walked off. It didn't take much for an encore. Fiona walked back out on stage as though she was supposed to pretend to be finished and sung two more songs as band members slowly joined her. It was the best concert I've ever been to. The sheer variety of people that showed up for this event is a testament to the broad appeal of her music. The fact that no song went unsung without cheers after every good line proves her talent. We've gotten used to Fiona, but I'm not quite sure she has still gotten used to us. It will be interesting to see where her career takes her and I hope there are more tours to come. A piano playing female bears her soul for $13.99 at Sam Goody. This would sum up my biggest weakness. The whole experience left me exhausted and freezing cold but so goddamn happy that I could have lost an appendage that day and I still would have been talking about the Albany show.