pic courtesy of Allison LM

REVIEWS:

To put it simply, tonight's concert was all I was hoping it would be and more. Jurassic 5 gave us some quality hip-hop and displayed great stage presence, constantly interacting with the crowd. It should be mentioned that the two DJs for those four MCs are also extremely talented. DJ Cut Killer is known in this business as one of the very best turn table masters on this planet, it certainly showed tonight. Now to Fiona, she appeared with the band and started out with "On the Bound". What an ideal way to start. The sound seemed very good all throughout the performance, this venue is a small concert hall so you'd expect it to have good acoustics and fortunately it has. My main fear tonight was to have to endure people singing along during songs or cheer at inappropriate moments but I must admit I was pleasantly surprised by the extremely mature crowd we had tonight (except for that one girl sitting behind me and constantly kicking my seat). We all loudly cheered between the pieces and everyone clearly seemed very impressed with Fiona and her band's performance. I was very impressed by the way the songs came out live and I understand why the setlist has remained the same during the tour, the timing and balance between each set of song is perfect. My favorite moments were probably "paper bag" (favorite song), "love ridden" (surprise of the evening for me) and the songs off Tidal which were full of energy, almost giving me a new found respect for "criminal" and "sleep to dream" which I love but have almost over listened to (although you can't really over listen to Fiona!) Anytime she danced was also a major treat. She seems truly passionate about her work and it's so nice and refreshing to see how Fiona can just let herself go into a trance while performing. She made some funny comments about the soap in her hotel which contained somebody else's hair and then she went on and on about how dirty she was because of it and how she felt she had to tell us about it. She later apologized for that remark but of course we all got a kick out of it and she did to it seems as she giggled a lot. After "Fast As You Can" followed an instant standing ovation that lasted for a long time and that never went down in intensity. In fact it blew my mind (and my ears) how loud that ovation was. She absolutely deserved it of course. It was great to see the enthusiasm of the crowd and how people gradually got more into it, yet without making any single noises during the quieter pieces such as "I know" or "sullen girl". There might've been one moment were some girl screamed during one of those quieter remarks and I was a bit disturbed by the many camera flashes during "I know", but those are just minor details. After the encore most of us cheered and clapped while she performed Cole Porter's "Just One of Those Things" but it was appropriate, after all it was the encore ad you what better way for the crowd to show their enthusiasm than during the encore.

The last song: "Kissing My Love" was incredible. It's as it was written for Fiona. She nailed it perfectly and added a definite spark to it. The band also thrived on this one. Great dynamism, another formidable surprise as I didn't know what to expect, it closed the chapter of this magical evening in the best possible way. I had never seen Fiona Apple perform live before tonight and what surprised me the most tonight was probably the energy that comes out of the more up-beat songs there's a whole new dimension to them when performed live. The quieter pieces with Fiona on the piano were flawless and full of emotion, as mentioned before they gave the chills. 

I'm usually pretty reserved about seated concerts but for this type of performance it probably is better to just be able to sit and comfortably enjoy the spectacle. Some people got up and danced at times, especially during "fast as you can" and I would've joined them but I'm a terrible dancer and easily embarrassed. It would've neat to have everyone get up and dance but Minnesotans are pretty shy about those things. It does seem like Fiona is nursing a cold but I don't think it interfered with her performance that much, it might have added texture to it in fact. On a lighter note I noticed there were many beautiful young ladies tonight, but most of them had boyfriends so I went home alone by foot and by bus. It took me almost two hours and I'm exhausted now.  It might be irrelevant but I'm feeling a bit depressed tonight. Partly because I had a difficult day but also because I'm very impressed by Fiona and she's the same age as I am. It makes me feel a little worthless, I guess in a way I'm jealous of her talent but I couldn't love Fiona's music more and I think she's an incredible person and wish her all the best. If anything it should motivate me more to do something with my life.

Truly a night to remember. Thank you so much Fiona.

Brian

I recently went to the march 14th concert at O'Shangessey {spelling?} in St Paul. Can I just say it was the most kick ass concert I have ever seen, and i've been to a couple of other performers and she was the best concert EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am currently in a wheelchair and accommodations sucked but the concert she gave made me forget all about it. For me the best songs were (as if I can choose) Limp, Carrion, Get Gone,& I Know. I was screaming during a couple of different songs and a couple ahead of me just kept turning around and glaring at me. When she went into the first chorus for Carrion I screamed really loud and she smiled, and gave a half nod/wave in my direction (I was the only one who screamed at that particular part) the old couple turned around and gave me a death glare but screw them I really don't care. The only thing that would have made the concert 1000x better is if I would have brought my camera. I was so mad when I saw other people snapping pics but oh well I think I'll live and as for people making fun of the way she dances I think its awesome she really feels her music think of how boring it would be if she just stood at her mile and did nothing, and let's not forget who's the one making millions here shall we she must be doing something right. I cant wait till she puts out her next album and goes on tour again please please please come back to MN WE LOVE YOU FI !!!!!!!!!!!

pictures above courtesy of Allison LM