Regina Spektor - Adelaide, 16th December 2012
Words: Jo Taylor
The lights dimmed to darkness before a spotlight illuminated the beautiful Regina Spektor as she took to the stage. She looked so small towered by a huge wall of reflective discs, but as the crowd were soon to find out, her presence was large.
Opening with the powerful A cappella Ain’t No Cover Spektor quickly had the crowd in awe with the strength and versatility of her voice accompanied only by her own gentle tapping on the microphone with her finger. Following the infectious Eet, she charmed the crowd when she sweetly stated “I know your secret... Radelaide” with a sly grin. Indeed.
After crowd favourite On The Radio she told everyone “I went to the Botanic Gardens today. I kept hoping a parrot would poop on me. It’s meant to be good luck all over the world. So I kept walking underneath them. It didn’t happen though.” Never give up the dream, Regina! She then kept the evening swinging with the sweet beat of Small Town Moon which jumped around in quirky little bounds before she then took it down a notch with Ode to Divorce and the bluesy lullaby How.
The dramatic All The Rowboats was stunning live with the lighting setting the mood perfectly for the song and Spektor emulating a drum machine with her mouth to the microphone is one of many reasons this woman stands out. She takes things in a different direction to what you expect and uses her imagination within her music, which makes it magical.
Another highlight followed; the haunting Blue Lips. Chorus “Blue Lips, Blue Veins, Blue the colour of our planet from far far away” brought goosebumps “Blue, the most human colour”.
Opening with the powerful A cappella Ain’t No Cover Spektor quickly had the crowd in awe with the strength and versatility of her voice accompanied only by her own gentle tapping on the microphone with her finger. Following the infectious Eet, she charmed the crowd when she sweetly stated “I know your secret... Radelaide” with a sly grin. Indeed.
After crowd favourite On The Radio she told everyone “I went to the Botanic Gardens today. I kept hoping a parrot would poop on me. It’s meant to be good luck all over the world. So I kept walking underneath them. It didn’t happen though.” Never give up the dream, Regina! She then kept the evening swinging with the sweet beat of Small Town Moon which jumped around in quirky little bounds before she then took it down a notch with Ode to Divorce and the bluesy lullaby How.
The dramatic All The Rowboats was stunning live with the lighting setting the mood perfectly for the song and Spektor emulating a drum machine with her mouth to the microphone is one of many reasons this woman stands out. She takes things in a different direction to what you expect and uses her imagination within her music, which makes it magical.
Another highlight followed; the haunting Blue Lips. Chorus “Blue Lips, Blue Veins, Blue the colour of our planet from far far away” brought goosebumps “Blue, the most human colour”.
She then stood away from the piano to be joined on stage by Only Son cohort (aka Jack Dishel) for the gorgeous acoustic Call Them Brothers. This collaboration has found two voices that compliment each other with gorgeous effect, even if Dishel towers over Spektors small frame.
“This is my favourite Russian song, it’s called The Prayer. But since you all know Russian here in Radelaide we don’t have to translate nothin” Spektor quipped before launching into a gorgeous cover of The Prayer of François Villon (Molitva) sung completely in Russian which is no surprise given she was born in Moscow, but being Adelaide there is limited exposure to Russian singing, so this was a thrill to witness and despite not knowing a word she was singing, it still sent shivers down the spine. Versatile much?
Then stepping behind the keyboard for the fun Dance Anthem Of The 80’s which proved a little difficult to watch in the seated venue when all you wanted to do was stand up and break into the robot, but alas, settled for toe tapping. Better, Ne Me Quitte Pas (aka Don’t Leave Me) and featuring some vocal gymnastics on Oh Marcello kept the upbeat vibe going.
Ballad of a Politician was another highlight followed soon after by Sailor Song with it’s catchy chorus “Maryanne’s a Bitch!” before closing the epic set with Open, memorable for Spektors vocal effects and the beautiful lyrics “potentially lovely, perpetually human” and as she left the stage, and the applause filled the room, you couldn’t help being left with a smile.
After a short wait, She gleefully returned to stage and launched into the whimsical Us followed by the popular single Fidelity which as expected got a strong crowd reaction. Of course, two of the best were saved till last. The uplifting Hotel Song which was heard being hummed by numerous people when leaving the venue, it’s truly infectious. Ending the evening was the haunting lullaby Samson with it’s simple beauty was the perfect end to a gorgeous night.
Despite not quite selling as strongly as other sold-out shows within Australia, the audience was respectful but appreciative and widely varied. From tattooed punks to young girls in twirly dresses, Spektor seems to appeal to them all. If only she had played Back of a Truck... next time perhaps?
“This is my favourite Russian song, it’s called The Prayer. But since you all know Russian here in Radelaide we don’t have to translate nothin” Spektor quipped before launching into a gorgeous cover of The Prayer of François Villon (Molitva) sung completely in Russian which is no surprise given she was born in Moscow, but being Adelaide there is limited exposure to Russian singing, so this was a thrill to witness and despite not knowing a word she was singing, it still sent shivers down the spine. Versatile much?
Then stepping behind the keyboard for the fun Dance Anthem Of The 80’s which proved a little difficult to watch in the seated venue when all you wanted to do was stand up and break into the robot, but alas, settled for toe tapping. Better, Ne Me Quitte Pas (aka Don’t Leave Me) and featuring some vocal gymnastics on Oh Marcello kept the upbeat vibe going.
Ballad of a Politician was another highlight followed soon after by Sailor Song with it’s catchy chorus “Maryanne’s a Bitch!” before closing the epic set with Open, memorable for Spektors vocal effects and the beautiful lyrics “potentially lovely, perpetually human” and as she left the stage, and the applause filled the room, you couldn’t help being left with a smile.
After a short wait, She gleefully returned to stage and launched into the whimsical Us followed by the popular single Fidelity which as expected got a strong crowd reaction. Of course, two of the best were saved till last. The uplifting Hotel Song which was heard being hummed by numerous people when leaving the venue, it’s truly infectious. Ending the evening was the haunting lullaby Samson with it’s simple beauty was the perfect end to a gorgeous night.
Despite not quite selling as strongly as other sold-out shows within Australia, the audience was respectful but appreciative and widely varied. From tattooed punks to young girls in twirly dresses, Spektor seems to appeal to them all. If only she had played Back of a Truck... next time perhaps?