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Sinead Live August 12th 1997 At the Warfield Theatre, San Francisco USA

Setlist

emperor's new clothes
thief of yr heart
I am stretched on your grave
perfect indian
petite poulet
this IS a rebel song
john i love you
this is to mother you
thank you for hearing me
in this heart
fire on babylon
last day of our acquaintance
 

encore:
redemption song
he moved thru the fair

lyrics/things SINEAD said:

singing emperor: "you asked if i'm scared, i said HELL NO"

introducing "stretched": "this is for one/some (?) of the dead people with us tonite"

introducing "petite poulet": this song is dedicated to a boy who gave me a really gorgeous teddy bear earlier today.

introducing "perfect indian": this is as depressing as it's going to get this evening so enjoy it!

in a mock american accent: we're just experiencing a technical problem

she seemed to say things as the crowd roared at the end of songs which made it impossible for me to discern what she said.

we had excellent seats in the unreserved section. i enjoyed the screaming orphans on their own because of their lovely voices but i thought the songs were a little weak. the one joan sang was quite reminiscent of adolescence. she , like sinead, probably won't want to sing that one a few years down the road. i liked the fretless bass playing wednesday addams sister. she just barely cracked a smile during the set but later shook a boogaloo down while singing back up for sinead.

as per the bill graham work/schedule ethic, the stage was reset & sinead came on within a reasonable length of time. she looked perfectly gorgeous. she was wearing one of those japanese dresses...damn i wish i knew what the style is called. it's cut quite narrow, has a fastening at one shoulder, creating a diagonal line down to the waist, mandarin collar, slit up the sides. it was dark blue silk with patches of print, probably little flowers. her hair was center parted & gelled down on each side of her face and looked to me as if she might have a reddish tint in it. i think she was barefoot.

never having seen her play before, i haven't a basis for comparison but i thought she was in good voice; she was equal to or soaring over the band as she wished. i liked the quieter arrangement of "the emperor's new clothes" & it was the first time i'd ever heard "thief". she seemed restrained until "john ". the screaming orphans began to groove with her here . as i listened i started to think they were the perfect back up singers for her, like more of her own voice singing. they were never harsh, as hard as they sang they struck me as soft and lush. sinead and the sisters were on a roll thru "thank you" and "in this heart". though i was actually snivelling in earlier parts of the show, out of awe or sentimentality or my own mental imbalance, (and i can enjoy sobbin to good music) the song i most felt to the floor was "fire on babylon" . for all the troy" lovers out there, this is about as close as you're going to get to that venom and intensity. sinead looked positively feral as she snarled "fire" a few times. kitty shows her claws! "last day" was the lights up sing along end of show. on the last "i know what yr answer will be" she flashed her hand and dashed her head dismissively, and delivered the line with a heard-it-all-before flatness that was funny.

others who reviewed shows back east were saying sinead seemed ill at ease & the band was too loud. i didn't perceive that here at all. the drummer (aka "that man") had a big hunka plexiglass in front of him. maybe that makes a quieting difference. sinead seems to be going for more of a chanteuse personna now. she moved a bit in a slinky kind of way but didn't dance extensively. she said a prissy-miss "thank you" frequently and mock curtseyed in the event of extended applause.

 peace---claudia

Also handed by Claudia is her review of a review published in The SF Chronicle

today's datebook section has a pretty standard review of tuesday's show. The author, Natasha Stoval, doesn't seem to be particularly into sinead or knowledgeable about her. she recycles the same facts any journalist can harvest from a file and appeared to be giving just the facts, not a sense of enjoyment of the show.

HER FLAME STILL BURNS

O'connor thrills devoted crowd at Warfield.

dig the opening run-on sentence/paragraph:

<<"How could I possibly know what I want when I was only 21?" Sinead O'connor sang Tuesday night, opening the first of a two-night stand at the Warfield with "The Emporer's New Clothes," a 7-year old song that still speaks volumes about her contentious relationship with the world, which hit bottom when she tore up a picture of the pope on "Saturday Night Live" in 1992...>>

later:

...<<O'Connor's program leaned heavily toward melancholy ballads, which she leavened with funky rave ups. Her voice, strong as ever, was supple and full, ringing clear as a church girl's one minute and ragged as a carney's the next..>>

[i interject here to say she NEVER sounded ragged. she was FIERCE.]

later:

..<<O'Connor drew material from three of her five records, ignoring her passionately acclaimed first offering, "TLATC" and "Am I Not Your Girl," her collection of jazz standards. The raw rage that characterized her early years has given way to pained introspection. O'Connor is still angry, especially politically; works like, "This IS a Rebel Song" and her interpretation of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song," which she played as an encore, make that clear. But she seems to fear the consequences of her anger more, which may explain why her earliest, most wild eyed work went unplayed...>>

[Her research isn't too deep, she could have easily accessed the "why" info about Sinead, who has done lots of interviews recently. I think she essentially insinuates throughout the article that Sinead is chastened & on her way to being washed up, despite the "devoted crowd".

Toward the end the author just dissed or just didn't notice all the others involved in one of the most beautiful songs, "In This Heart".]

...<<Songs like "In This Heart" and "John, I Love You" consisted of O'Connor's voice and little else>>...

[Duh, six people sang with her. She closes with the same tired assumption about "Last Day"]

...<<But the most rousing number of the night was one of O'Connor's saddest songs. She turned "The Last Day of Our Acquaintance" --about a ruined love affair--into a huge rock and roll romp.>> (end of review)

for this woman to have figured "This IS a Rebel Song" is political she must have read the press kit. she didn't offer much enthusiasm or insight...

the article has a rather large photo of sinead singing with her eyes closed, her left hand at her breast. it looks like she's wearing a gold wedding band. the blue silk gown looks all shimmery and glamorous.

Claudia

From: lastfortress@earthlink.net

After two days I've had time to reflect on Sinead's Tuesday night concert at the Warfield in San Francisco, and come to terms with the experience of seeing her again after so many years. The images of her live performances in 1990 are ones that stay with a fan, for these performances were full of passion, fire, and an obvious desire on Sinead's part to really "perform"--getting her musical message across. Tuesday's show was radically different, and I will attempt to describe the evening from my own standpoint.

I arrived at the Warfield with a friend around 7PM, just as the doors were opening, and was amazed at the length of the line. Once we were out of the limo and on the street, however, the crowd moved quite swiftly into the small theater. The Warfield is a venue that is split in three different ways.. There is a massive balcony hanging over a cafe-style seating area with dozens of tables, waitresses scuttling about selling booze and nacho chips, and then the main floor directly in front of the stage, where fans can stand or sit. The whole place only holds about 2500, so I knew that the show was going to be intimate. My friend and I made our way directly to a spot on the floor in front of the stage. I was a little buzzed and a little nervous, so time passed quickly as the theater began to pack up. I took time to notice the crowd, for I was curious to see whether it would be similar in "look" to the 1990 tour. I can only say that I was surprised to see so many very YOUNG people(early 20's) and, being 31, I felt a little old down in the "pit". There were a lot of rasta-boys, gorgeous young women, college-types, surfer-types, lesbians, and gay men--typical, great San Francisco mix of folks.

Soon we were pressed like sardines on the main floor and when the lights went down, out came the Screaming Orphans. Having read about them quite a bit on jitr, I yelled out their name to the lead singer before she introduced her band, and she seemed to get a kick out of this, 'cause she smiled and nodded her head in my direction. Fans, keep an eye on these sisters--they are pretty good. Their tunes are guitar driven, jaunty, and decidedly 90's Irish girl-rock. One tune struck me as especially good: it was called "Elizabeth" and the lead "Orphan" said it was written about a friend of theirs who had given herself up to prostitution. The song was moving and rocked pretty well, but I was more struck by the Orphans themselves. The lead was a peppy blonde with touseled hair and a shy(but mischievous) stage personna. She giggled a bit and stumbled over her words as she introduced each song, but I must say she looked like she was having alot of fun being on stage: She seemed genuinely excited to be there. Drumming Orphan-sister Joan was hustled up to the mike to do a solo vocal, and though I don't remember the name of the song, her performance was STUNNING. Her voice was powerful and expressive, and her body movements indicated that she felt every word of what she sang. The crowd noted this, and were deeply affected. The cheers were loud and sustained. Soon, their little set was over and we all knew Sinead was due.

It was then that things got a little emotional, and electricity passed among us "sardines" near the stage. I remember sitting there(it was hot as hell) thinking about everything Sinead means to me. Before my thoughts were finished, I looked up to the darkened stage and saw a little figure bending down to pick up a mike in the shadows, and then, like a phantom gliding into view, she was there, bathed in the sudden spotlight. Of course, the cheers were deafening. People screamed, and in those sounds one could detect love, astonishment, welcome, peace, release--everything. We were welcoming a loved-one, a friend, and taking her into our embrace as much as we wanted her to take us in her own arms. I couldn't take my eyes away from her, and I was stunned by how different her whole "package" had become. I realize now how much sheer visual impact her baldness once held when she walked on stage. It was a stunning effect, and now I was struck by its opposite. Being only ten feet away,I must say, IMOHO, that Sinead did not look well. Perhaps it was the harshness of the lights, but she was incredibly pale, her face was gaunt and perspiring, and her hair(a strange reddish-purple tint!) was either greasy or over-gelled. She wore a long, short-sleeved, silk Japanese kimono dress, emblazoned with white flowers. She smiled and curtseyed and nodded as the cheers died down, and then looked nervously at her lead guitarist, waiting for him to start the opening number.

He launched into the opening riff of "Emperors New Clothes" as Sinead stood motionless with her hand-held mike and the Orphans were lined at her side to sing back-up and harmony. It was a disappointing performance of a great song. The lead guitar volume was too low and Sinead's vocals and interest were routine, if not lackluster. She seemed either very nervous, or very bored(I think the latter) and hardly moved a muscle throughout a song that she once twirled, danced, and jumped up and down to, while playing her own guitar. If she had been trying for a different arrangement or a different twist on the song, it might have worked. Basically, it was just "Emperor's" without the excitement.

To cheers she launched into her next number, "Thief of Your Heart," standing exactly the same way with exactly the same movements. This was a big hit for Sinead in San Francisco, so a lot of the locals knew the song and cheered loudly at the start. Still, two girls in front of me had to lean over and whisper "What album was this from?" Sinead's vocals were looser, though, and warmer. She seemed a bit more into it.

Then, with the warning "This is as depressing as it's going to get all night, so enjoy it," she sang "A Perfect Indian." It was a subdued performance and Sinead's mike-problems were a little more apparent here. Her voice (though exquisite) was being overshadowed by the already-sparse arrangements of that song. A few people behind me yelled for the crew to turn up the mike volume after the song was over, and I agreed.

Sinead made a couple of signals, too, and by the time she started "This IS a rebel Song," things were much better. The performance was flawless, and for the first time, she seemed really interested in what she was singing(and saying). Her voice stunned the entire theater into complete silence, for the first time that night. We all listened, and watched. Her hand-held mike didn't change position(it wouldn't all night) but her other hand moved in emotional, sincere gestures as she sang. We were moved, and shouted our approval in unmistakeable ways. It was then that fans all over the theater began shouting their personal words of devotion to Sinead. One tearful young man a few feet away screamed "I Love You, you're my goddess," while others were content to say "I love you, Sinead." She seemed moved and touched by the sudden outpouring of verbal adoration. It moved her in a way the cheers did not.

Next came "Stretched on your Grave" and this, too, was a moving performance. Roars shook the roof when she sang the first line, and her body started to gyrate at least a little bit more than before. She seemed so intent and focused on her voice that there was little room for other "expressions of performance." Again, her voice was stunning and technically without flaw. Much stronger and better than in 1990.

"John I Love You" came next and received one of the biggest roars of the night when fans realized what song it was. "Universal Mother" was a massive sales success in San Francisco(I believe it sold more copies here than anywhere else in the world) and the girls in front of me simply dissolved into blubbering tears as Sinead sang. I smiled, happy that they were so moved. Again, it was a strong performance but with no visual effect or emotion coming from Sinead's face or body.

"This Is To Mother You" came next, and now I was blubbering(the only time all night-surprise!), for Sinead's performance was very maternal and powerful. More thunderous roars. After these died down, I waited for the right moment of complete silence as people waited for the next song, and I found that moment. As loud as I could(and I've got a big mouth), I shouted the only thing I felt I should say..."Sinead...Thank You." It was an emotional moment for me because everyone in the theater heard it in that totally silent instant, and so did Sinead. She looked at me( a few feet away) and she smiled and said "No, Thank YOU." Well, there is a GOD(dess).

Next came one of the evening's highlights, "In This Heart." Her voice was sheer power and precision, and the orphans in harmony did a much more effective job than the Voice Squad on "Universal Mother." It was at once riveting and uplifting. The screams and cheers were among the most powerful that night.

"Thank You For Hearing Me" was scorching, and Sinead's body movements were a bit more pronounced, though still restricted by that damned mike in her right hand.

"Fire On Babylon" provided the high point of the evening, in terms of electricity and power. Her voice was amazingly on target (for such a tough song to sing) and her extended version, with the "oh yes, I'm swimming to you, oh yes, I'm in the deep blue, Yahweh, Yahweh(here pronounced Ja-va, Ja-va)" was a great twist on the album cut. Sinead's hand-gesture(she could only use one!) was effective, and she even began to swirl her mike-cord around like a weaving Cobra, in time to the Middle eastern-style arrangement. It was also the first time that night when people really felt loose enough to dance. My friend said he was amazed at how wide Sinead opened her mouth when she sang "FIIIIRRRRE!" He thought her jaw was going to dislocate. She turned sideways so everyone could see, I presume.

"Petit Poulet" and "Thank You For Hearing Me" were rousing and better than the recorded versions. Again, this was due to the Orphans on harmony. "Last Day of Our Acquaintance," was also well-done, and it received the biggest cheers of the night(except for Babylon). Still, it lacked a helluva lot when compared to her earlier tour perfomances of this classic. Then it was encore-time, and the Warfield shook as fans stomped on the main-floor, in the balcony, and among the nacho-slinging waitresses.

Out came Sinead, smiling and happy, and she sang Marley's "Redemption Song." It was clearly not familiar to many in the audience, but Sinead made it an instant classic of her own. Her performance was devastatingly clear and moving.

This was followed by her best performance of the night, singing a song that I did not like at all from the U.S. Gospel Oak EP--"He moved Thru The Fair." This song also appears on the Chieftains "Long Black Veil" album. On the Gospel Oak EP, her live performance of the tune is sung in trembling, uncertain voice. It is, admittedly, a damned hard song to sing.

However, at the Warfield, I don't think I have ever heard a more pure or technically stunning vocal performance. Not the slightest tremor. Not the slightest hint of insecurity. She was perfect, and as she reached the last lines of the song, the house lights began to dim, until, with the last "...til our wedding...day" Sinead disappeared into the darkness. It was the best visual "effect" of the evening.All in all, Sinead's vocal performance was nothing short of outstanding--technically perfect. She is indeed a better singer than she was in 1990, at the height of her notoriety and creativity. However, her performance lacked emotion and, on several songs, she appeared a bit bored. I know this has been a long tour for her. It can't be easy.

My friend, who had never seen her perform and knew little about Sinead's music, summed it up with his first impression: "Her voice was great, but it looked like she just wanted to get the job done and get out of there." Jake gives it *** stars out of a possible *****. Good, but not great.