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Sinéad OConnor, Lilith Fair, Detroit, July 6th/7th 1998
The Emperors New Clothes
You Made Me The Thief of Your Heart
I Am Stretched on Your Grave
Nothing Campares 2 U
Thank You For Hearing Me
In This Heart
Fire On Babylon
The Last Day of Our Acquaintance
Chickenman song in The Indigo Girls set
Bonnie Raitts (cant remember the tune, sorry).
At the end of the entire concert everybody came out to sing Marvin Gayes classic
Whats Going On?
by; Kai Chai
A) THE SETTING July sixth was a warm, summers day my friend and I took a
cab to the very secluded Pine Knob Music Theatre at Clarkston, which was more than an hour
away from dusty, post-apocalyptic Detroit. Our hearts sank the ride cost us a bomb
(US$50 a trip!).
That aside, the Pine Knob was great setting for Lilith Fair a nifty village with
lotsa greenery and rolling hillocks dotted with all the essential modern amenities to make
urban animals like us at home with nature. There were the requisite stalls
peddling New Age thingamajigs from scents to henna decoration, not to mention an array of
causes from AIDS awareness to women abuse.
Naturally, I closed in on those stalls selling T-shirts/Lilith Fair paraphernalia. And
whaddya know, Sinéads tees were going fast! There were two designs: the first, a
black tee with a hairy, Gospel-Oak-era Sinead in front and her 98
American tourdates at the back; and the second, an army-green tee with Sinéad
OConnor in that unique front of hers, and the tourdates at the back. There were also
free lovely postcards announcing the days programme.
Sinéad was the second act at the Main Stage after MeShell Ndegeocello,
and before Indigo Girls, Natalie Merchant and Sarah McLachlan. Scheduled to come on at
6.45pm, the lady apparently decided to get things moving earlier maybe she felt her
designated time 6.45-7.30pm (45 mins) was too brief, and she wanted to give the audience
more value for money, no?
Still, imagine my exasperation, if you will, because there I was backstage
conducting an inpromptu interview with the friendly Amy Ray from the Indigo Girls, when I
could hear the shrieks and thunderous claps from the front, and the familiar, distinct
strains of The Emperors New Clothes wafting through the air.
Immediately, I was distracted yknow, this being my first time ever to
watch Sinéad live so I pretended innocence and asked Amy why the
audience was going wild. She replied, Probably Sinéad had just come on. My
muse must have hit me cos suddenly my skin thickened, and I asked Amy whether or
not, er, she gave me a tour of the backstage because itd be good for my
story, blah blah blah. (Of course, the real reason was because I desparately wanted to
watch Sinead up close!)
So Amy gave me a speedy tour: changing rooms, cafeteria, the field where the artists
chilled out, play some basketball, and where they kept their equipment in
metal crates (I saw a box with Sinéads name scrawled on it).
When we finally came to the stage, I asked darling Amy whether I could take a coupla
pictures, just for the story, yknow. So I did! I couldnt believe it I
was probably a few metres away from Sinéad who was rocking away in the middle of
You Made The Thief. She was petite, decked out in a see-through, long-sleeved
black-lacey top which exposed her navel, and indigo denim jeans.
Theres something quite surrealistic and unnerving about watching your favourite
singer in person for the first time, partly because you didnt want to be
disappointed and partly because you wanted everyone else in the audience to love her.
(Thats for later discussion....) Anyway, I didnt dare take too many pictures,
because the security personnel were all glaring at this fool who obviously had no
authority to be here clicking away merrily, if not for Amy Ray who took care that nobody
gave me grief. (Alas, I dint get any interview with Sinéad....)
By the time I got to my seat, Sinéad was already singing I Am Stretched On Your
Grave. The next day, I made sure I sat at my seat from the start. Overall, I would
say the second night was better: the audience were more in tune with Sinéad, they seem to
know her songs better than the crowd from the first night.
B) SET-LIST FOR 6TH & 7TH: track-by-track review 1. The Emperors New Clothes
No bullshit. No darkened stage. Sinéad and band just walked out from the right side of
the stage and took their positions at 6.25pm, about 15 mins earlier than her
scheduled time. Lotsa applause when the audience realised who it was. Sinéad hollered,
Are you ready to rock? Audience roared.
2. You Made Me The Thief of Your Heart This seemed to be one of the songs whom the
audience werent familiar with. Although by this time, groups of three or four stood
up and started dancing to the rhythm. Found out a lot of those were mostly girls in their
teens, as well as some unabashed grown men.
3. I Am Stretched on Your Grave Were all familiar with this more folky version.
It rocked of course, and Sinéads band was in excellent form. Though I have to admit
I missed listening to the more hip-hop, dramatic original the one where she did the
vivid, traditional jig in the Irish fiddle flourish at the end of the song. Oh well.
4. Nothing Campares 2 U Heart-stopping. More pared down and acoustic then the 90
version and somehow more soulful. Love the subtle changes. Okay, less schizoid and
intense no extended, breathless caterwauling in the bridge, for one but
infinitely more heartfelt. She even changed some of the words the truly unexpected
I could shag whomever I choose elicited some truly rapturous howling. Dame
Bonnie Raitt came out in the second night to add some serious bluesy twang on her guitar.
Riveting.
Thank You For Hearing Me Loved this heavenly version, the way Sinéad beautifully
scaled one note higher in her penultimate line: Thank you for HEARing me. Made
my skin tingle. Sinéadians would have heard of a similar version on the Gael Force CD. On
the second night (her last Lilith Fair/98 tour date), Sinéad proffered special
thanks to Sarah whod been watching and swaying from the side-stage.
In This Heart Before the song, Sinéad screamed out, Hey, Mr Candy Floss Man! ...
Theres a man up there with a lot of pink candy floss! Everybody turned to look
at the lucky fella. The lady obviously had a sweet tooth, cos she pleaded in a
babyish voice, Come down here, I love that! Laughter all round. She then went
on to plead the guy to go backstage, promising to do lots of rude things to
him. That said, she promptly announced that this song is dedicated to the Candy
Floss Man. As for the song... sure, this version wasnt as goosebump-inducing
as the one with the Screaming Orphans, but it was still a great live track which never
failed to silence the crowd (well at least, a large portion of them). At the end, she
introduced her band members and made some joke concerning her manager, Steve Fargnoli.
(Now we know its no longer U2s manager, Paul McGuinness.)
Fire On Babylon Brilliant. Dedicating it to people recovering from child
abuse, Sinéad delivered the song with the Rasta man-part slightly varied from the
live track on This Is A Rebel Song CD single. Her enunciation for the
Rasta-man lyric is less forceful, but more nuanced, more reggae in fact. And yes, at the
end of the song, she actually got quite a lot of candy floss from the audience! Collecting
her booty, Sinéad turned around, pointed at each of her band member, mock-threatening,
This is all mine, and none of you is getting this. Made you wanna laugh and
cry at the same time.
The Last Day of Our Acquaintance To die for. Bonnie Raitt, Indigo Girls and Sarah came
out to sing parts of the song, adding their unique touches to a classic anthem. Believe it
or not, Bonnie sang the I drown in pain and misery lyric in a bluesy,
world-weary tone. Im proud to report that Sinéad was nonpareil with her swooping
voice, as she plumbed effortlessly into a well of morose sadness and anger. And she was so
cute, genuinely overwhelmed by the company on stage, willingly retreating into the
backstage and allowing the others to take the limelight. A generous human being.
Other collaborations Sinéad sang a heart-stirring part in the middle of the Chickenman
song in The Indigo Girls set, as well as Bonnie Raitts (cant remember
the tune, sorry). At the end of the entire concert about 11pm, everybody came out in full
force to sing Marvin Gayes classic Whats Going On?. It was
fantastic, everybody was on their feet a perfect ender to a fulfilling night. With
a tambourine in hand, a demin jacket over her frame and a stupendously large earing
dangling from her left ear, Sinéad sang a solo part which goes, Stop brutalising
me.... Absolute Sinéad.
C) VERDICT So, what do I think of Sinéad live? Sad to say, it was only slightly better
than watching Sinéad on TV. Not Sineads problem of course; its because my
seat at row XX (the next day was even worse, YY) was way too far for me to absorb the full
impact of her performance, and the audience was, um, way too talkative for my liking. No
offence, but crowds were yabbering away, shouting over their heads to someone they knew,
incessantly walking in and out as if they were at a Coney Islands playground rather
than at a concert.
Maybe I expected too much: yes, Sinéads vocal delivery was faultless, but one
does hope she looked up more often, and established some kind of phatic communion with the
audience. This was clearly not the same Sinéad from The Year of the Horse.
She didnt move as much as one would have liked, like the way she was when performing
I Want Your (Hands On Me) eight years ago. As a SPIN writer once commented
before, shes a complex person holding herself back, not wanting to come across as a
feral manic anymore. Only those sitting in the front few rows were clearly moved by her
performance.
In contrast, Natalie, for all her mellow songs, was fantastic live: a real flirt,
twirled a lot, flung her hair, did all those broad, theatrical moves which came across
well to a large, potentially unruly audience. She chatted a lot, even giving
candy/chocolate at one point! Matriarch Bonnie Raitt, who joined the Fair on the second
evening, was a real cool trooper she knew the right things to say to the drenched
audience (yes, it rained!) who readily lapped up her good humour. The lovely Sarah was in
great voice she definitely got the loudest applause. Its clear Sarah was The
One whom Everyone Had Come For.
Having said all that, no one else moved me like Sinéad did those two nights
(non-Sinéad fans would say Im biased, of course). For all the aforementioned
shortcomings, no other performer came close to conveying that potent, affecting passion
like Sinéad did. For someone so experienced, Sinéad still came across occasionally
awkward. Quite beguiling, if you ask me. She wasnt stagey, if you know
what I mean. What you see is what you get.
For sure, Sinéad has become less a showman but more a human being who wants to affect
the audience by her voice alone. She obviously didnt want to draw attention by any
attention-grabbing gesture anymore. Like she has said, she now wants people to focus on
what she has to say in her songs. (This of course will be at the expense of winning folks
who have very short attention span, and who cant sit down and concentrate on her
singing.)
Expectedly, she wasnt the best-received one, she didnt get standing
ovations like Sarah or Natalie did. Of course, one could blame it on the scheduling. As we
all know, Sinéad was either the opening act, or second act throughout her Lilith Fair
98 dates. This was not fortuitous. 5.40pm or 6.45pm was way too early, and a lot of
the people were either still streaming in or milling around visiting the stalls. Very
often, seats were half-filled. It was even worse for MeShell who opened the show on
6th July, very few people were seated, and her funky brew wasnt, shall we say, well
received by the mainly-whitebread crowd as say, the folky strains of Natalie/Sarah.
Besides, the summer sun hadnt set yet theres absolutely no
atmosphere to speak of.
Poor Sinéad: she had to sing to half-filled seats, and I could imagine it might have
affected her performance(s), she being the acutely sensitive performer who feeds off the
audiences vibes. Just as well that she closed her eyes, and concentrated on her
singing.
In comparison, the late slots for the co-headliners Natalie Merchant (9-9.50pm) and
Sarah McLachlan (10.10-11pm), obviously, benefited the singers. There were all these
lovely, textured lighting arrangements which evidently enhanced the appeal of their gigs.
Best thing, everyone was already seated (the stalls were mostly closed by then.) What I am
trying to say then is that if Sinéad decided to take up the offer to come back next year
for Lilith Fair, her management should try to insist on a late evening slot. It would be
terribly demoralising with all the constraints as a result of daylight performances, eg
having to play to half-filled seats.
Call me a skeptic/realist/whatever, but it seems to me that the who-comes-on-first/last
arrangement only serves the interest of certain artists. Sinéad, if you ask me, comes
across like an appetiser. This is especially glaring since the ordering rarely was changed
throughout the tour. Why cant there be a rotation so that some artists could benefit
from the late slots?
Last but not least, it makes me reflect on Sinéads position vis-à-vis other
female artists especially when you consider how many have appropriated her
head-turning, melismatic vocalese. Sarah is all elegant, laidback and approachable, a more
accessible, presentable Sinéad whom everybody would want to befriend, if you like.
Natalie is a born performer she confessed to me she suffered no stage fright
a petulent girl confidently in charge. She will win more audiences. Indigo Girls are very
American, very down-to-earth party rousers, with amazingly memorable, killer choruses
which everybody can chant to.
Sinéad? Well, shes a true-blue anomaly. Gawky, hunched a little, tomboyish
now, shes discarded visual pyrotechnics, stripped of the jerky dancing she
used to do so well. For gawds sake, she even wore the same stage costume for two
consecutive concerts! And she and her band strided onto the stage without any fanfare.
None of Natalies scene-stealing theatrics, or Sarahs beautifully Pollyanna
lighting/setting (with angels and other heavenly creatures watercoloured onto the
backdrop). Sinéads act is now literally bare. Neither flower-hippie or hardcore
punk now, shes in no mans land really. Question is: will she win new fans?
Any thoughts on this? Any feedback is welcome.
kai chai.