A Complete Explanation Of Everything

Feist @ Tripod, 25/09/07

This was an absolute pleasure. First off, hat-tip to the venue itself, I've been to Tripod on and off down through the years, back when it was The Pod & The Chocolate Bar, I spent many a Thursday night in second year of university here.

I'd been back recently to catch a Nina Hynes support slot and had stood downstairs and wasn't that impressed. Consequently, because of the laidback (mostly) nature of Mademoiselle Feist I plumbed for the balcony and seats. And I have to say, it was utterly fantastic. The layout is really cool, mostly the seats are in banks of four, which means you get to avoid the old...

"Sorry, excuse me, ahem, I beg your pardon... etc."

... when attempting to gain the bar or the comfort station.

So first off, brilliant.

Plus, the sound was nearly amazing all night except tragically for the encore, the ventilation came on rather noisily but I was in too good of a mood at that stage for things to be spoilt.

I don't have any real photos to speak of, Rob might have gotten better ones but you can google Leslie Feist yourself if you're unfamiliar. Suffice to say, she was a vision and her plucking skills are up there on a live basis, no wonder Broken Social Scene have snapped her up.

She did all the hits from both The Reminder and Let it Die, mixing and pacing the show nicely with understated numbers and easy rockers like 1-2-3-4 and I feel it all. My own personal favourite Mushaboom got an airing, so I was in clover, all in all, it's impossible to say enough good things about this gig.

The music translated brilliantly and she was on top form vocally and moodwise. In fact, this was a unique culmination of a star on the rise meeting an audience of willing devotees. There was no stand offishness here, Feist was happy to play the tunes people wanted to hear and because the live experience of this artist on her first gig in Ireland was so new, the beatnik indie hipsters were lapping it up. It's not often, the two arcs of audience appreciation and songwriter / performer enjoyment intersect but this happened last night and it was pretty special.

Support Bob Wiseman was hit and miss and relied heavily on the use of video but he was a decent contrast and warm up to the main show, he proclaimed us an army of Feist fans.

And if we weren't that at the start, by the end, we'd follow her into battle anywhere.

No one likes to take a test,
Sometimes you know more is less...
Put your weight against the door,
Kick drum on the basement floor...
Stranded in a fog of words,
Loved him like a winter bird...
On my head the water pours,
Gulf stream through the open door...

Fly away...
Fly away to what you want to make...

I feel it all...