Damien Rice

If you aren't familiar with the music of Damien Rice, I suggest you check out the video above. He's an Irish singer-songwriter, and I was introduced to his music over in England. A few of my flatmates were really into him, and his music turned out to appeal to me pretty heavily as well. Because of that, a few of his songs have particular meaning to me, because I associate them so heavily with flat life in England. But that's beside the point. The point is, last night, Brandon, Mary, Mary's friend Caroline, and I made the trek to Minneapolis to see Damien live at the State Theatre. So I thought I'd do a bit of a concert review for your reading delight.

We had seats almost at the back of the lower floor of the State Theatre. So, they weren't the best, but they were fine. I could at least make out his figure on the stage, though I couldn't quite distinguish his face. Needless to say, it was fun to see him in person, if only to see what his non-singing persona is like. All his songs are so haunting and/or mysterious, that you would never think that a pleasant Irishman is really behind them. Sort of refreshing to hear some sort of accent as well, I've sort of been going through some withdrawals since returning to the States. Damien got a bit spacy in his inter-song interludes, which I couldn't really account for, but whatever. He couldn't seem to finish any thoughts. Stoned? Drunk? I don't think so, but you never know.

Damien usually performs with some sort of band to back him up, but since the Minneapolis concert was sort of a quick stop before a gig in Boston, it was just him on stage with a guitar and piano. I was a bit nervous about that, as I had sort of hoped to hear him with Lisa Hannigan, or at least with a cellist, but it turned out great. You know how many artists sound fundamentally different on stage than they do on an album? I was really glad to hear that Damien sounded almost the same, meaning, he didn't try to dumb down his performance for the audience. He went all out, which was quite cool. I think my favorite song he played was "Rootless Tree" from his latest album. But I really loved "The Blower's Daughter" (see video above) as well. I was really really disappointed that he didn't play "Elephant." That particular song vies for my favorite Damien Rice song, and I guess it's the one I most associate with being in England. So I really wanted to hear it, if maybe only for sentimental reasons. But, I can live.

Throughout college, I've been trying to expand my musical library for personal listening. I started collecting jazz records, and have diversified into rock and alternative. My two friends Benjamin and Brandon have been quite indispensable in my quest, and it's nice to have knowledgeable people about to help. As a by-product, I've also discovered the joys of hearing live music. So, I guess I saw going to the Damien Rice concert as a big step in my development as a live music goer. Very glad I went. Highly recommend his stuff to everyone. Check it out. I need to sleep, so I can get up bright and early and play the John Stevens band symphony in sectionals. Later dudes.