Opener: Dar Williams
Venue: Woodland Park Zoo (Seattle, WA)
Date: 7/26/06
Two days ago, temperatures in this part of the country were up around 100 degrees – a number that makes lifelong Seattlites check their zip code to make sure they really are witnessing Seattle weather. This is a town where locals see an overcast sky and a high of 77 as a cue that it's the perfect day for barbecuing.
But this afternoon, the temperature is giving us a little room for comfort, and lingering closer to 80 than the boiling point.
Dar Williams
Apparently nobody's clued Dar Williams' guitar into the fact that it's cooled off a bit. Williams, though, is an absolute pro onstage. Her between-song banter and homey demeanor can almost make you feel like you're watching one of your sister's friends performing, rather than one of the most celebrated songwriters in contemporary singer/songwriterdom.Tonight, however, she's struggling against her guitar.
It's a small matter, though. Williams has a tightly honed ear, and is able to reach over and nab a rogue string mid-song if necessary, and she does so without hardly skipping a beat.
She kicks her set off with "The Babysitter's Here," and continues through what proves to be a fabulous set. Among the songs she pulls out are her biggest "hits." "When I Was a Boy," "Spring Street," and "As Cool As I Am" draw hugely appreciative responses from the sold out crowd.
Shawn Colvin
Shawn Colvin is a firecracker. She takes the stage in a somewhat quirky outfit and breaks immediately into three songs in a row, beginning with "Returning to the Wild" by Chris Whitley.
It's not until after the third song that she really begins to address the audience. But once she takes off, there's no looking back. Much like Williams, Colvin quickly dismisses the invisible line between performer and audience.
Even as she launches into a block of new material from her new album, These Four Walls, she engages the audience by wrapping them continuously around her little finger.
Debuting Songs From Her New Album
Of the newer songs, the title track of the upcoming record is the most clear and infectious. In its simplicity, Colvin's natural poetic spirit delivers a somewhat sad, somewhat uplifting story of solace and autonomy.
Later in the show, she remarks that the press always wants to know what the theme is of her latest album. "I don't think of it like that," she says. Recently a journalist asked her what the theme of These Four Walls is. "I told them 'death and regret.' That shut 'em up."
Her Daughter Arrives
At about this time, Colvin's daughter makes her first appearance, which is quickly followed by her second and third. Doing the things that eight-year-old girls would naturally feel inclined to do, should their mother, an internationally adored contemporary folk-pop singer/songwriter, invite them onto the stage in front of a sold-out crowd. Naturally she felt inclined to jump around, make faces, and laugh before running offstage altogether.
At one point, Colvin looked at her daughter who was now offstage, and said, "The focus is on me right now. Me!" And there's no questioning that. When she ends her set after singing "Sunny Came Home," the crowd is on its feet begging for more.
