Your Reviews (One)
two

Fri 04/30/04 Houston, TX Jones Hall For Perf. Arts

From: rkl01 Sent: 01/05/2004 20:21
I attended the concert last night in Houston.  Absolutely AWESOME ....  as usual.  It's going to be a great tour.  kd sang four songs from her upcoming album which is to be released either 24 or 27 July (can't remember which date she said).  Symphony accompaniment added quite a flair.  I'm just sorry I didn't get tickets for both nights in Houston!!  Traveled from St. Louis to see her.  I'm trying to figure out if I can afford another trip this year to see her at another concert location.  Constant craving.... can't get enough.  Hope you all get a chance to see her.
From: rkl01 Sent: 01/05/2004 21:54
Yes, that looks about right for the songlist, but in a different order.  She performed the Jane Siberry, Neil Young, and Leonard Cohen songs most incredibly.  I am soooo excited about the new album.   And...I forgot to mention...   for the first time in many years, kd wore a skirt!  A long one with a long tuxedo-ish/naru collar/oriental looking jacket.  And still barefoot!!  Gorgeous - no matter what she wears!

From: Corky Sent: 03/05/2004 00:55
Although I have been reading about k.d. on Kennedy Flairs for some time, this is the first time I have written anything.  The absolute glory of last night's concert in Houston has driven me to try to relate the experience. 
 
I've attended several of k.d.'s concerts starting with All You Can Eat.  Unfortunately I was unable to attend any with Tony Bennett.  Last night was the most incredible one of them all--and they were all wonderful.  It was almost spiritual. 
 
The Houston Symphony played 5 songs before intermission.  And then k.d. with her small band and some of the strings from the symphony played for about an hour with only one oncore. 
 
How does one improve on perfection??  I always thought k.d. couldn't get any better because she was already so good.  She was so amazing last night-- it was like she was standing before us with her soul stripped bare and she was unafraid and in control.  Not only was her voice even more remarkable than before, the phrasing, the breath control, the utter control of the performance was breath taking.  There was a peace, acceptance, playfulness and spirituallity that I have not seen in her before.  Although the Hall was almost full, it felt like you were in a small setting and she was singing to just an intimate few.  There is more substance or maturity to her now.  It felt like she's been through the fire and has come through whole and centered. 
 
Her outfit did look oriental.  She donated part of her fee to the American Foundation for Tibetian Cultural Preservation so maybe she has found something in Buddhism.  The feel of the concert certainly would support that.
 
Do whatever you must to see her.  It is one of the most moving and thrilling concerts I've ever been to.
 
 
Sat 05/08/04   Red Bank, NJ  Count Basie Theatre
From: langster2001au Sent: 09/05/2004 14:53
Hi Everyone!

Set List

Don't Smoke in Bed

Still Thrives This Love

Simple

Crying

Miss Chatelaine

Helpless

The Valley

Hallelujah

Kiss to Build a Dream On

Constant Craving

Love is Everything

Three Cigarettes (encore)

LATE NIGHT POSTING:
Terri and I are coming down with pretzels and beer after flying high in Red Bank NJ at the Count Basie Theatre tonight. kd was sensational as usual and gave her all to the concert which started early..7pm and went till 8.45.

Only 12 songs on the set list..4 from the new album, and 8 standards, were received with enthusiastic response from a very conservative NJ audience of big wigs from the Governor down,and an even more enthusiastic contingent of fans like us.  She was outfitted in her new tibetan style garb, shoeless of course, and made some good jokes about their being the most comfortable shoes she's got..teased one congressman's wife that her pumps looked great, but were not as comfortable. Other running jokes were related to the comfort of the seats which were being replaced by the money raised on the night..in fact she pledged $500(Canadian of course!)to the fund and encouraged others to match her pledge. They did in force once she promised a kiss as reward.  Surprisingly lots of the invited VIP's jumped to their feet, (as well as some of the dykes in the audience who could not pass up such an opportunity :-)

Highlights for me were the four new songs... Jane Siberry's Love Is Everything was show stopping..she used this to wind up the show. Terri's favourite was Leonard Cohen's Halleluliah, and Jane Siberry's The Valley (ahhhh..) I also loved Neil Young's Helpless... so all in all the album is well worth waiting for...she really does these songs justice!  We liked the orchestral backing ..this time by a young group who she called the "String Players".   She was enthusiastic about her new album (released on Nonesuch Records) and described it as her "Musical DNA".. can't wait to hear more!!

till next time ... Anna

Some more from Anna
 kd came on about 7.20 after a few welcome speeches.. no warm-ups, just came out cold.  The audience seemed to love her old songs.. gave her a standing ovation for Crying.. We were sitting quite close on the L-H side.. near the speakers, and found that the amplification of the band drowned out the strings a bit, so it probably would have sounded better from the middle section.  Saw her up close though , and I called out "Thanks for coming kd" soon after she came on-stage and she came over to our side and said how it was her absolute pleasure :-)  I think she likes it when she knows her fans are out there.  Another girl called out something about Canada and she said we should all say "EH" instead of applauding.. she sang a bit of "Blame Canada" and said it was the best piece of music ever written!  (tongue in cheek of course:)   Lots of running jokes about the comfort of our seats .. she said it was her contribution to the "tukkaas" foundation.
 
She opened a package that had been left on stage for her.. it was a painting of herself .. "MOI" as she called it .. "Oh, I Like It!" she exclaimed and thanked "SUE" .. she made a place for it out front leaning against a speaker so we could all see it and posed coquetishly beside it :-)  What a HAM!
 Her four regulars were
there and she did have some new arrangements.. Constant Craving was
noticably different.
------------------ 
 
Programme scan from Anna
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From: Palmer1964  (Original Message) Sent: 23/05/2004 15:39
I have seen k.d. Lang in a number of venues over the years, and she still remains my favorite "live" performer.  The Count Basie Theatre on 5-8-04 proved to be different from her other performances.  As one review already stated, there were many elite Democrats in the audience.  My seat was row 13 center, and I was sitting amongst the political participants. 
 
K.D.'s voice was in excellent condition.  I noticed one flaw on "Crying."  She has always been able to maintain the last notes of "over you" without taking a breath.  However, on this night she broke and took a breath between "over" and "you".  With that said, the rest of her set was flawless.  I think she earned many new fans that night because the people I sat next to didn't know much about her.  By the end of the night, she won them over. 
 
I have never known k.d. to be "political" at any of her shows that I have attended.  However, she took the liberty of acknowledging the democratic presence in the audience and made a few comments about our current ruling party.  I, for one, do not like when performers invoke their political views on the audience as I am there for entertainment.  However, the underlying "benefit" of this concert was a fund-raiser for the democratic party. I did not care for the fans either.  I do not know why people feel the need to yell out to the performer.  I don't mind one or two comments, but people were yelling at her constantly.  K.d. smiled and went along with it all, but I'm sure she felt uncomfortable after a while because I felt uncomfortable for her.  Other than that, it was a spectacular evening.  I look forward to seeing her again, perhaps in settings of the past.

 5/14 at Kleinhans in Buffalo

From: willow  (Original Message)

Sent: 16/05/2004 03:17

Even with tickets in hand, I was still waivering. Would it be worth an almost 500 mile round trip to see a 1 1/2 hour concert? No doubt about it - the answer is YES! How far would one go for a 'little patch of heaven'? And that's exactly what k.d. served up. She looked divine and sounded angelic. The entire audience exulted in her performance. k.d. has been constantly evolving as a vocalist and has now reached her 'apogee'. She just can't get any better than this! Hopefully the new album will spark a world tour granting more of her loyal fans the ultimate k.d. experience. When I first joined the boards I had never seen k.d. in person. Since then, this was my third time. But every time with k.d. is like the first. Each concert increases my admiration of her, both as an artist and a person. And it strengthens my resolve to follow her career wherever the path may lead. It wouldn't matter if she was singing with a jug band or a symphony. k.d. gives us EVERYTHING on stage from the tips of her spiked hair to her bare toes. What more could any fan ask for? Thanks k.d.! Luv ya! Some miscellaneous ramblings: Really liked the new garb - it suits her. Only a big-boned gal could pull that off. Of course I loved and cried through "Crying" (standing ovation as usual). Was totally thrilled to see "Three Cigarettes" done live (props and all). All of the new songs are great, especially "Helpless". I got a chance to speak briefly with Greg. (Did I ever mention how much I like Greg? Well, I do.) He was the first of her crew to come out after intermission. The symphony, or what was left of it (strings mostly), was already in place. Then the other three guys came out and I believe k.d. was introduced before she entered. I'm a little fuzzy on that. k.d. was quiet at first. But once she got started talking she was on a frantic, fresh & funny roll. She had the audience giggling like a bunch of school kids. She jumped into the aisles during Miss Chatelaine! Some guy in the back kept yelling out songs that he wanted her to sing. She said "So many hits. None of them mine." She said "I love being in Buffalo. It's almost Canada. I'll sing here any time." Someone responded "How about tomorrow?" Then k.d. said "Speaking of Canada..." went on to explain the title and premise of her new album coming out July 27th. Once she stammered on her words (not lyrics) and she said it was the fault of George Bush. "Before him I had a pretty decent vocabulary. And if you don't like that remark I just made, blame it on Canada." Honestly people I wish I could convey everything she said but I'm so exhausted I can barely remember my name. Toward the end of the concert k.d. was sincerely thanking the audience for their warm response. She said "It means so much to me. So I do really and truly thank you very much." Then me and another woman sitting nearby spontaneously and simultaneously said rather loudly "Thank YOU!" k.d. looked in our direction and humbly bowed her head. I was told that the seating capacity was 2500, but it didn't seem that large to me. There were only a very few empty seats. The audience seemed to be about 70% female. And even the men were totally captivated by k.d.'s charm (including my guy). Low points: I didn't think the hall was very pretty. Or Buffalo either for that matter. I hope this doesn't offend anyone who might live there because the people were extremely nice. And after all, k.d. seemed to like it. I don't care for what they did with "Constant Craving". It lost it's sing-along ability that made it the "medley" of her hit. Shouldn't tamper with perfection. Highest point: Our seats were in the 5th row and while k.d. was taking her bows after the encore, I weaseled my way up to the stage. And I was lucky enough to shake her hand again! Two handshakes already in my lifetime. Wow! I simply said "FANTASTIC!" to which she simply replied "Thank you." It was very brief since there were other arms extended and she tried to get everyone. From all around there were shouts of praise. Awesome, amazing, fabulous, terrific, superb, etc. And from k.d., thank you, thank you, thank you,,, No k.d. - Thank YOU!!