Conspirators Leslie Feist and Chilly Gonzales have come along way over the last several years. Their common link that I'm aware of is that in the past they both have collaborated with Peaches whose sleazy electro compositions are miles aways from what Feist and Gonzales perform musically these days. If Feist and Gonzales are mellower these days(dropping their first names in the process), its aesthetically speaking only. In Feist's case she's stepped up to the plate in terms of songwriting, releasing a stunner of a 2nd album "The Reminder" recently.
Wearing a white lab coat and white gloves with his dark hair slicked back, Gonzales hunched over his piano like a mad scientist as a piano-cam pointed towards the piano keys displayed to the large video screen at the back of the stage his vigourous finger movements. It was very much a vaudevillian performance that combined his playful piano playing with humourous banter. The somewhat academic topic of minor key vs. major key, for example, was demonstrated in a playful manner as "Happy Birthday" performed in a major key became somewhat more sinister(in an Addams Family sort of way) when he played it in a minor key. Making reference to Cancon rules, towards the end of the set he delved into a medley of Cancon classic hits, initially not recognizable, but soon took on a familiar air as the melodies of Bryan Adam's "Summer of '69", then Gowan's "A Criminal Mind" surfaced. As a precursor for what was to come, Gonzales finished that Cancon medley with a sparkling instrumental version of Feist's "One Evening". Gonzales read some past critic reviews(which were ridiculously negative) of some of his past work which he jokingly said was the reason he left Canada for Europe but after this performance I'm sure a lot more people left Massey Hall with his name on their minds. Update: Chartattack reviewed the May 25 show and I hadn't read it until AFTER I'd written my review(of Feist's May 26 show) - it's funny how we both came up with the same 'mad scientist' and vaudevillian descriptions regarding Gonzales' performance.
I'd never have thought that since 2004(at the time of her album "Let It Die") that Feist would go from playing venues like The Mod Club to almost selling out two shows at Toronto's Massey Hall in 2007. Of course, Feist's broader musical spectrum gives her wider appeal compared to say her indie rock compatriots in Broken Social Scene. If it feels she's mellowed, fortunately her songwriting is stronger than ever before. As much as I like her new album "The Reminder" and as much as her set had focused on it, my only disappointment with the show was that I'd wished more efforts were made on Feist and or her bandmates parts to drawn a more participatory element from the crowd. There were moments of extreme beauty during quieter moments like "So Sorry", "The Park"(with some introductory bird whistling from Feist), "Let It Die". Apart from the oligatory danceable "Sea Lion Woman" for which Feist practically made everyone get out of their seats for, I was surprised that there didn't seem to be much audience participation during such uptempo numbers like "1234", "My Moon, My Man", "I Feel It All", "Mushaboom". Maybe the crowd could have initiated their own spontaneous reactions, but if the majority isn't budging, a little coaxing from Feist I'm sure would have helped. It's not to say that the crowd wasn't enjoying themselves, if the raputurous crowd reaction after each song was any indication. Highlights of the evening for me included Feist's stark solo performance of "One Evening" as well her solo performance of "Now At Last" for which she brought on a friend to tap dance some percussive rhythms. Oh, and as Feist proved that night, every show needs a disco ball. Heavenly.
If you like, I recorded several songs from the show using my digital camera. I was too far to attempt to record any video but the audio came out somewhat listenable. I only got three songs("Now At Last", "The Water", "Intuition") and you can download them from the link below:
Audio: Feist - 3 songs - live at Massey Hall - May 26, 2007
MySpace: Feist
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