life in slow motion, my thoughts

the evening of october 11th was one of the best days of my life. farfetched? just a little goofy? perhaps. but it's still true. among several other things that happened (besides winning free tickets to the movies, achieving final copy status for my job and discovering the delight that is iced green tea), chris and i celebrated our anniversary (9-29-01) by going to the Fox Theatre in detroit to see my favorite singer/songwriter, david gray.

if gray's voice were a pool, i could drift in it for weeks. tinged with unapologetic grit and beauty, it's as critical an element of his craft as arrangement, structure and lyrics. his voice is why i listen. i am captivated.

a newcomer to american ears four or five years ago, what greeted him last week was just shy of fanatical adoration (though nothing compared to the receptions he gets back home in the UK). before this, however, jolie holland took the stage. if you were to melt karin bergquist's voice like butter, you would have jolie; fluid and versatile. and this girl can seriously whistle. sadly, i was disappointed with her set. every song looked the same, ended abruptly, didn't resolve and i quickly lost interest.

after being introduced, the musicians walked casually to their spots. a suited up david gray waved to the audience with a grin as if to say, "hello friends! we're going to play some songs now." the set-up was interesting, forming a stage-wide half circle with david in the middle, the drums being all the way to the right. i liked that david was always center stage (whether on an upright or guitar), and that it didn't minimize the contributions of the other musicians. and having Clune, the drummer, easily visible, was great fun. at first it seemed it might be a casual kind of laidback presentation, but this group was well-prepared, well-arranged and ready to rid us of our socks. (and i wasn't even wearing any!)

while not the best show i've ever seen*, it was put together well; different levels, layers, interesting ingredients relevant and in character for the music. all the musicians were thoroughly enjoying themselves; this is their life and they love living it. i mostly sat back in my comfy red seat, perma-grin in place, letting it wash over me.

everything you hear on the cd's was present live. the only difference was in 'nos da cariad' (Welsh for goodnight sweetheart) -- there is a great background vocal part in the chorus that injects this undercurrent of energy. it just didn't have the same power live.

instrumentally the cello was a beautiful and often subtle addition. i loved what it added to familiar songs. and i was astonished to see the aaron niequist look-a-like guitar player playing the theremin. talk about your Good Vibrations!

'sail away' connected with the audience in a big way, bringing everyone to their feet, singing at the top of their lungs (this was also the song chris and i danced to at our wedding reception). 'this year's love' had a similar effect. it's exhilerating to be part of such an enthusiastic and loving crowd.

clune, the drummer, was having himself a great time. his hawaiian shirt evolved over the course of the evening...at one point it became completely unbottoned. and I don't know when he took it off, but by the last song i noticed it was missing. he also kept talking periodically into his microphone exuberantly, but we could never make out exactly what he was saying.

if you like anything david gray has recorded, seeing him live is a must. no stereo does him justice quite like this. he's unassuming, clearly loves what he does and is no flashy superstar. and the musicians he shares the stage with are no slouches. if you're not sure you've heard david gray before, you can listen on itunes, his website; or maybe you've heard his songs played on Alias and Ladder49.

sail away with me, what will be will be

*that honor goes to Josh Groban