Missy Higgins knew what she was up against.
Her own opening act, Joshua Radin, nearly turned the estrogen-oozing audience into a Girls Gone Wild set by wooing them with only his voice and guitar as he walked into the middle of the throng to perform his set closer, the Bob Dylan classic “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.”
Boulder favorite Ray LaMontagne, the bearded darling of critics and leader of today's folk-rock flock, was playing just across the street at a larger venue on the University of Colorado campus.
Then there was Higgins herself, fighting off a wicked cold and dealing with the nagging, nasty (and sometimes downright yucky) symptoms associated with it. “I’m not sure what concert I’d go to,” she even admitted.
So what’s a poor Aussie songbird to do? No worries, mate.
Higgins wowed the near-capacity crowd at the Fox Theatre on October 27, 2008, with her earthy songs, peppy personality and even that cute, runny nose that required a supply of tissues and a self-deprecating attitude.
“It’s not very rock ‘n’ roll, is it?” Higgins asked while seated at the piano, turning her back on the audience to perform an unpleasant task. “That was amazing,” she said after discreetly clearing her nasal passages. “My best song yet.”
It didn’t seem to matter to the spellbound audience, which settled down for a 90-minute set dominated by numbers from Higgins’ most recent release, On A Clear Night.
Higgins shifted just as adroitly between ballads and rockers as she did the piano and acoustic guitar, going solo for the first two songs (“Blind Winter” and “Don’t Ever”) before bringing out her band that included Two Men With Hats, Ben Edgar on guitar, and Terepai Richmond on drums, and one without, Dave Symes on bass.
And after recalling her joyful experience at this summer’s Folks Festival in nearby Lyons, and the fact she was on the bill with the Waifs, one of her favorite Australian groups from “back in my day, whenever my day was,” the engaging performer brought back Radin for a cover of Patty Griffin’s “Long Ride Home,” saying, “It’s so much fun singing other people’s songs.”
Her deft piano-playing touch soon followed on “Where I Stood,” the hit single with its video currently in rotation on VH1. Coming only 40 minutes into the show, it allowed plenty of time for the concert to build toward a climax as she utilized her big voice on “Warm Whispers” and the sing-along/clap-along “Peachy.”
The Wonder from Down Under, wearing a print dress over dark jeans, along with comfy deck shoes, aimed to please on a number of levels.
She displayed her family values, saying this was a special occasion that “feels like home,” since her “two aunties” were in the crowd. Granting a special request received over dinner, Higgins performed “Forgive Me,” one of two songs not on the set list (right).
The eco-friendly musician, whose tour is sponsored by Clif GreenNotes mentioned her “big, disgusting, yellow tour bus” runs on carbon-reducing biodiesel.
And there was the adept storyteller, taking time to introduce several of her songs with whimsical tales that kept the crowd entertained and enraptured:
Article comments
1 - carmen
Another great review. I enjoyed this concert. It was nice to see the spellbound audience enjoying it also. Finally a concert where people are not talking but actually enjoying the music.