Gothic and poignant, grotesque and sublime, Tom Waits envisages characters and stories through song like a seasoned author does in literature. Before an audience nearing 3,000 on Tuesday night at the Moran Theatre in Jacksonville, Florida – his first-ever appearance in the city – the iconic artist rendered his distinctive creations with a masterful, 27-song performance.
His five-piece band discreetly arced around him, Waits took to a riser at center stage, stomping plumes of dust in the air as he began with “Lucinda,” which segued into “Ain’t Going Down To The Well.” Following a rambunctious “Way Down In The Hole” (propelled by his oldest son, Casey, on drums), he delved into “Falling Down,” his cavernous voice booming at full force.
He tinkers with the setlist from night to night, yet Waits isn’t one to take requests from the crowd, despite persistent (and vociferous) calls to do so. “We’ll play all your favorites,” he quipped like a vaudevillian master of ceremonies in a futile attempt to calm the maelstrom.
In fact, part of the kick of seeing Waits in concert is experiencing his humor and wit first-hand. He halted “Chocolate Jesus” after the first verse, saying, “If you’re going to clap, please elect an official.” Before continuing the song (which he sang through a red megaphone), he remarked in mock admonishment, “Keep the tempo.”
The inclusion of Omar Torrez on guitars and Vincent Henry on woodwinds instilled the music with jazz and Latin inflections, giving songs like “Hoist That Rag” (with Waits shaking a pair of maracas), “16 Shells From A Thirty-Ought Six,” and “Get Behind The Mule” a loose, buoyant feel. And on a particularly swinging version of “Black Market Baby,” if you let your focus drift a bit, you almost expected to hear, “Hello, Dolly. Dis is Louis, Dolly.”
Article comments
1 - Mat Brewster
Very nice Donald. Wish I could catch him on this tour, but it just aint gonna happen.
2 - Mark Saleski
oh criminy...i'm so jealous i could just spit.
ptui!!!!!
3 - Glen Boyd
That makes three of us (since I have to assume that Brewster is also jealous). Nicely done Donald. Remind me to kill you at my soonest opportunity...
-Glen
4 - Donald Gibson
Mentioning that I'm going to the Atlanta show on Saturday night probably wouldn't calm your jealousy, I'm guessing...Just a hunch.
5 - Joel
The hecklers certainly were not "good natured." They were belligerent, and interrupted Tom in the middle of his talks. It was clear that Tom gave as little of an encore as he could in order to escape the profound rudeness of this audience. Many of us who traveled were outraged at our fellow audience members.
6 - Donald Gibson
From my seat in 8th row, it was difficult to discern much of what the hecklers said and Waits' reactions to the ones I could discern seemed, if not to quiet the shouts completely, at least to acknowledge and pacify them to an extent.
I was only made aware of the more outrageous comments after the show, once I returned home from Jacksonville and submitted this review. Considering what is now known about some of the hecklers, I think Waits handled it as well as he could.
And after seeing him perform in Atlanta last evening, it's apparent that he most likely did cut his encore in Jacksonville short in light of the bad behavior in the crowd.
Such behavior, though, while frustrating and uncalled for, in no way changes my view on the fantastic performance given by Waits. A lesser talent would have called the show off much earlier than he did.
7 - Jackson
Tom Wait is the man! Can't wait to see him in concert!