Sia was absolutely magnetic - when you weren't in awe of her vocal talents, you were enjoying her eclectic dancing, or her humorous commentary between songs. She even performed her solo breakthrough "Breathe Me" as an encore, a track most people might recall as the backdrop music during the finale of the HBO show Six Feet Under.
While Sia got to close up shop, Jose Gonzalez was the one to get things started. As the opening act, Gonzalez played an elegantly crafted acoustic set from his solo debut Veneer that yielded many cheers from the crowd. At times, he seemed embarrassed at all of the applause, an aspect that worked as a perfect complement to the very outgoing Sia.
Whenever either of the vocalists was not singing, they hung out with a dancing and percussion playing Hardaker at a mini-bar at the back of the stage. I chuckled when I saw a roadie set a few bottles of rum and mixers on a back console before the show started. But it made sense if they were coming back onstage in a couple songs.
While I expected the show would be 75% downtempo songs (others must have thought this as well, as the scent of burnt marijuana was omnipresent), the live band brought most of the songs to new and energetic levels. The group tore through new singles like "You're My Flame," "Crosses" and "Throw It All Away," yet also treated the crowd with fan favorites like "Destiny," "Distractions," and "Somersault."
Normally I have a head-nod going on to most live beats, yet I almost felt like during a couple songs I was a few shades off of a head-bang. Yes, at a Zero 7 concert. No kidding. Whatever version of Seeing Things you may have heard pales in comparison to the live one. Such a moment impressed me even more about this band. Ms. S. Rod and I expected to walk out of the Zero 7 concert as if we were just at a relaxation seminar. Instead, we emerged invigorated and with even more respect for a talented band and vocalists than we had going in.
Like I said, sometimes you just get lucky. Cheers.
Article comments
1 - S.Rod
Mark, an excellent recount of the show but you forgot to mention how Sia was mixing and passing drinks out to the rest of the band and stage hands. In my opinion, that was very thoughtful of her. I wish she would have passed some to us.
Next time we go to Webster Hall remind me to wear flat shoes. Standing for almost 4 hours didn't do my back or feet any good.