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Volume CXXXIII, Number 10 |
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Rufus Wainwright triumphs over China Rose buffet
NOEL ROYCROFT
STAFF WRITER
Last Saturday, Bowdoin College was treated to a mixture of theatrics and music with a smattering of Will and Grace.
Rufus Wainwright and his eight-person band put on an energy-filled concert in Sargent Gym with a set list that included songs from all three of his albums, Rufus Wainwright, Poses, and Want One, and even a preview of a song off his forthcoming album Want Two.
Martha Wainwright, Rufus's sister, kicked off the concert with an acoustic opening act and later joined her brother on stage as a backup singer. Both Martha and Rufus share a musical pedigree: their parents are well known musicians Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III. However, the stylistic differences between Martha's acoustic opening and Rufus' operatic following performance were well apparent.
Rufus Wainwright, a Canadian native, is touring in support of his recent release Want One. The album was recorded in six months and contained two albums' worth of songs. Because of the large amount of recorded material, the record company decided to split the album in half, releasing the first half in October as Want One. The second half of the material will be released in the near future as Want Two.
Wainwright's explosion of creative energy was fueled by a final breakdown from years of alcohol and pill abuse. The breakdown resulted in Wainwright checking himself into rehab, where he wrote "Want," the title track off his current album. Wainwright has often been quoted as saying that yrics are the most important aspect of his music, and his primary focus when creating music. This is exemplified in Wainwright's raw and emotional, yet polished third album. During the concert Wainwright mixed in his new material with faster pop songs off of his other albums.
Wainwright took the stage announcing that he had just experienced China Rose's buffet, and that it wasn't settling too well in his stomach. Despite the upsetting Chinese food he was able to put on an excellent and enthusiastic performance, beginning at the piano, and then moving on to the guitar.
The concert included the songs "Pretty Things," "Want," and "Poses," along with the controversial "Gay Messiah." Wainwright introduced "Pretty Things" by humorously pointing out the attendance of many young and illegal pretty things in the audience. His comment was met with an audience member yelling out that he was older than eighteen.
Wainwright followed "Pretty Things" with "Gay Messiah" expressing hope that past situations would not be repeated where audience members had actually walked out during the song. This did not occur.
Wainwright continued to charm the audience with happily superficial conversation, at one point joking about the heat from the stage lighting saying that Maine was a lot warmer than Canada. This was of course met with the classic concert move of audience members waving the flag of the performer's native country. In this case it was the red and white of the Canadian flag.
Wainwright was not afraid to go over the top. It wasn't over-the-top in the context of a Britney Spears or Justin Timberlake concert; Wainwright is talented, has lyrical content and a beautiful voice, and is a multi-instrumentalist.
However, each member of the band sings back-up, flavoring the songs with layering harmonies, and if Wainwright had his way there would be a full orchestra backing him up as well. There was of course no orchestra in Sargent Gym on Saturday night, but there was technology and a keyboard. With a self-depreciating smile and swaying dance, Wainwright exploited these two substitutes to the fullest in order to mimic a full orchestra playing his carefully constructed compositions.
After an hour and a half performance Wainwright came back on stage for an encore of his classic song "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk," closing (despite the gastronomical effects of China Rose) a fantastic concert.
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