Amanda CINECAST!ing Palmer. At the CINECAST!ing Forum. Probably the best live music venue in Melbourne. If you come to the city, the Forum is a must see.
I've decided to go to this concert based entirely on following AFP on Twitter and a familiarity with Coin Operated Boy by the Dresden Dolls. So don't ask what the songs were, because I've no idea.
We arrive after the first support act but in time to see the second. They're good, a guy called Mikelangelo and his backing band. Sort of folk/metal/punk. Awesome. But very much the same throughout the 45 minute set. Which is a shame. A little more variety and it would've been brilliant.
A short break. Amanda comes on. Starts performing. About midway through the first track she accidentally turns the keyboard onto Harpsichord. Of course, it's covered in lyrics, so she can't see to turn it back to piano. On comes the support act to help, but he turns on the drum/rhythm thing, and it's all going wrong. She stops, turns it back to piano, picks up where she left off. The audience loves it.
It's brilliant stuff. There's a string quartet who are great, and add so much to the show. She's performing old stuff and new stuff and extremely new stuff, including the following.
Amanda Palmer - Vegemite (The Black Death)I've no idea how much sense it'll make to Americans, but the audience loved it.
She covered a recent Regina song with the first support act, the ones I missed, and then on comes Paul Kelly. If you don't know this guy, look him up. Australian music royalty. And you probably know him without realising it. Then on comes Mikelangelo and his band, and Mick Harvey of the Bad Seeds. CINECAST!ing awesome. They cover a Nick Cave song (I'm assuming, it definitely had that feel). Then Paul and Mick exit. Mikelangelo and band stay. Play a new song. Then Amanda literally teaches the band
Leeds United on the spot cause it's been requested. Now I don't know the song, but I suspect it doesn't sound anything like how it sounded last night, judging by Amanda's expression throughout. But that doesn't mean it was the highlight of the evening.
She finishes the official part of the evening by playing Exit Music (For A Film) with the strings. Then comes back on to do Girl Anachronism and Jack. Then exits, climbs into the rafters with the good ole ukulele, and out comes
Creep. The whole audience is singing along. It's crazy.
It's potentially the best show I've seen. I probably enjoyed Sufjan Stevens more, but probably because I knew the music going in. Just a crazy awesome show. The kind you don't expect.
Awesome.