CONCERT REVIEW: NEKO CASE

Neko Case plays a pretty guitar, too.

LAWRENCE -- When you sing like Neko Case, you don't need a lot of backup and embellishment to entertain the crowd that usually shows up to hear you sing. Nonetheless, Friday night, Case enlisted a band and a friend (the Jon Rauhouse Quintet featuring Kelly Hogan) to gild a voice that's as golden as her hair is red.

The 90 minute show must have pleased anyone who's a fan of her three most recent albums: She performed "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood" almost in its entirety; she also sang several songs off "Blacklisted." And she scored some hometown/regional points by singing "Train From Kansas City," which she introduced on her live album, "The Tigers Have Spoken."

Above: Neko and part of the Jon Rauhouse Quintet.

After that one, Hogan scored a few more hometown points with the carnivores in the house by delivering a funny bit about burnt ends ("I don't know what they are, but I'm gonna get me some ...").

Case and her friends sounded impeccable all night. Rauhouse is a multi-instrumental stud (banjo, guitar) but a virtuoso on the pedal steel; his fellow-Canadian colleagues are just as adept on their gear. If Case is our new Emmylou, they are her Hot Band. When called upon, Hogan added creamy, pin-sharp harmonies or some between-song barbs and rejoinders that kept the mood light and casual. (If you don't know her music, check out her album "Beneath the Country Underdog," especially her great cover of Stephen Merritt's "Papa Was A Rodeo").

Because it focused so heavily on "Fox Confessor," the show tended to sustain the same tempo and mood. The only real uptempo numbers were "Train From Kansas City," "Hold On, Hold On" and "John Saw That Number." Not so coincidentally, those songs prompted the most cheers and applause. She ignored "Furnace Room Lullaby," her best album (my favorite, anyway), but she gets extra points for reprising her breezy version of Dylan's "Buckets of Rain."

Ultimately, it didn't matter too much what songs she chose. Accented or unadorned, her voice is worth the admission price.

|Timothy Finn, The Star

Setlist: A Widow's Toast; Things That Scare Me; That Teenage Feeling; The Tigers Have Spoken; Lady Pilot; Maybe Sparrow; Dirty Knife; Tightly; If You Knew; Margaret vs. Pauline; Buckets of Rain; I Wish I Was the Moon; Deep Red Bells; Lion's Jaws; Train From Kansas City; Hold On, Hold On; Star Witness. Encores: The Tigers Have Spoken; The Needle Has Landed; John Saw That Number; Knock Loud.

Comments

[sincitydisciple]

Oh that voice! I would pay to hear Ms. Case sing the the alphabet song to a room full of 5 year olds. I thought the highlights included "I Wish I was the Moon" and "Deep Red Bells". Why no love for Furnace Room Lullabye? FCBTF is a fine album, but some of the early twang would have been a nice counter punch to the polished sounds of Fox Confessor. Regardless of the set list, that voice is definitley something to hear live, and the supporting cast was dynamite.

[tim finn]

She really picked things up with "Train to Kansas City" and "Hold On, Hold On." About then, the show was starting to veer into the horse latitudes: too many songs of similar tempo and melody. I'd have loved to hear "Bowling Green," "Guided By Wire" or "Whip the Sheets," for a complete change of pace. Still, a real good show. My fourth time seeing her and she has never sounded better.

[Liz]

I, too, would have liked to hear a little more from Furnace Room, but I was still absolutely floored by the show. The only other time I've seen Neko was two years ago for a 45-minute set at Wakarusa. Liberty Hall was the perfect venue to compliment her vocals, which were in top form. Since I felt like I had never seen her in her element before, I was really anticipating this show. She didn't disappoint!