 |
|
|
|
|
 |
New York, NY
March 29, 2006 |
|
|
Richard Ashcroft
Webster Hall
Filter Grade: 93%
by Victoria Tsigonis
I know, when you think Richard Ashcroft you think pompous lead singer of the Verve. You think crossed arms; you think giant sunglasses sitting atop a massive nose. You do not think heartfelt, personal performance. But on his one-off solo performance in NYC (taking a break from touring with his mates in Coldplay) that was exactly what the audience got from the former cooler-than-even-Liam man. On that night, the icon known best for making literally nothing off of his most famous song “Bittersweet Symphony” (can you say “Stones lawsuit”?) connected to a rough New York crowd in a direct, emotiona--and most importantly--sincere way.
Taking a night off from his day job as the opening act on the Coldplay tour, Ashcroft spent the evening in a small rock club. It is a departure from his current gig, warming up arenas for Mr. Paltrow, but the smaller venue added to his comfort on stage and with his new material. Perhaps this might be where he’s most at home.
As the first notes of “Keys To The World” floated through the club, the crowd stopped dead in their tracks. The title track of his latest album had an arresting quality on the room, and Ashcroft had the audience eating from his hand for every moment thereafter. He moved seamlessly into his hits, new and old; drifting from “Sonnet” to “Music Is Power” and the tear-jerking “History”.
Ashcroft was surprisingly chatty throughout the night, obviously comfortable in his surroundings. He rattled on about everything from Ebay to his airport security experiences. But just as it started to feel like old friends chatting over dinner, he launched into The Verve classic “Lucky Man” dedicating it to his wife and giving the audience a virtual Verve-gasm.
With the audience at the height of it’s excitement, he pulled out his acoustic guitar for the final shining moment of the evening “Space and Time”. Ashcroft called for the audience, feeding off them, asking for them to tell him “it’s alright”, shouting lyrics in unison. For this night it was alright. Ashcroft was right where he belonged, in the place rock really lives. Not in a giant arena, but in a small club with a captive audience, and a true talent.
|
 |
|
|
 |
Never Miss a Beat!
Sign up for Filter Magazine's FREE Newsletter for the latest news, tour dates, and more. |
|
|
|
|
|
