To put on a great show, the instruments need to be perfectly tuned, lighting has to be right and both crowd and performer have to be in the right mood. If one of these is off, it could ruin a great show.
The crowd was the deciding factor at Regina Spektor’s show Wednesday night at Warehouse Live.
Winning over an audience that didn’t come to see him was a lost cause for opener Only Son. But the solo artist gained some attention when he started a conversation with his band, otherwise known as his iPod.
Spektor walked on stage to an anxious crowd and started with "Ain’t No Cover," a quiet yet powerful a cappella piece that immediately established what kind of show it was going to be. For most in the crowd, the song didn’t translate. Four songs into her set, Spektor politely explained that as sole bearer of the microphone she was granted one request and she would ask not for world peace, but for quiet.
Unfortunately, politeness didn’t do the trick and Spektor stopped at the start of "Baby Jesus" to inform those still carrying on conversations that there was probably a lounge across the street they could go to.
Little Regina Spektor, her big piano and her even bigger voice make up her one-woman show. She is a band unto herself.
In 2006, with the release of Begin to Hope, Spektor’s songs were featured on television dramas and commercials and she became a VH1 "You Oughta Know" artist.
In the wake of the limelight, Spektor drew an influx of new fans – people who weren’t around for her earlier, less-produced albums. Those albums relied more on her vocals than band-backed tracks. Spektor doesn’t have a talking iPod shtick to hold her audience’s attention – her music should do that for her. In fact, for most of her show, she hardly even acknowledges the audience.
It was obvious that most of the people at Wednesday’s show were only familiar with newer songs, but without the added instrumentals the attention spans waned. The crowd finally kept a lid on it, and Spektor plowed through her show with little downtime between songs.
The height of audience interaction came halfway through Spektor’s set, which was dominated by Begin to Hope tracks. During "Poor Little Rich Boy," Spektor picked up a drumstick and tapped a beat on a chair while playing the piano.
Multitasking, coupled with a rushed chorus, became too much for her to handle and a frustrated Spektor was forced to restart the song twice before breaking down and asking the audience for help remembering the words to her own song.
As a result, the audience learned just how captivating Regina Spektor is, even when she’s cursing in frustration.
Spektor’s encore turned out to be the biggest crowd pleaser as it included "Us" and "Fidelity," two of her biggest sing-a-long singles.
If Regina Spektor ever comes back to Houston and you’re expecting cheap thrills, heed her advice and go to the lounge instead.
