Liz Phair Concert At El Rey Is Less Than Extraordinary
Comments (4)
Sarah Erickson)
Phair’s music in general can be described as a mix of guitar rock and pop with definite country influences.
The only music of hers that I was familiar with prior to the show was from her 2003 self-titled album, which featured such pop-hits as “Extraordinary” and “Why Can’t I.”
The evening’s set featured one of those songs, but the rest was new material to me. I was alone on that front, as almost every person around me knew and enthusiastically sang along to each tune.
With her signature low register voice sounding almost guttural in nature, I truly couldn’t make out a majority of the lyrics to her songs. But a hip-swinging beat was there. And the crowd certainly enjoyed itself.
Phair’s guitar skills were undeniable, as she seamlessly strummed (nearly) every song and swapped out electric guitars every few numbers.
Her initially lukewarm energy onstage grew as she became more comfortable and took on a “hell if I care” attitude through the progression of the show.
For those who have never been to the El Rey, it’s a comfortably-sized old theater on Wilshire with just enough old-Hollywood charm in the chandeliers to make it cozy yet modern. A great venue for a small concert, which at about half-capacity this was.
Though Phair performed well, the opening act caught my attention most out of the whole evening’s performance.
Bushwalla, an eager-to-please, self-described “acoustic white-man rapper” did a terrific job of warming up the Friday-night crowd.
With songs like “It’s hard to be a gangster with a basket on your bike” in homage to his car-less experience living in LA, his humor was both goofy and endearing and added to his fresh music. I look forward to his next LA show.
All in all it was a worthwhile evening out to see the show. Phair’s voice and overall sound are not my preference, but her performance proved that she can still rock, and her crowd simply loved her for it.
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Comments
I think part of appreciating Liz Phair is contextual-- her role in 90s indie rock, as a female rocker in Chicago's "Guyville"-- so I can imagine a reporter who hasn't listened to any of Liz's 90s work would completely miss that through-line in her music. Still, I think her songwriting in those first few albums is brilliant enough to be remembered beyond the generation she was speaking about. I'm also a newer fan of 22 years. Wish I could go to one of her shows. And wish she gave some of her "Funstyle" songs a go.
I wasn't at the concert but read numerous tweets from people at the show that Bushwalla was terrible and that Liz actually apologized to the crowd for his opening performance. It is my understanding that Bushwalla is now off the bill for Liz's upcoming shows in Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver. Not trying to diss Bushwalla, if you really liked him that much, great, more power to you, just stating the opinions of several show goers. I've also read nothing but positive comments on this show from just about everyone who attended. If you are only familiar with Liz's 2003 album, than, as stated above you really don't know her or her music at all. If you don't like her or her music, fine, but her fans LOVE her to death and the songs are timeless. She's a VERY gifted songwriter. Listen to "Exile In Guyville", "Whip Smart", and "Whitchocolatespaceegg" if you REALLY want to know Liz and her music, not just her self titled of 2003 which arguably is her weakest album.
I was in the front row at this concert. To correct an inaccuracy in the article, the venue was mostly filled in by the end of the night -- the doors opened at 8 PM, but most people only started to pour in at around 9 PM (Liz took the stage at 10 PM.) I think that's pretty commendable, especially considering that this particular performance received scant media attention or promotion.
Also, think it's hard to appreciate Liz's performance if you're not necessarily a longtime fan of her work. In comparison to many of the other shows she's done over the years, this show was full of energy and vigor. She's never been an adept performer -- she gets intense stage fright and she's said that she prefers to create music instead of singing it for an audience. She even admitted as much at the start of this show -- she wanted to say "hi" to the audience and got tongue tied. Once people started cheering her on, she loosened up and started to interact more.
I'd never seen Liz Phair live before -- I'm a newer fan (I'm only 21,) but I loved the atmosphere and the ambiance of this show. Not only did the El Rey have that "old Hollywood" feel, like you said, but there were people from all walks of life at the concert -- families, grandparents, straight and gay couples, little kids, etc. And Liz sang songs from all the different periods of her career -- she did songs from her first album "Exile in Guyville," but also some of her newer songs such as "Why Can't I" and "Extraordinary." It really felt like there was something for everyone. I can't wait to see Liz in concert again.
I was in the front row at this concert. To correct an inaccuracy in the article, the venue was mostly filled in by the end of the night -- the doors opened at 8 PM, but most people only started to pour in at around 9 PM (Liz took the stage at 10 PM.) I think that's pretty commendable, especially considering that this particular performance received scant media attention or promotion.
Also, think it's hard to appreciate Liz's performance if you're not necessarily a longtime fan of her work. In comparison to many of the other shows she's done over the years, this show was full of energy and vigor. She's never been an adept performer -- she gets intense stage fright and she's said that she prefers to create music instead of singing it for an audience. She even admitted as much at the start of this show -- she wanted to say "hi" to the audience and got tongue tied. Once people started cheering her on, she loosened up and started to interact more.
I'd never seen Liz Phair live before -- I'm a newer fan (I'm only 21,) but I loved the atmosphere and the ambiance of this show. Not only did the El Rey have that "old Hollywood" feel, like you said, but there were people from all walks of life at the concert -- families, grandparents, straight and gay couples, little kids, etc. And Liz sang songs from all the different periods of her career -- she did songs from her first album "Exile in Guyville," but also some of her newer songs such as "Why Can't I" and "Extraordinary." It really felt like there was something for everyone. I can't wait to see Liz in concert again.