If you think about it, the combination of 7 Mary 3, Poe and The Refreshments was a somewhat unusual bill; hard edged rock, melodic-groove and dancey rock, and pure pop rock. But then again, variety is the spice of life. The Refreshments opened up the show with a set consisting mostly of selections from Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy. While the crowd reacted expectedly strong toward hit single, "Banditos," I was surprised at the powerful response given to The Refreshments entire set. I was especially pleased with how tight the music sounded. The band managed to keep the music together, while the members and the songs remained loose and energetic. Apart from "Banditos," "Down Together" was also particularly well received by the audience. The highlight of this third of the night was The Refreshments' rendition of Tommy Tutone's "867-5309 (Jenny)." While many bands perform covers live, few capture the original flair of the original artists as did they did.
Poe was unbeliveable. Picture a beautiful blond woman adorned in a long, fuzzy, black overcoat and black boots, hopping all over the stage, rousing the audience, and singing in the most beautiful and enticing voice possible; that was Poe. Poe opened her set with "That Day," a track off of Hello. Cellist Cameron Stone managed outstanding dynamics through a bit of signal processing and phenomenal skill. Furthermore, his falsetto harmonies were impressive throughout the night; I was amazed at the difficulty level involved in singing and playing cello equally well at the same time. The crowd response was impressive throughout the night as Poe playfully spoke to the audience periodically between songs. The piano based song, "Fly Away" took on an entirely different contour in live context. The song became became guitar oriented and even bluesy. It sounded as if the Black Crowes were performing instead of Poe. This was a perfect example of Poe's live show. The electronic and produced sound of the album mutates into something completely visceral through the live musicians. While the songs remain recognizable and of equal quality, the feel is often completely different. (The live radio version of "Angry Johnny" is yet another example of what I'm talking about.) "Dolphin" grooved even harder live than it does on the album. To further change the fell of the song, the guitar solo was replaced by a middle-eastern sounding cello solo. Poe played a new song titled "How Long." Though the song developed slowly, the crowd responded well. Overall, this second act of the night was the highlight of the evening.
Unfortunately, this amounts to the headliners, 7 Mary 3, being somewhat of a disappointment. However, it wasn't necessarily their fault. The audience reacted uncontrollably to "Cumbersome" and "Water's Edge." Drunk people flailed everywhere. However, between power singles, the energy level dropped noticeably. No strangers to the Virginia area, they still managed to please a crowd with at least a few familiar faces. 7M3 closed out the night with an acoustic set, for which they were joined by Matt Cameron. I personally enjoyed the acoustic rendition of "Rodrigo" more than anything else from the night. As the hour grew late and as the volume (and alcohol consumption) level dropped, the crowd began to filter out in a sluggish exodus.
After the show, I had a chance to meet with Poe. She greeted fans graciously, handing out Edgar Allan Poe pins she'd lifted from a performance at the Richmond Poe Museum. She expressed a genuine concern for what each thought and said. She mentioned the possibility of an EP containing live versions of songs in the future. In general, I discovered that Poe has to be one of the sweetest women alive. (Be still my beating heart!) When asked for a random quote for Consumable Online, she smiled told me this: "The future is a slut, she promises herself to everyone." Something to think about, eh?
