Liz Phair 7/26/05
I was not necessarily full of
trepidation at the thought of seeing Liz Phair in an acoustic setting,
but I must say that I was a little apprehensive. Even though the
release of her self-titled fourth album and the subsequent tour
dispelled the
As I’m sure you’ve guessed by now, I needn’t have worried. When she took the stage wearing a flimsy lingerie top and a short grey skirt, Ms. Liz looked relaxed and confident. The stage was almost totally empty, save for a pair of stools and microphones, and a few guitars and bottles of water. Phair and her backup guitarist (who ‘harmonized’ with her in the most atrociously off-key manner all night) had a quick, whispered conversation before launching into the set opener, the fantastic and warbly “Polyester Bride.” The song translated very nicely into an acoustic framework, and Phair’s often stretched and somewhat fragile vocals sounded surprisingly appropriate.
Usually around this point in a show, I start bitching about the crowd – how much they suck, and how loud and obnoxious and unappreciative they are – but I have literally nothing to complain about this time around. The Paradise had placed rows of folding chairs around the stage, and I think that the very act of sitting may have calmed down any ‘rowdy’ element in attendance.
Or it could have simply been the magic of Ms. Phair herself, as she was relaxed and comfortable throughout the evening, taking song suggestions from the crowd and bantering back and forth with fans in the ‘dise’s balcony. And many of these suggestions, as one might expect, centered on her earlier work, and even included some deeper cuts from Phair’s Girlysounds demo collection (“Wild Things”). It seemed like Phair played a little bit of everything – some interesting choices from Whitechocolatespaceegg (“Uncle Alvarez”), a very well-received “Supernova” (from the completely underrated Whipsmart), and some rarely-heard-live songs from Exile in Guyville, like the excellent “Soapstar Joe” and “Stratford-on-Guy.”
And of course, there were the songs from her 2003 self-titled album. Known for being over-polished and rigidly produced, it was a big change of pace to hear these slick songs reworked in an acoustic setting. But in a testament to her talent as both a performer and songwriter, Phair pulled most tracks off with glittery self-assurance – “Extraordinary” sounded more like a melancholic come-on than a brassy declaration of one’s awesomeness, and “Why Can’t I?” had a dreamy sort of sheen to it. However, not all songs from this album fared as well, as “Rock Me” was more than a little stilted, and “Good Love Never Dies” sounded flat when played after “Mezmerizing.” Absolutely, it was Phair’s older material that stole the show. Stellar performances of “6’1,” “Divorce Song” and “Fuck and Run” outshone almost every other song on the setlist.
Phair also debuted three new tracks from her forthcoming album Somebody’s Miracle (due out on 10/4/05) – the album’s title track, “Closer to You,” and “Everything to Me” all sounded very fresh with the acoustic guitar, and Phair’s vocals were clean and emotive. The lyrics sounded a bit contrived at certain points, making me wonder what direction Phair is moving in on this new endeavor. And, of course, it remains to be seen whether the studio recordings will capture the vibrancy of the live performances. Phair closed this show with an amazing, crowd-pleasing rendition of “Fuck and Run,” and was very effusive about her appreciation for the audience (who, in turn, clapped and shouted their appreciation for her…such a love-fest it was!). Liz Phair has come along way from the low-fi indie rock that first made her a star, and some people might say that she’s sold out along the way – but nobody sold-out crowd of die-hard fans at the Paradise could have cared less, as Phair put on a show that was impressive, fun, and ultimately satisfying.
-- Jessica Netishen
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myth of her “crippling stage fright” (to that, I must snort and say that
she sure looked like she was enjoying herself when she played the bawdy
“Flower”). I was unsure of how I’d like Liz Phair sans the usual
bells and whistles involved in a typical plugged-in performance. 
