By: Neil Olstad
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| Feist - Publicity Photo |
Seeing a show at a venue I had never been in before was an interesting experience. I was excited yet anxious, interested but unfamiliar; nevertheless, Feist was in town, and this evening was a blast of champagne over the ship that was my inaugural voyage with the Pantages Theatre.
New York quartet Grizzly Bear hit the stage at 7:45 to an appreciative Minneapolis crowd. Their eerie, psychedelic folk sound surprised the crowd, but after the initial shock, most everybody in attendance quickly came around to what was taking place. Grizzly Bear’s tunes drifted in and out of time and an amazing amount of sound was created on stage. The atmosphere of their songs put the crowd into a trance, and they gave you the effect that you were floating. These guys reunited the Beach Boys on stage with their amazing, soaring vocal harmonies that took flight and mixed with the air conditioning being pumped into the venue—I couldn't tell who was the weakest link in this band's vocal chain. While February’s headlining 7th St. Entry show was more intimate and engaging, Grizzly Bear’s haunting, heavily reverberated sound flourished as it was given room to breathe at the Pantages Theatre. Their eight-song set warmed the crowd up nicely for Feist, and I got the feeling that many people left the theater that night converted to the preachings of Grizzly Bear.
At 9 p.m. the house lights went down, and as soon as the crowd caught sight of Leslie Feist’s diminutive silhouette prancing on stage to the opening of “Honey Honey,” they erupted. After tearing through “When I Was A Young Girl,” Feist proceeded to shout out to the crowd, “Minneapolis! Let me hear you scream like you are at First Avenue!” Feist immediately took the crowd by the heart by bearing her soul on stage. Playful and bouncy, she left no doubt in anyone’s mind that she was having a great time.
As if I hadn’t noticed the letters on the marquee outside or the name on my ticket, Feist was the star of the evening. Even the stage setup displayed this, as her incredible, multi-talented four-piece backup band created a semi-circle around her.
Feist is a crooner. Her dusty, classic voice delighted the crowd, and she clutched the microphone stand with both hands when she wasn’t jamming away at her guitar. Speaking of which, her cherry-red Gibson hollow bodied axe is something to marvel at. Her tiny frame has no business holding such a hefty, powerful instrument. It dwarfs her, but somehow she pulls it off.
The room seemed to shrink as she pulled away from her microphone during “Intuition,” singing into nothing as everybody in attendance held their collective breath. Between songs, Feist was charismatic and charming, talking to the crowd and telling stories—most notably how she woke up on her tour bus parked outside First Avenue and thought she was playing there that evening, only to find out she was playing next door at the Pantages. She played 12 of the 13 songs off her new record, The Reminder, which is gathering critical acclaim around the country. It was a no-frills show, which might have resulted in a sub-par set if not for Feist’s ability to mix things up and keep everybody interested. The night ended with a somber version of “Let It Die,” and I couldn’t help but marvel at Leslie Feist’s incredible versatility and insatiable stage presence. It was a wonderful experience, and an ideal way to spend my first evening at the Pantages Theatre.
Feist Setlist:
Honey Honey
When I Was A Young Girl
So Sorry
My Moon My Man
The Park
Limit to Your Love
I Feel It All
Intuition
Now At Last
Gatekeeper
Before You Get Married
The Water
Mushaboom
1 2 3 4
ENCORE
Brandy Alexander
Sea-Lion Woman
Let It Die
Location Info:
Pantages Theatre
Artist Info: Feist
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