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Роллинг Стоун прозрел, <Frank Wild>, 28.06.1999 02:03

Роллинг Стоун прозрел, <Дима>, 28.06.1999 11:33

Subject		Роллинг Стоун прозрел
Sender		Дима
Created		28.06.1999 11:33

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В сети пока только вот этот отчет о концерте в ЛА:

Tom Waits




Heart of darkness.


Wiltern Theater, Los Angeles, June 12, 1999

After a prolonged absence from the touring circuit,
Tom Waits has returned to the stage at the top of his
game. The former Angeleno, who's forty-nine and now
living in Northern California, has only appeared at a
handful of events in recent years, primarily in the
L.A. area, like his show-stopping gig at last year's
Dead Man Walking benefit concert. But on the opening
night of a sold-out, three-night stand at Los Angeles'
beautiful Wiltern Theater, Waits proved again that
he's one of this country's most extraordinary and
original musical talents.
The archetypal Waits-ian elements include hilarious
stage patter, serene mood lighting and songs that seem
to capture nearly every human emotion. A bluesman with
one foot steeped in the past and one ahead of everyone
else, Waits balances moods with the greatest of ease
and one amusing anecdote after another. Wearing his
trademark fedora and barking in his classic throaty
growl, Waits deftly wove a musical quilt that segued
from gritty blues numbers to touching ballads to
hipster performance pieces. It was all tied together
by an inventive band (brilliant blues guitarist Smokey
Hormel, Larry Taylor on upright bass and
drummer/percussionist Dan Magough and Andrew Borger on
keyboards) very much in simpatico with their leader.
The enraptured audience was also with him on every
beat, rewarding him with several standing ovations.
And Waits responded in kind, fielding most of the
audience's requests.

Focusing on his most recent material, Waits offered
the lion's share of Mule Variations, his first album
for the indie Epitaph and his first new record since
1992's Bone Machine (not counting his 1993's take on
the William S. Burroughs/Robert Wilson operetta The
Black Rider). Newer material, such as the tender "Hold
On" and the romantic "Picture in a Frame," blended
perfectly with Waits' raucous ode to youth "I Don't
Wanna Grow Up" and the sublime "Who Are You." He went
from cool alley-cat troubadour ("Singapore") to weary
piano man ("Innocent When You Dream") to backyard
balladeer ("Come On Up to the House," "Goin' Out
West") with the flip of a guitar strap. "Get Behind
the Mule" cracked like a cowboy's whip and "Chocolate
Jesus" added more subtle commentary to Waits' ongoing
dialogue with the spirits.

Waits, who has moonlighted as a screen actor, colors
his repertoire with eccentric characters and noir film-
worthy atmosphere. The creepy, hilarious "What's He
Building" -- about a notoriously reclusive neighbor --
is so realized a vision one can't help but imagine the
Unabomber or Norman Bates as the song's protagonist.
An extended live version of the song afforded Waits
the perfect opportunity for a creative bit of dramatic
theatre via the simple use of a flashlight. The use of
shadows, a constantly changing backdrop and his
infamous bullhorn are all long-proven staples of
Waits' canon, and the adoring crowd ate up everything
with a near-religious fervor.

The two-hour concert -- replete with three separate
encores -- ended fittingly with the timeless
ballad "(Looking For) the Heart of Saturday Night,"
from the 1974 album of the same name. Like the heart
of the poet on stage tonight, it was a thing of
darkness and beauty.

ROGER LEN SMITH
(June 18, 1999)

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