Beth Gibbons
Masonic Cathedral Theatre
Monday, April 7
Ah, the Monday night show. Always a difficult thing to convince your friends to do something cool and fun at the start of the week, because you’re starting to realize that everyone around you is growing up and you’re still going to shows on a Monday like a maniac.
Convincing is even harder when you say, “Dude, it’s Beth Gibbons!”
Everyone stares back at you like you’re an idiot, or maybe they’re just embarrassed that they don’t know who she is.
Then I have to explain, “Beth Gibbons is the voice of Portishead, one of the most important if not the most important trip-hop band of all time. She finally put out a solo record called Lives Outgrown, and it absolutely rips! Plus, I’ve been obsessively monitoring her setlists throughout this tour and she does drop a Portishead tune.”
This is how a lot of my conversations go. When I’m finally out of breath, they hopefully show some vague sign of interest.
I somehow ended up with a wad of tickets for this show – part of Gibbons' very first solo U.S. tour – essentially taking over a row in the gorgeous Masonic Cathedral Theatre.
People did show up! What a refreshing change of pace.
I have no clue how Beth Gibbons is able to tour with an eight-piece band. (That’s just what you see on stage; if you add a manager and a lighting guy and a sound guy at minimum, it’s even more impressive.) In this touring economy, where artists lament the hassle of travel and sheer cost and risk of making money on the road, it’s a wonder she’s able to pull it off.
Powered by an endless wealth of fog machine juice, the lighting show was spectacular -- not just for a theatre show of this size but overall, in quality, detail and variety.
Her setlist sounded wildly different than the album, “Lives Outgrown,” which might drive some people crazy but I absolutely adored it.
I didn’t hear the heavy British folk influence on the album, but it came to life live. Paired with her otherworldly, almost 1930’s jazz-like vocals, it was astonishing stuff.
Standout songs included set opener “Tell Me Who You Are Today,” “Floating On A Moment” and “Beyond The Sun.”
And, of course, she performed at least one Portishead song “Roads,” which marks the first time it’s been performed anywhere outside of a Portishead show. Makes me wonder if Beth Gibbons will ever do a “Beth sings the music of Portishead” tour. I’d happily buy a ticket as I’m not holding out hope that the band is going to get back together.
A Monday night victory for hardcore concertgoers like me, all thanks to wonderful Beth Gibbons (who stuck around town and played pool at night at one of my favorite bars in town).
