Joanna Newsom

A foggy mountain mural painted the scene perfectly as Joanna joined her merry band of musicians on stage after an acoustic set from Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold. Wearing a smile bigger than her face itself, she gazed out at the crowd with childlike wonder, before cradling her harp for “Bridges and Balloons” from her debut album, The Milk-Eyed Mender. The opening lines, “we sailed away on a winter’s day, with fate as malleable as clay,” could be mistaken for another simple song about leaving home, but just like every song she’s released since then, it veers off into uncharted territory. “Brace and buoy the living-room, a loom of metal, warp woof wimble.” I still remember shaking my head the first time I heard that song. Like many of her staunchest critics, I couldn’t get past the whimsical, almost comical vocals. Sounding like a prepubescent girl, as well as a cranky old woman, every word was jarring to the senses. It wasn’t until she opened for Björk in 2007 that I was able to really understand (and appreciate) her unique talent as a vocalist. After seeing her perform live at that show, I found her voice and persona completely enthralling.

There is something about being in Joanna’s presence, while her fingers soar across the strings of her masterfully carved harp, that cannot be experienced by listening to her albums. When she surrounds herself with a quintet of amazing multi-instrumentalists, who all make sounds using voice, violin, guitar, banjo, drums, viola, keyboard, and various non-traditional items, it becomes an unbelievably intricate display of teamwork and talent. And as if it wasn’t enough that she transitioned from harp to piano and back again (during a single song), there wasn’t a single person on the stage that didn’t do exactly the same thing with the arsenal of sound-making devices at their disposal. There were times when I was so focused on the plucking of harp strings that, even from the third row, I didn’t notice the transition from violins to recorders until the sounds of birds rang through the theater. At other times, the sound would be less distinctive and I’d have to follow its origin to a metal tube being dragged across an electric guitar string, or a tambourine lightly striking a drum head. Everything was perfectly choreographed to bring Joanna’s original compositions alive on the stage. Speaking through eye contact, everyone was in perfect sync as the score encompassed each epic piece of poetry Joanna put to song.

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To experience Joanna Newsom live is to experience great beauty. Not just for the elfin looks of the singer and harpist, of course, but because the music she creates is so utterly not of this world or time that you can’t help but be overcome by the startling arrangements you’re hearing. It’s often said, particularly around the release of her debut album 2004’s The Milk-Eyed Mender, that Newsom has a “marmite” voice that you’ll either love or hate: that’s actually being incredibly unfair on her, as while it’s a unique voice it just takes a little bit of time to “get” it and understand that Newsom is just singing naturally. Live, she focuses on songs from her two incredible (and lengthy) albums Ys and Have One On Me and sets about creating her own folkloric world, with help from a fine backing band that includes her live arrangers, the multi-talented Ryan Francesconi and Neil Morgan. At times it’s nearly impossible to keep up with the lyrical flights of fancy on the likes of ‘Soft as Chalk’ and ‘Have One On Me’ as Newsom’s fingers fly across the strings of the harp but slowly you get drawn into this medieval world of rhymes, musing on the stars and planets and nature. There are even sing-along moments like the exhilarating and euphoric ‘Good Intentions Paving Company’, which feels like a lost Brian Wilson gem but it’s the epic and meandering songs that always impress the most. It’s often said the best records are the ones which transport you someplace else; well, if you want a live show to do that, you have to see Joanna Newsom.

Health Warning: Joanna Newsom is not everyone’s cup of tea.
For Me: This was the concert of the year
Joanna Newsom: Enchanting, charming, lovely and sweet. Ahhhh and the music….

I had waited years for the chance to see Joanna Newsom live. Without reason I was a little anxious because I was concerned the show could go either way. From the moment she came on stage she put any of my unwarranted worries at bay. I was mesmerised from the start; those years of waiting had not gone in vain.

For the audience this Joanna was fun to watch; because she was evidently having fun on stage. It was obvious how much she enjoyed playing with her new music as well as her back catalogue of many people’s favourites.

Finally, yes I am a fan.

:)

This was a fun show with Newsom playing both old favorites and new stuff off her Divers album. She was joined by various musicians including family memebrs, Amber Kaufman of Dirty projectors fame, and the main Fleet Fox himeslf, Robin Pecknold. The sound at the venue was very good, and continued to get better as the show progressed through improved balancing of the vocals and harp. My only complaints are that the seats were painfully close together (I am tall) and there was no dancing. If you enjoy kooky classical like you do freak folk, it's hard to recommend something more highly than this!

Mesmerising, captivating, lush, enthralling, thrilling, emotional, transcendent - I cannot believe there is a better live performer on the planet than Joanna Newsom - she is some kind of genius - an utterly extraordinary singer, harpist, pianist, composer, lyricist - her voice is exquisite and passionate.

The Olympia was the perfect venue. You could have heard a pin drop - she held the audience in her hand the whole time - and at the end of each song there was rapturous applause and a standing, roaring ovation at the end of a completely mind-blowing night.

An utterly enthralling concert, Joanna is a marvellous artist who is currently at the height of her craft. Backed by a simple four piece band (including her brother on drums), she dipped into her increasingly-rich back catalogue to deliver a compelling set. Standouts included 'Monkey and Bear' with its striking changes in time and tempo and crowd favourites 'Peach, Plum, Bear' and 'Good Intentions Leaving Company'. She parted the stage with a promise that it would not be another 5 years before she returns to Liverpool, I really hope this is true.

Sep. 9th 2016 - New Orleans - She played

bridges and balloons
anecdotes
divers
monkey and bear
waltz of the 101st lightborne
in california
sapokanikan
leaving the city
have one on me
peach plum pear
go long
cosmia
time, as a symptom
good intentions paving company

with an encore of
albatross (Judy Collins)
baby birch

Absolutely amazing, everything you could hope for

Robin Pecknold was an amazing opener. Joanna played for nearly two hours and her backing band was phenomenal. It was great to see her siblings playing with her and it was a total treat to see so many multi-instrumentalists play a ton of instruments!

Worth every penny. She's fantastic.

Really amazing concert. She and the band played nearly 2 hours, including a second encore (she said it's the only one she's done all tour) where she played a song she hadn't even prepared and made a few mistakes, which was totally endearing. Go see her, she's just amazing.

Beautiful performance as expected. The setlist, instrumentation and showmanship were all really great. Joanna Newsom brought her fantastic tracks to life and it was often mesmerizing. If you ever get the chance to see her live I would strongly recommend doing so.