A DARK AND HAPPY NIGHT WITH YAMAGATA (on 23rd Feb 2012)

Here is a review of a concert that I attended in February 2012. I wrote it in March 2012 but thought that I will post it here just so.

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Reviewed on: March 1, 2012

The concert started on time. The lights in the hall dimmed, a short period of silence (peppered with random screams of excitement), then figures emerged onstage in the black dimness. Louder screams and frantic claps ensued. The stage lights came on and there stood Rachael and her band.

Yamagata possesses a throaty but resonant voice that conjures images of smoky bars, old pianos and a singer with a cigarette hanging off the side of her lips. Yes, it is a smoky blend of deep-throated exclamations and soft soothing purrs. Coupled with the excellent acoustics of the Esplanade Concert Hall, her soulful voice reverberated around marvelously.

Her repertoire of songs contained her classics, like the heart-wrenching Elephants… Teeth Sinking into Heart, the intensely dark Sunday Afternoon (my personal favourite) and the charming Be Be Your Love (another favourite). She also played a couple of her new songs from her latest offering, ‘Chesapeake’. I love the bass-thumping Starlight, powerfully delivered by Yamagata and her band. Somehow the song reminded me of yellowed photos of the past, taped in the middle with fraying borders. It is my new favourite upon first listen. She also introduced the light-hearted Saturday Morning, a far cry from the bleak Sunday Afternoon, not that I am insinuating that both songs are related (but I do suspect they have some relation since both titles have to do with days). Saturday Morning has a light airy touch to it, depicting the joys of being in love and being with each other while having the whole day to yourselves. As Yamagata said herself, this song is a departure from her usual gamut of dark melancholy tracks.

Throughout the night she thanked the audience liberally for their continuous and unending support. I, unfortunately, did not attend her first performance in Singapore (shame on me), but seeing the amount of audience in this concert convinced me that not only is she a great performer, but one that bonds well with her fans and audience. This was proven by the witty quips that got the audience cracking up in between songs. Yamagata is also down-to-earth and disarmingly honest. Since most of her songs deals with the subject of heartbreak and miserable relationships, she got personal in explaining the thoughts and stories behind them. This made those songs so much more than the words written and the melody composed. It is the experience behind them that made them so special and intimate. This is endearing and I for one am captivated by her easy charms. You also witnessed her rapport with her fellow band members, a pared down 3-man team comprising of a bassist, a guitarist and a drummer. Yamagata herself toggled between a guitar and a grand piano for different songs. She teases them and crack jokes but you do not feel that she is doing this simply to entertain. She engages the audience and everyone is in on the joke.

But my favourite memory of the night has to be the moment she was out-of-tune for the song Dealbreaker. She doubled-up in uncontrollable laughter, which resounded happily around the hall. It was a beautiful sight to behold, Yamagata laughing candidly and everyone laughing along with her. Just for that magical instant, it felt as if all of us knew one another on a deeper level. As if we were one with Yamagata and each other. It was amazing and it was my first time feeling that way in any concert (and I’ve attended quite a few).

The whole concert ended with Yamagata sans band playing a few more songs for the encore. There was an autograph session after but I did not stay for it. All in all, it was a great experience. It wasn’t a perfect concert but it was unforgettable as it was enjoyable. I’m happy to say that you will find me at the next concert should Yamagata perform in Singapore again.

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