Monday, March 03, 2008

Rufus Wainwright & Lucy Wainwright Roche -- Carnegie Music Hall, Pittsburgh

No. Not THAT Carnegie Hall. Sorry. Rufus and his half-sister played the Carnegie Music Hall in Pittsburgh (Homestead), PA, on January 3, 2008. What a fantastic way to kick off the new year!

I've been a Rufus fan for a number of years and was anxious to hear him live. I wondered if he would perform in drag or not. Not. Before I ever got a glimpse of him, his sister Lucy strolled onto the stage at the beautiful Carnegie Music Hall, appearing somewhat awkward and shy, and performed a great set of songs. She's a very funny story teller and likes to rib Rufus whenever she gets a chance. And she has a great, soaring, voice that belts out her lifestories in somewhat "Roches" reminiscent phrasing of amusing little vignets. Her mom is Suzzy Roche of the great girl band, The Roches. I loved the Roches when I was in my twenties. I loved Lucy too!

She shared a story about when she and Rufus were children. He used to make her lie, silent and motionless, on the family couch while he performed various operatic arias over her. Lucy was a school teacher for most of her early years and recently quit teaching to perform full time. She gets lost (a lot) on the road and spends a lot of hours alone in her car. She'll tell you all about it when you see her.

Rufus came out dressed in clog shoes, a black jacket, jeans, and a nice shirt. As soon as the first notes of his first song came trickling out of the stage piano, I knew we were in for a treat. He is such an accomplished pianist! He actually studied piano and added his voice later.

His song phrasing is as delicate as any studio CD ... even more pronounced and theatrical on stage. He talked a lot when the mood hit him -- otherwise, he does and sings whatever he pleases. He's so flamboyant ... and you can't help but love him as he stands alone on the empty stage with his piano behind him and a desire thrust forward to be "the next huge STAR" (dammit!) He actually whined that he should have been a much bigger star by now with his accomplished family credentials and that Carnegie Hall, NY, Judy Garland stint. Agreed. He really is amazing. Word has it that his next CD will be an opera. That's fitting for Rufus.

I love this guy. He's talented and funny and deserves a big shot at stardom. Problem is ... his art should be enough to propel him and not his "why not me" declarations. Don't get me wrong. I think he deserves a lot of attention. Awww, who knows? Maybe his whining will get him noticed after all. And wouldn't that be a gift to so many?

I wish I could have seen him with his sister, Martha, though. I really liked Lucy (she's very talented and very entertaining on stage) but I LOVE Martha! Oh well ... maybe next time. He seemed to like the quirkiness of the 'Burgh and the incredible Carnegie Music Hall venue so maybe (fingers crossed) he'll be back again some day.

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