Thanks for Four Years of Awesome
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
Blogged Around Philly: Farewell Edition
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As this was Nickel Creek's farewell tour, I expected a concert full of Nickel Creek and their music. (Heaven forbid!) Though the concert was co-billed with Fiona Apple, I thought we would see Apple perform as sort of an opener, as well as at the end, where she would perform a couple of encore numbers with Nickel Creek. I was grossly mistaken. Everyone ultimately felt gypped, annoyed and frustrated regardless of who they went to see.
There were three very distinct fan bases at the Mann Center for Performing Arts. You had the bluegrass-loving hipster that was interested in seeing Nickel Creek perform one last time in Philadelphia. Then there were the '90s die-hard Fiona Apple fans who were trying to relive their teenager-angst all over again. And finally there was the older Pops season tickets holder who didn't know how to respond to Apple's violent shaking or Nickel Creek's non-traditional bluegrass sound.
Nickel Creek started off strong with the haunting instrumental piece "First and Last Waltz" which went directly into "Helena" which featured Chris Thile's vocals. The sound was absolutely phenomenal in the Mann Center and Thile's vocals were much stronger than they were when Nickel Creek performed at the Electric Factory two years ago. The energy was exciting, fun and they were there to entertain. They worked through several songs from their latest album, Why Should the Fire Die? and even some from previous releases. Highlights of their performance were Thile's mandolin improvisation on "When in Rome," as well as Sara Watkin's vocals in the short love song "Anthony." (She also played ukulele at the same time.) Another off their first album, "Best of Luck," showed off the tight harmonies that bluegrass music is known for. The real excitement came when they played crowd favorites "The Lighthouse's Tale" and "The Fox." I couldn't get enough. After some of the crowd started chanting Fiona Apple's name, Nickel Creek succumbed to the pressure: "Okay, okay, we are bringing her out." After about forty-five minutes of sheer musical genius, the concert took an incredible wrong turn into the mental psyche of a dried-up rock star with a lot of issues -- which unfortunately she doesn't have a problem wearing on her sleeve. Literally. (Apple started to hit her chest and arms at one point during the concert. WTF? Maybe someone could explain why.)
To read more about the war between the fans, take the jump!
I'm sure for all the Fiona Apple fans, the first forty-five minutes was boring and uninteresting while they patiently waited for their outrageous singer/songwriter to come out on stage. I almost walked out after Apple's first number. I was NOT there to see her thrash around onstage as if she was having a seizure. I was NOT there to hear her extremely unfocused out-of-tune vocals. I was NOT there to remember 9th grade - I try to forget that year. So halfway through Apple's set, the Nickel Creek fans (which included myself) started to chant, "Nickel Creek."
Throughout the remainder of the performance there was an odd "war" between the Nickel Creek fans and the Fiona Apple fans. It seemed that the season ticket holders just got caught in the middle and didn't know how to respond to any of it. For those of us who went to see a night filled with non-traditional bluegrass (or progressive acoustic music) we got stuck listening to the bad vocals of a washed-up '90s rock star. (We hear through a source in the music business that can't be named - we swear he's credible - that she has a hard time getting gigs anymore because no one wants to work with her.) For those of you who went to see Fiona Apple, you got stuck listening to a lot of instrumental music that probably seemed boring and irritating. The rest probably felt awkward just being there. I'm not sure of the reasoning behind a Nickel Creek/Fiona Apple tour - they seemed to have met at a club in L.A. Maybe it was a sympathy tour for her, or maybe Sean has a thing for/with her. I don't know.
Whatever it was, it was a stupid decision for Nickel Creek's final farewell tour. The fans deserved better on both sides. I needed more Nickel Creek and I'm sure that Apple's fans wanted to hear more of her. (I'm not sure why, though.) Unfortunately I left unsatisfied and frustrated knowing that this could very well be the last Nickel Creek concert that I will ever attend and half of it was wasted on Fiona Apple. Who the eff came up with that idea?
Photo courtesy of flickr user: Justin Tamplin
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