Concert Review
True original remains haunting, hypnotic as ever

By Patrick MacDonald
Seattle Times music critic

Veteran rocker Tom Waits' new CD is "Real Gone."

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive Most read articles Most e-mailed articles

Other links Search event listings

Originality in rock is such a rare commodity that Tom Waits is treated with a kind of solemnity, a deep respect from fans that borders on worship.

His show Monday at the Paramount was such a rarity — his only public performance this year in America (he did two shows in Vancouver, B.C., over the weekend) — that tickets sold out in minutes, and scalpers were hawking them for $200 and up outside the theater.

"Even Eddie Vedder had to buy a ticket!" Waits' publicist exclaimed before the show. And there was Pearl Jam's lead singer, in the lobby, kissing a woman repeatedly before re-entering the theater for the encores.

The evening was even more keenly anticipated because of Waits' new album, "Real Gone," a fascinating collection of ominous, mysterious songs with machinelike rhythms and fascinating wordplay.

After a respectful standing ovation when Waits arrived on stage, following his three-member band, the audience sat down for most of the rest of the show, the better to hear Waits' challenging, poetic lyrics, and to see his odd, angular movements, especially his clawlike hand gestures (often directed at the audience). It was almost as if his twisted lyrics twisted his body as he sang or spoke them.

Wearing a porkpie hat and a rumpled, off-the-rack brown suit, he looked much like he has for most of his 30-year career — a streetwise hipster/hobo — but his voice was grittier than before, and his delivery more gravelly, using his breath for rhythms and even whistling.

Review Monday night at the Paramount Theatre, Seattle

What makes Waits so unique is the way in which he can evoke stark imagery and emotions with jumbles of words that don't seem to have any logic, but together create a mood, a scene. Often hidden among the dark lyrics are sparks of humor that lighten the effect.

In a set lasting more than two hours, he and his excellent band — Marc Ribot on guitar, Larry Taylor on bass and a man known only as Brain on drums — played most of the cuts from "Real Gone," plus material from his other recent albums.

Among the most impressive songs were "Don't Go Into That Barn," with such stark imagery that it made even crops like turnips and soybeans sound scary; "Hoist That Rag," a cracked war cry; "Sins of My Father," a long, powerful, quasi-religious song of redemption that got a standing ovation; and "Metropolitan Glide," a new dance craze down at the frightening Hush Hotel.

Patrick MacDonald: 206-464-2312 or pmacdonald@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

E-mail this article

Print this article

Search archive

More Entertainment & the Arts headlines...