Review: Cat Power at Bijou Theatre
To the imbecile who shouted “Boring!” during the acoustic portion of Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert on Sept. 19 at Knoxville’s Bijou Theater: What exactly were your expectations for this show?
Did you do a lick of research to grasp what you were in for, such as listening to the 2023 live album by singer-songwriter Chan Marshall that would be recreated this evening? The beautiful recordings were, of course, a clear sign of what would transpire on this tour, beginning with a — yes — more subdued acoustic first half.
In the tradition of Dylan doing whatever he wants with his songs, making them practically singalong-proof, Marshall’s versions similarly existed on their own wavelength. Accompanied by acoustic guitar and harmonica players, the singer offered plenty of engagement through her personal interpretations of these legendary songs and this landmark live event. And the guitarist responding to her smoky-voiced whims and following her tempos across such lyrical epics as “Desolation Row,” “Visions of Johanna,” and “Mr. Tambourine Man” proved consistently captivating.
Sure, things got a little snoozy toward the end of the unplugged portion — though perhaps not for folks who hadn’t driven a few hours to catch Cat Power’s lone Southeastern tour stop — but anyone with basic rock ’n’ roll history knowledge knew that more energetic times were mere minutes away. And, boy howdy, were they!
With a smoking full band in tow, doing their best Hawks impressions (and then some), Marshall attacked the evening’s electric portion with infectious confidence, delivering slightly more faithful renditions of these upbeat numbers. As with the acoustic section, she stuck close to the mic stand, consulting a binder full of lyrics when necessary. Yet among the amplified energy, she too seemed freer and more confident, occasionally moving about the stage to bop with her talented bandmates.
Witnessing this magic in person — bereft of the confusion, rising tension, and animosity that filled the famed London venue nearly 60 years ago as frustrated British folkies struggled to embrace their hero’s new electric sound — only reiterated the show’s major flaw: the rock part is criminally short. Kicking off with the zippy “Tell Me, Momma,” the program consists almost entirely of sub-5-minute songs that brings the whole thing to its exceptional one-two concluding punch all too quickly.
One of Dylan’s best songs that rarely makes a list of such accomplishments, the acerbically witty “Ballad of a Thin Man” may or may not have carried an extra dose of snarl aimed at the night’s clueless heckler, whom the quick-thinking Marshall hilariously compared to Nazi skinheads that attended an early Bijou show of hers decades before.
Indeed, the show at this point was anything but boring as the piano-driven stunner gave way to the only juncture where audience participation is even borderline acceptable: the infamous lead-in to “Like a Rolling Stone.” Alas, no one yelled “Judas” — though one could imagine a hokier artist recruiting a different famous townie to shout it out at each performance — and Marshall didn’t have to tell her band to “Play it fuckin’ loud!” She simply ripped into the jam, more comfortable than ever, leaving the music stand and printed lyrics behind for more fully realized audience interaction at the edge of the stage.
And the old hippies of Eastern Tennessee complied! Liberated from their padded seats, a gaggle of attendees (who probably would have been at Royal Albert Hall in ’65 if they were wily enough to skip school and hop the Atlantic) clapped their way to the front of the room, inspiring others to join them.
The antithesis of the response that Dylan was met with, this impromptu multigenerational party ended the evening on a blissful high note — and was well worth the nearly two-hour drive.
(Photo by Inez Vinoodh)
