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Thursday, February 10, 2011
Photos / Live Reviews / setlist / News Live review: The Civil Wars
Posted By Jeff Hahne on Thu, Feb 10, 2011 at 11:08 AM
The Civil Wars w/ Lucy Schwartz
The Evening Muse
Feb. 9, 2011
The Deal: Folk duo performs stellar concert for sold-out crowd.
The Good: The night started out with a set by Lucy Schwartz. The 20-year-old has talent beyond her years and, while most comfortable behind a keyboard, showcased her abilities on guitar, harmonica and with a looping machine to put the finishing touch on what was the perfect warm-up set for the band to come. She had a young, honest vibe about her lyrics and performance style, daydreaming about a man that might be watching her perform and joking that he wasn't there to carry her equipment offstage.
The Civil Wars were up next and you could tell the interest of the sold-out crowd by the silence that blanketed the small venue during each song, and between them. The band started off the night with "Tip of My Tongue," a slightly upbeat number that instantly showed off the duo's harmonies, talents, playful attitudes and comfort.
Throughout the night, Joy Williams and John Paul White teased each other for laughs between songs and focused while performing, constantly pushing each other's vocal abilities and finding the perfect combination of notes to sooth like a skillfully played Stradivarius. The music was simply strummed and finger-picked guitar playing by White while Williams drove the vocals forward with ease.
Williams' tone was the perfect compliment to White — the kind of harmonic tones usually reserved for families and blood relatives only.
White, who bears a resemblance to Johnny Depp, kept an even tone throughout the night. He knew when to let Williams shine and when to compliment her voice at the right moments. The idea of a duo playing folk music might sound "boring" or "old," but the vocal abilities and the harmonies they sing together are exactly why this style of music has lasted for so long — pure, simple and exquisite.
They also have a tremendous ability to make any song their own. They sprinkled a few cover songs into the set, but even the simplest, "You Are My Sunshine" sounded fresh. The version of Smashing Pumpkins' "Disarm" was both unrecognizable, at first, and beautiful. The duo managed to put their stamp on it without taking away from the original.
The same could be said for the two Michael Jackson covers, "I Want You Back" and a slow "Billie Jean." What started out sounding like a bit of a humorous version, found the right notes on the choruses and quickly silenced any laughs.
Singles such as "Poison and Wine" and "Barton Hollow" didn't stand out, as every song in the roughly 20-song repertoire was as solid as the next. They even offered a newer tune, "O'Henry," which shined like the rest. Familiar or not, the duo's talent is enough to make you feel like you've heard the song before, yet fresh enough to keep you interested, entertained and enthralled.
The Bad: Not one thing.
The Verdict: An absolutely stunning performance by a talented duo that won't be playing for small crowds for much longer.
The Civil Wars setlist
Tip of My Tongue
Forget Me Not
From This Valley
20 Years
Sunshine
I've Got This Friend
Girl with a Red Balloon
Barton Hollow
Falling
C'est La Mort
To Whom It May Concern
Birds of a Feather
O'Henry
Disarm
Fathers
Poison and Wine
Encore
I Want You Back
Billie Jean
Dance
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