Sara Bareilles - Spreckles Theater 10/09/08

Let me just say this: Sara Bareilles was great. You don't really have to read any more if you don't want to. But you can, for I have written more!

Sara Bareilles floor lighting was very annoying for anyone sitting in lower orchestra, something she noticed and mentioned during the show, but was not changed by the lighting guys. It basically caused me to watch the whole show with my eyes closed.

We heard a few new songs, and all the popular songs (Lovesong, Bottle It Up) from her album, Little Voice. She talked a little about not talking as much during her show, but personally, I love that... People show up to these things to be closer to thier favorite artists, and how can you feel more connected than hearing what that person has to say? She did break from this and tell us a few stories about ex-boyfriends, but they were kept brief. Probably so she didn't offend any people that might still be in her life (if even on the fringe).

Amongst the "new" songs was the inspiration for her album title Little Voice. I'm not sure why the title track did not make it onto the album, but was was a very good and sweet song. I look forward to it being on an EP, single or maybe her next album. Sara gave us an encore of a few songs, closing with my favorite, Gravity.

There were two opening acts. Raining Jane and Marc Broussard.

The all-girl band, Raining Jane, was different and interesting while not being so far out of scope that you couldn't enjoy the music even though you had never experienced it before. They have a very folksy sounding vibe, and while I don't typically go after that sort of thing, it was very enjoyable.

The drummer for Raining Jane (if you can call her that, more of a percussionist, really) played a drum that she called a "cajon". Before she explained what it was, I seriously thought she was sitting on an old tree stump and synching her arms to a recorded beat track... but sure enough, this is a real instrument. Crazy!

They also had a sitar player instead of a lead guitarist for several of thier songs. It lent a very indian feel to thier folk-style songs, and really made it a very interesting (and good!) experience for me. I'd reccomend this band for sure.

Marc Broussard did not really impress me. There were a lot of people that were very excited when he came on stage. I was hoping that since so much of the crowd was excited, that he must be pretty good. I personally wasn't impressed. I did like a lot of the grooves and beats that they layed down, but I felt that his voice did not match up with the sound of the band. I wonder if that was a function of the (non-studio) sound, or if maybe he's just not as soulful as the band is. If I cared more, I would go listen to some of his studio tracks to find out, but I don't.

All in all, it was a great night, and I got to have a Frosty afterwards. Go me!