I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: June 21, 2019] Dido

I bought these tickets back in November thinking “Dido is playing Union Transfer?” and then, “What happened to Dido?”  I didn’t realize that she had released some albums in the intervening years. I was vaguely aware of her 2008 release but missed the 2013 release entirely.   I also see that she hasn’t toured the states in FIFTEEN years.  In 2004 she played the Tower Theatre but in 2001 she headlined the Tweeter Center.  Remember Tweeter?

So that explains the small venue.  It also explains why it sold out.

Almost all of my familiarity with Dido comes from S.  When we first started dating she played No Angel a lot and I found I rather enjoyed it–a relaxing soundtrack on a summer day.  When I received the tickets for this show, it came wit a copy of her new CD.  We listened to it and I found it pleasant but somewhat unremarkable.  I assumed the show would be the same–an enjoyable, chill evening.

Boy howdy was I wrong.  It’s as if everything on the CD was made for chilling out, but the show was made for dancing.  She had a five piece band behind her and they were fantastic.  With much appreciation to the percussionist Jody Linscott who was freaking amazing and Adam Falkner on drums who played really loud and hard and kept the songs really moving.

The other amazing thing was Dido’s herself.  She has a lovely voice–always has.  On record it’s quite subdued.  But live, she belted out notes, sang passionately and was totally engaging as a performer.  She walked around the stage.  She sat down right in front of us for a song (shame we were behind the two tallest people there), she smiled all the time–a genuine smile that showed how much she appreciated us coming out to see her.  And she was quite funny, too.

One other thing about the show was that it felt stadium-ready.  It felt and sounded like a huge arena show (the sound was amazing, unlike a typical arena sound), and yet it was clearly presented for a smallish club.  She could easily have taken this setup and spread it out to fill a much larger space.  And the music would have filled in the gaps.  But thankfully, she aimed small, and we were only six or seven people from the stage.

I found myself really enjoying the newer songs that I didn’t know very well.  She sang so powerfully that each song sounded urgent and demanded attention.  I assumed I’d only record clips from the older songs that I knew already, but many of these songs I found that by the second chorus I wanted to save them.

The band opened the show with an instrumental jam.  Almost like an orchestra tuning up, except that it was a just a rocking introduction.  I have no idea if it was a song or what, but it was pretty rousing.  Jamie Norton was on keys way in the back of the stage,  He was making some terrific sounds (when Jody Linscott wasn’t doing them, of course).  On bass was Jimmy Sims.  I assume that she brought him along specifically because he is about 8 feet tall and when he claps his hands above his head, everyone can see him so they clap along.   Jimmy was the only one I could get a half way decent picture of.

After they jammed for a minute or two, Dido came out.  She was sweet and gracious and began with “Hurricanes,” the opening song from her new album.  “Hurricanes” opens quietly.  Dido sounded great.  S. and I both marveled at how good her voice sounded.  I assumed that the whole show would stay in this kind of pretty, lovely vein.  And then, mid way through the song, it just took off, with Dido belting out lyrics.

I was really impressed and looked forward to what was coming next.

She played acoustic guitar for a number of songs, but not all of them.

Well, next up she made good use of the screens behind her, showing videos of fire for the song “Hell After This.”      I did mentally compare this to the Slayer show as they also had fire with a song about Hell.  But it was quite different.

After the two new songs she moved through her older albums.  She played “Life for Rent,“a song I didn’t know.  But I was so impressed at her delivery, that I had to record a few seconds of it.

I had assumed that all of the songs off of No Angel would be set enders, but she scattered the four tracks throughout the set.  First up was “Hunter” (I had no idea that’s what the name was).  I was so impressed that it sounded so much like the record and yet also sounded so much better than the record.  Her voice was so powerful on this track and the live band was excellent–filling the club with music–but I never had to put in earplugs (and I’ll put them in at the first sign of things being too loud).

Back to Jody Linscott.  She was a whirlwind behind the percussion.  And her instruments fleshed out the songs in wonderful ways.  Whether it was constant bongos or congas, the giant elevated bass drums that she pounded out.  Or the delicate tumbling gravel sound that she somehow made with a drum.  She also had this fascinating thing that looked like a fan or a mag tire from a bike. She spun it and hit the tines for sounds and then drummed on it as well.  She had shakers and maracas and chimes and ever so much.  She even had a brief drum off with Falkner during one of the instrumental sections.  She was awesome.

I also liked the imagery she used for the song “Grafton Street” (left).

She chatted between songs in a very self-deprecating way.  She was also very funny asking if anyone had had a vacation romance.  A few people raised their hands and she chatted with a fellow who talked about his–five days long.  She said that was perfect.  She also said that many other countries (Germany in particular) don’t like to admit it.  But in England, that’s what vacations are for!  The delightful “Sand in My Shoes” was a song about a vacation romance.  She then said that it should be followed by the inevitable breakup song, “Give You Up.”

And then she surprised me even more by playing what I was sure would be the encore, “Thank You.”   As with the other songs, it sounded better than the record–bigger, more impassioned and really full.  It was terrific.  And of course, everyone sang along.  Guitarist Pete Rinaldi was on stage for most of the songs, including playing the beautiful acoustic guitar on “Thank You.”

When she played the lovely, quiet, “Sitting on the Roof of the World,” she came over to our side of the stage and sat down.  It’s then that we realized just how close we were (about four or five people back).  It was hard to see her clearly behind the two mountain men, but I did get this cool picture and could certainly hear her perfectly.  I later saw that Rinaldi sat sown in front of the other side of the stage (which was probably less exciting–no offense).

After the quiet “Quiet Times,” she returned to No Angel for a terrific version of “Here With Me” (the theme from Roswell).

Before the song “See You When You’re Forty” she joked that that seemed like the ultimate kiss-off when she wrote it.  Now (she’s 47) she’d like to change it to “See You When You’re 90.”  Although she did sing it as 40.

“Mad Love” was a new song which flashed some words on the screen for us to sing along.  She also joked that “Take You Home” was the easiest song to sing along to since the looping vocals is a simple “la la la.”

She ended the set with a rousing version of “Take My Hand,” from No Angel.  I listened to the song again on  the record and once again I was struck by how pleasant it is.  But live, it really rocked.  She and the Jimmy and Pete even did some pogoing to it at the end (mid 40’s pogoing, but still).  It just sounded so much bigger and more fun that the record.  And I think that’s what a live show should do.

She left for the encore and S. said she really didn’t know what else Dido could play.  And no, she didn’t play “Stan,” thankfully.

She came back and played a quiet song with just the keys called “Have to Stay.”  She introduced it by saying that she took time off because she had a kid.  And she swore she’d never write a song about how great it is to be a mum.  But then she did.  It was really sweet.

A number of people behind me were shouting for “Closer” a hidden track from her 2003 record.  Since I don’t know many of her songs I assumed she’d play it.  But when she said it was the last song a guy up front said “White Flag.”  She looked at him and said, “we were going to play something entirely different, but for you we’ll play this” to much laughter from everyone.

S. had turned round to talk to me and while she was doing so a guy sneaked in front of her.  He was so excited to sing along to “White Flag” to raise his fist up and be close to Dido that we didn’t mind the sneaky move.   That’s the kind of person you want to see up front.

We both came away from the show thrilled and exhilarated.   I certainly never expected the show to be that much fun or that impressive and S. said it was probably the best show she;s seen this year.

Great job Dido and thanks for coming back on tour.

SETLIST

1. Hurricanes §
2. Hell After This §
3. Life for Rent £
4. Hunter ⊗
5. No Freedom ⇒
6. Grafton Street ♥
7. Sand in My Shoes £
8. Give You Up §
9. Thank You ⊗
10. Friends §
11. Sitting on the Roof of the World ⇒
12. Quiet Times ♥
13. Here With Me ⊗
14. See You When You’re 40 £
15. Mad Love §
16. End of Night ⇒
17. Take You Home §
18. Take My Hand ⊗
    encore
19. Have to Stay §
20. White Flag £

⊗ No Angel (1999)
£ Life for Rent (2003)
♥ Safe Trip Home (2008)
⇒ Girl Who Got Away (2013)
§ Still on My Mind (2019)