[ATTENDED: October 15, 2021] Jade Bird
I’ve really enjoyed the rocking songs that Jade Bird releases. Her voice is so powerful and big that I rally wanted to see her live. Well, we did kind of see her live at Newport Folk Festival, but that was more hearing her as we were walking around. So when she announced a tour I definitely wanted to see her.
But it turned out that her show at Underground Arts was Thursday the 14th and I’d already had three shows in a row that week. (One did get cancelled, but I didn’t change my plans). So I wouldn’t get to see her. Until WXPN announced that she’d be playing a Free at Noon (one of the few they did this year).
A Free at Noon show is weird for me. I have to leave at least 90 minutes before the show for travel time and parking and then it takes me an hour at least to get back to work. So that’s two and a half hours, not including the show which is usually an hour. So, if traffic is bad, it could be a four hour Free at Noon for me. But if you have extra vacation time, why not use it?
So I drove down to Philly and got a great spot on the street. I actually wound up being very early because of the lack of traffic. And that was fine. I got a spot right by the stage and waited for Jade Bird to come out.
Her setlist was on the stage so I got a picture of that. And then she came out. I was tickled by her accent and how soft spoken she was before she started playing and singing so nicely.
She immediately apologized for her voice and said she had a chest cold. I couldn’t hear any problem with her voice though.
I didn’t know all of the songs because I don’t have any of her records, but I enjoyed “Uh Huh” and its rockingness. And her mellower song, “Now Is the Time” was lovely.
I did know “Headstart” a super catchy song the XPN plays a lot. “Candidate” was another fun rocker.
But I was disappointed that she didn’t play “Lottery” next, as I was really looking forward to hearing it.
Jade Bird’s songs are full band on record, but here it was just her and her guitar. Until she called out tourmate Lucky Kilmartin. He joined her for a cover of “Black Star” by Radiohead–which sounded so different from the original, but sounded great.
Lucky stayed to sing “Prototype” with her. But she said it would be her last song, which meant she wasn’t going to sing “I Get No Joy” either.
These were the two songs I wanted to hear most, but I’m guessing with a chest cold those wailing vocals are hard to pull of properly.
But all in all the show was 25 minutes. That’s a poor return on driving time. But it was still a great show, and I do love the intimacy of a Free at Noon. So, minor disappointments aside, it’s hard to complain about a free concert in the middle of a Friday work day.
SETLIST
Uh Huh
Now Is The Time
Headstart
Candidate
Different Kinds Of Light
Blackstar
Prototype
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