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Feist @ Commodore Ballroom -- February 13, 2024

February 14, 2024 by Kirk Hamilton in live shows, Show Review

It’s been quite some time since I last saw Feist perform live, so I was very happy to catch one of her three(!) shows in Vancouver, at the Commodore, on the Multitudes Finale Tour.

Arriving to the venue, there was a small stage auspiciously set up in the middle of the Commodore floor, and a large sheet blocking off the main stage. With no opening act for the show, the lights dimmed and the sheet flickered to life, with a live feed from a phone camera. The POV shot went from the backstage area, came out into the main floor & through the crowd, eventually ending up on the small stage, as Feist spun around with the camera on the audience.

Before she could even say a word, the crowd sang her a happy birthday, as she gratefully launched into an acoustic “Century”. From there, she performed ‘in the round’, moving the microphone to face different parts of the audience, and hitting songs spanning her career; from the classic “Gatekeeper” to “The Bad in Each Other” about a dissolving relationship, and the haunting “Become the Earth” making incredible use of the vocal loops.

Between songs, Feist told stories and generally chatting with the audience for an intimate feeling, even choosing a “volunteer” from the crowd to be in charge of the camera, sill streaming to the screen at the stage. (Though it was soon clear that if the volunteer wasn’t a plant from the tour, it was an incredibly lucky choice).

After about an hour, Feist was handed a mystery notebook, which she started to read, spinning it into a spoken word poem. The poem transitioned into “I Took All of My Rings Off”, as she slowly weaved through the crowd toward the stage. Standing at the edge, the sheet dropped to reveal her band, backlit on a smoky stage, who instantly joined in for a hug swell to finish the song. And let me tell you: chills.

From there, the second half of the show kicked into gear, as Feist and her band cranked up the energy with “My Moon, My Man”, and another hour reminding the crowd just how many bangers she has. Highlights including an aptly named “A Commotion”, the frenetic “Sealion”, and “In Lightning”, the tempestuous opener from her latest album Multitudes. The crowd sang along to the jubilant “I Feel It All”, before the soft & heart wrenching “Let it Die”, as Feist capped off this portion of the set with a relaxed, fuzzed out version of “1234”, which then erupted into the upbeat singalong everyone knows.

Another curtain dropped and instead of leaving, the band milled around onstage, silhouettes projected while getting ready for the encore. Feist emerged from behind the sheet and once again went through the crowd, this time with a green sheet, creating some wild visuals on the returning live feed, for “Of Womankind”, and then coming back up to stand in front of the sheet for the beautiful “Love Who We Are Meant To”, as the screen followed along to handwritten lyrics in the same notebook as earlier.

The band popped back out to took a bow — including the volunteer, who was indeed part of the crew — with Feist proclaiming it was the best birthday a person could ask for. Either half of the night could have been a satisfying show on their own. But both halves together, with the fun production twists, and Feist's incredible songs & effortless performance, easily made this a high bar for every other show this year to try and top.

setlist
(acoustic)
Century
Gatekeeper
The Redwing
The Bad in Each Other
Forever Before
Become the Earth
Calling All the Gods
I Took All of My Rings Off
(band)
My Moon My Man
How Come You Never Go There
A Commotion
Hiding Out in the Open
Sealion
In Lightning
A Man Is Not His Song
I Feel It All
Let It Die
1234
(encore)
Of Womankind
Love Who We Are Meant To

February 14, 2024 /Kirk Hamilton
feist, commodore
live shows, Show Review
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An Evening with Feist @ Commodore -- 10/02/17

October 03, 2017 by Kirk Hamilton in live shows

Somehow it's been nine years since I last saw Feist perform live -- so long that the last time I saw her predates this very blog. So I was happy to fix that while spending An Evening With Feist as she toured her Polaris short-listed album Pleasures (well, the second of two evenings with Feist, really, as she was at the Vogue the previous night). 

With no opening act, Feist came on stage with an undeniable and effortless confidence, having the crowd rapt from the first notes of "Pleasure" as she played the entire new album front to back, promising the highs and lows of love & heartbreak. 

Backed by Amir Yaghmai on keys and violin, Todd Dahlhoff on bass, and Lucky Paul Taylor on drums, Feist was clearly having fun, while she made jokes & chatting between songs, slipped local references into the lyrics, and even took a moment mid-set to give Broken Social Scene bandmate Kevin Drew a call, speakerphone held up to the mic so we could all hear (and challenged him to make the same call when their places were swapped and she was on the east coast while BSS was playing the Commodore). 

Highlights from the first half of the set included one of my favourites from the album, "Any Party", a sweet song with a few ad libbed lines toward the end, and "Century" with the disembodied voice of Jarvis Cocker doing his spoken word portion of the song as the simmering energy bubbled over for an intense ending. 

You would think after about an hour, once she wrapped up the album with "Young Up", that would be the end of the main set. But she went right in to a selection of older tracks, starting with the aptly titled "A Commotion", playing nearly another hour of older favourites, like "Sealion Woman" which had the crowd chanting along, and a bit of a revised version of "I Feel It All".

She ended the main set on a bit of a heartbreak, but also with a twinge of humour, saying she had been told this next was used as the first dance at weddings. With a smirk, she made sure we really paid attention to the lyrics, causing a few chuckles through the crowd as everyone listened intently to of one of the best breakup songs of the '00s, "Let It Die". 

Once again, I thought that might have been the end, and it would have been satisfying, but she was back out for a well-earned encore, alone with her guitar for an acoustic "Mushaboom" with a giant singalong, and then a reworked, slowed down version of "1234". But the crowd was still clamouring for more, as Feist came right back out for a second encore and fielded a request for "Secret Heart". She joked she may not quite remember all of the words, but any time she hesitated, the crowd was right there to remind her, singing along. Then after two and a half hours, she ended it for real with one last song, "Gatekeeper". 

Feist is an amazing performer with an amazing voice, and no doubt this will end up as a favourite show of the year. Now, hopefully it just won't be another nine years... 

setlist
Pleasure
I Wish I Didn't Miss You
Get Not High, Get Not Low
Lost Dreams. 
Any Party
A Man Is Not A Song
The Wind
Century
Baby Be Simple
I'm Not Running Away
Young Up
A Commotion
My Moon My Man
Sealion Woman
The Bad In Each Other
Caught A Long Wind
Feel it All
Let it Die
(encore)
Mushaboom
1234
(second encore)
Secret Heart
Gatekeeper

October 03, 2017 /Kirk Hamilton
feist, commodore
live shows
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