CAT POWER in LA

As we packed ourselves in between hundreds of fans last Friday night for the show- after spending and hour with countless others scalping scarce tickets outsides- my fellow concert goers and I found ourselves waiting what seemed like ages for the Southern Soul Queen to emerge from the dark. Before coming to the stage we were stuck listening to the droning overpowering sounds of Chan Marshall's (aka Cat Power) backing band, the Dirty Delta Three. Long after their dull intro set, Marshall emerged and began to strut the stage in her bright white sneakers. I was struck by her preppy attire (button down shirt, jeans, complete with a high ponytail)- the musician with a reputation for her rough habits and lifestyle appeared more like a girl from a GAP add than the elusive, sexy goddess that she later proved to be.
Lights often stayed dim upon Marshall's request as the young woman wailed her blues songs with bravado and intimately confessed her past of painful secrets to us all- often chocking up a bit and even admitting before hand that the song she was going to sing was most likely going to make her cry. Apart from bouncing, crouching, and even moonwalking across the stage, she never failed to acknowledge everyone in the room that night, whispering to band members, politely ordering the light-crew to take spot light from her, even reverse it into the audience instead-as she did at the shows end (a time at which she also proceeded to throw t-shirts and roses into the entire crowd). She won us all in the beginning with her sweet playful attitude, and brought us to her feet when she returned for the second half of the set in a sexy cropped t-shirt exposing a naked shoulder as she held a cigarette in hand. Throughout the sets' entirety she succeeded in commanding the whole room, forcing us all to want to know her deeply and love this masterful emotional girl. Her simultaneous girlish vulnerability and feminine strength present in both her voice and volition that night made the show a truly personal experience and a totally breathtaking night in LA's Wiltern Theater.