Neko Case in concert

(Photos of Neko Case in concert at Little Brother's taken by Mark Pfeiffer on June 14, 2005)

Neko Case's music is well-suited for late at night during the summer. Her big voice and the dark-tinged music conjure a lonely evening in the middle of nowhere during a heat wave. OK, so Columbus' Short North isn't exactly the empty plains and the current temperatures may be high, although not heat wave equivalent, but nonetheless, a warm mid-June night felt like the right time for Case's blend of country. (Considering the retro tone of her voice, which recalls Patsy Cline, and the music, it's a wonder that Quentin Tarantino hasn't used any of her noir torch songs for one of his films.)

I'd seen Case once before. While she's an impressive singer--her voice is strong and clear--her accompaniment that night was a steel pedal guitar player and a stand-up bass player, who played some percussion with his foot. It was a good show but a little underwhelming. (I also seem to recall the concert being fairly short.) Tonight she played with a full band. They may not have been the ace band--The Sadies--heard on her recent live album THE TIGERS HAVE SPOKEN, but Case's support was a lot better than the first time I saw her live.

Wearing jeans and a black t-shirt inscribed with "This too shall pass" in an engraver's font, Case belted out several songs from her current album, some choice cuts from BLACKLISTED and FURNACE ROOM LULLABY, a Bob Dylan cover, and a few (presumably) new songs. (As you'll see in the setlist, I tagged one of the new songs as "Sparrow". I've found a couple different titles for it online. The three other songs I didn't recognize I'm guessing are new.) Song selection leaned toward the midtempo and slow. While I would have preferred a few more uptempo numbers, the concert was the right thing for a lazy, sticky summer's night.

This was the first club concert I've attended in town since the smoking ban went into effect. It made a world of difference. How nice to go to a concert and not have your eyes sting from the clouds of smoke and get home not reeking of cigarettes.

1. Favorite
2. If You Knew
3. Outro With Bees
4. (new song)
5. Soulful Shade of Blue
6. Ghost Writing
7. Deep Red Bells
8. Buckets of Rain
9. (new song?) (maybe called “Blood Runs Crazy”)
10. Sparrow (new song)
11. Blacklisted
12. Twist the Knife
13. Hex
14. The Tigers Have Spoken
15. I Wish I Was the Moon
16. Furnace Room Lullaby

Encore

17. Set Out Running
18. Wayfaring Stranger
19. (new song?) (maybe called “Holding Out for That Teenage Feeling”)
20. Look For Me (I’ll Be Around)