Moments Of Perfection

Goldfrapp @ Beacon Theater 4/29/2008
Paper Bag / A&E / Utopia / Cologne Cerrone Houdini / Satin Chic / U Never Know / Road To Nowhere / Eat Yourself / Little Bird / Monster Love / Number 1 / Strict Machine // Ooh La La (quasi-bluegrass version) / Caravan Girl / Happiness

1. Alison Goldfrapp wasn’t feeling very well last night. She mentioned this very early on in the show, after “A&E,” and then voiced her frustration a few times over throughout the set. I can totally understand how she felt, and why she’d want to qualify her (pretty good, if not totally perfect) performance, but really, I don’t think it’s a very good idea. She sang well enough that if she never called attention to her cold, or showed any sign of aggravation, a vast majority of the audience would have never noticed.

2. This was a very odd setlist, no so much in terms of song selection, but in dynamics and pacing. Most glaringly, the encore would’ve made much more sense in reverse order — whereas the stellar bluegrass stomper version of “Ooh La La” hit the audience hard, and resulted in a sing along at the end, “Happiness” was limp and anticlimactic as the conclusion of a concert. (It would be much better suited as either the start of an encore, or put something in the body of the main set.) Similarly, “Little Bird” would have been a far more compelling opener than the quiet, ho-hum “Paper Bag,” and “A&E” came far too early to land with the appropriate impact. Also, though I quite enjoy the mellow Seventh Tree numbers, there was certainly a feeling in the pacing of this set that those sort of songs were the vegetables we must eat if we wanted to get to dessert at the end.

3. Dessert was fantastic! The audience and the band alike totally lit up with joy at the start of “Number 1,” and the enthusiasm carried on strong through “Strict Machine” and “Ooh La La.” Not to diminish the Seventh Tree songs, but it’s hard to deny that these sort of glamorous, highly stylized disco rockers are something that Goldfrapp can do better than any other band on the planet. Even when others have attempted to clone the sound of “Strict Machine” in particular, it’s never as effective. The band’s aesthetic certainly carries over into the subdued songs as well, but in those big hits, the expression is sublime.

Goldfrapp “Cologne Cerrone Houdini” – It should be noted that when Goldfrapp perform, the band is so sharp and precise that a majority of the songs sound nearly identical to their studio counterparts. This was certainly the case for the groovy, atmospheric “Cologne Cerrone Houdini,” but really, who in their right mind would mess with the delicate balance of its arrangement? Though much of the song’s charm comes from the contrast of its slinky bass line and the chilly treble of the electric violin, in concert, the acoustic guitar and gentle synthesizer washes are more apparent, and go further to establish its sweeping, romantic tone. It’s a brilliant piece of music, and among the songs on Seventh Tree, it and “A&E” are certainly the most successful in terms of conveying understated heartbreak, and in transferring the fantasy, drama, and style of their glam rockers to a more subdued mode. (Click here to buy it from Amazon.)