he stepped out of another century (or a Jean-Pierre Jeunet film)
vaudeville entertainment and a good thing too,
it was getting all folksy and predictable
but here he was:
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mr waits played for well over 2 hours, nearly 2 and a half
i don't really know, because i wasn't looking at my watch
he is an stage entertainer through and through
with the crowd (sitting for the most part) on the edge of their seats
as he told anecdotes, jokes, weird 'encouragement' (like "if you've been born ur already a winner because your sperm won"
)his hands tinkled the piano as if he was about to introduce a siamese freak show
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i've got to say that for the songs i didn't know the words were sometimes a little hard to make out
he truly is a walking cigarette but he's actually rather understandable when he talks
and he hits all the notes, even the upper middle range with vibrato
if you look at old videos of waits - like this one on some US chat show
you'll see that nothings really changed
it's amazing that he can still sing (unlike say, Dylan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMJAJDIqzq8&feature=related
when he was in his thirties he was quite a big guy, it's clear that he's aged a lot now
he's not a lot more hunched, an ill fitting suit, larger than necessary shoes (all the better for stamping in the dust)
...perhaps a more fitting personification of the characters in his songs
i didn't catch the name of each artist in his band, but his son Casey was doing a fine job on the drums
favourite song:
Chocolate Jesus - see it here on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wfamPW3Eaw
oh and the Rex is a great venue
those leather seats - with room for 2m tall australians
it's sold out tomorrow night, but if you ever get a chance - it's an experience not to be missed
Otway