The "Serge Gainsbour And Jane Via Japan" tour reached the final date on a nine date US tour moving West to East -as is only appropriate. Upon hearing of the Japanese Tsunami, she immediately packed her bags and went to Tokyo where she met the band who were playing back-up for her Sunday night at the Town Hall. When reminded of a commitment to a world tour, she mixed and matched her Japanese band and remembrance of Japan's tragedy with remembrance of her late ex-husband Serge Gainsbour and the songs he wrote for her.
You might know Birkin parenthetically but I remember her as a model, actress and stunning beauty of the 1960s and then… barely at all while she shined as a French icon though of british decent. Sunday night she spole mainly in English.
In well cut black pants, a white tux, the androgynously beautiful Birkin looks every bit the living legend, leading her Japanese four piece quasi-jazz band through a treasure trove of Serge Gainsbourg songs and stories. Gainsbourg, who is the beginning and end of the hipsters handbook, was a gifted songwriter of questionable taste. Jane doesn't sing "Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus", Serge's heavy breathing love ode to the then 20 year old bride and world wide hit, or, "Lemon Incest", his heavy breathing love ode to Serge and Jane's 13 year old daughter, Charlotte Gainsbourg.
Instead, she digs deep into the dozens of songs Serge wrote for her and mixes up some hardcore French chanteusing on miserable stuff like "Love Of fading And Love Of The Dead" -written in the summer by Serge, he died the following Spring and spritely fun stuff like "Exercise En Forme de Z".
Sooooo, was she good? She was great if you like this stuff. Me, I can take Serge or leave him and an entire evening I found heavy going but I kinda expected I would. John Dugan's review in Time Out Chicago is much better than mine so let me quote him: "In particular, she shone a light on what she called “his feminine side” exemplified in b-sides and darker, sadder tunes such as “Ex-Fan Des Sixties” and songs from Amours des feintes, the album Gainsbourg penned for her just before his death in 1991. Thankfully, she balanced those with some of the funny, sexier tunes from their early years together. Those '60s Gainsbourg-created gems such as “L’Anamour,” “La Chanson Du Slogan” and “Ford Mustang” were the highlights of the night for me, they’re none the worse for wear."
I see what he means, and I did like Jane, but a little of this goes a loooong way.
Grade: B