I got to the Bon Iver show at Radio City Music Hall because with the choices Doug Paisley and Anais Mitchell for opening act I got Anais Mitchell, and as God is my witness if I have to sit through one more dreary fucking chick singer with the blues opening for more more indie band, I will go ballistic.
So I got there and only saw half and while some of was kinda dreary it ended really really well. Two of the last three songs were awesome. The first song, "Shepherd" was based on the first chapter of the Massachusetts native's novelists father novel. Sounds a bit convoluted and so does the song, with so many words they add up to a story, or at least a lick of a story. The melody was effortlessly pretty.
The last song was "When We Built The Wall" from Anais' 2010 rock opera Hadestown. A Tom Waits sound alike that is more fun then it has any right to be. Anais is a 20 something folkie who records for Ani di Franco's "Righteous Babe" label (Ani is also part of the opera) and though she can be draggy, sometimes she mixes the music and humor just so and is sparkling and effervescent. "Venus", off her current is a terrific pop song which seems to be all fizzle and Anais' voice, which is easy and high, quite lovely, works it well.
Anais directs a full band and the sound doesn't need fleshing out, it is tuneful and deep, and a fine opening for her friend Justin, who actually played sang on her last album. Justin's girl Kathleen Edwards also comes to mind, though Anais isn't as playful, maybe the big stage is making her a little jittery.
At times the sound gets bigger but it doesn't feel like her natural light, Anais is a folk rocker and when she goes out of her comfort range she can be difficult to hear and I do mean hear. The audience doesn't qappear to agree with me and give her a supportive listen. Undoubtedly she converted a few new fans, and me to to a degree.
Anyway, hard to judge Mitchell too harshly, I certainly didn't end the set wishing her ill so I guess that must mean something! And her best songs are very very good indeed and, I didn't mention this but, her stage patter is pretty excellent, something that has felled more than one act I've seen in the past couple of weeks.
Grade: B