The second day of Spring brought a dreary, blustery winter storm to Boston. Inside the Berklee Performance Center, however, it was Victoria William's world: a perpetual summer experience. She had her band of Creekdippers in tow, who proved well up to the challenge of keeping up with her.
The performance center strictly insisted that the show end promptly at 10:45, and the opener, Chris Stills, graciously started his set well before the concert was supposed to begin at 8 p.m. I entered midway through his set, and certainly wished I had heard more.
Of course, the star of the evening was Williams herself, the most
joyful person in the hall--if not on the entire planet. Watching
her perform, I would continually wonder what she sees when she looks dreamily
up at the ceiling. Does she spy angels dancing around; does she hear them
singing with her? She seems to both transcend her surroundings, yet
simultaneously remain up-close and personal with her audience. This
personal dynamic is
most clearly evidenced in her interactions with her husband on-stage.
Her husband, former Jayhawk's Mark Olson, accompanied her on bass
guitar primarily, switching to guitar occasionally to do some of his own
songs. For those brief interludes, Erik Asp took over bass duties. Mike
"Razz" Russell provided some fiddling as well as some excellent harmonies.
Joey Burns brought a cello and the occasional extra guitar to the table,
while John Birdsong added a fine jazzy cornet to the mix. This night
was also a
homecoming for former Berklee professor Tim Ray who is, unsurprisingly,
a virtuoso on piano. Rounding out the crew was John Convertino on
drums and percussion.
Williams' music is an eclectic jazzy, folky experience, with Williams
herself gaily hopping from banjo, to drum, to classical or electric guitar,
to piano, all overlaid with her characteristic vocal touch. Her childish,
somewhat bumpkinish sounding voice only reinforces the pervasive sense
of wonder, exemplified by her cover of Louis Armstrong's "Wonderful World"
(which was recently featured in a Microsoft commercial). It generally
takes some getting used to, and people who have heard her recordings are
often surprised that she really does sound like that in real life. Spending
a couple hours with her can't help but make you happy. Once you are
accustomed to her free-flowing style, it is easy to become enraptured in
the journey that is a live Victoria Williams show. In her
play-what-I-will-fashion, set lists aren't. Songs don't exactly
start so much as happen. In between songs, the band joked about "the
new and improved, organized Vic." The weirdness is disarming and
engaging, without pretension.
Her songs inspire hope and joy. For instance, "Century Plant", from Loose, tells various stories of very late bloomers, people who find their lives taking off at an age when most of us expect to be comfortably retired. She reminds us, "It's never too late to play the game."
She also communicates a deep understanding of the human condition, and the remedy found in God's love. Songs like the very memorable "Love" point the way:
Rainmaker
Frying Pan
Train Song
Love
Redemption Song
impromptu faux opera number
Kashmir's Corn
Humming Bird
(Mark Olsen's) Valentine King
Nature Boy
Grandpa in the Cornpatch
Allergic Boy
Tarbelly and Featherfoot
Boogieman
You R Loved
Century Plant
Let it be So
(Mark Olson's) Eyes are the Window
Wonderful World
Periwinkle Sky
Tree Song
This Moment
I Gave My Heart to You
Holy Spirit
Returning into the cold aftermath of the storm, I was still warmed by the spirit of the show, and the Spirit of which she sang in the evening's last number. It was a beautiful night well spent with a truly beautiful woman.
By Titi Ala'ilima
