2002-07-27
Artscape, posted at 10:52 p.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com Just got back from Artscape, the purported largest art festival anywhere.It was cool.
I went with Andie (used to be Michelle), Josh, Teri, and Renee. I'd been excited about Artscape for some time, not only because I enjoy art, but because some of my favorite musicians would be there: Dar Williams, Me'shell Ndegeocello, and India.Arie.
Dar Williams was phenomenal. I'd seen her a couple of times before, most memorably in September of 2000 with Hugasoul. That show was good - really good. But I think this one was even better. She played solo acoustic, which I generally think is a more powerful way to go. Even though it was an outside festival, it made the performance seem intimate.
I knew every song she played except for one. I loved the things she said in between songs. She had a lot of praise for Baltimore, saying it's one of the cities with a true sense of community. Sure, she might say that to all the cities, but it still feels good. I end to develop a great sense of pride in the places I live. That has happened with Baltimore. It's especially so because we're sort of seen as the ugly stepsister of Washington DC. But it's an awesome city - way better than snooty DC - and I definitely appreciated Dar's comments.
Anyhow, I seemed to notice different things in the music this time around. I've listened to her music for years, but hadn't played a Dar Williams CD in a long time. I didn't love her latest that much, and my roommate had her 2nd album, which was my favorite. After he left, he took his CD, and I never replaced it. My point is I listened to the lyrics this time more than I ever have before. I think I finally get "Iowa". I love how the chorus sort of sounds like "I awoke." I just went to a dar lyrics website to quote some lyrics for you, but they don't sound right out of context. But, for some reason, I heard these songs with lines about not being scared of women, about being afraid to make our passions other peopel's concern, about being too safe, about disfunctional families finding commong ground, and I was moved. The themes that run through Dar's songs are themes I can really relate to, and today was definitely a relatable day.
The other two performers were disappointing. It had nothing to do with their performances, but, rather, with the setup. They confirmed why I don't like outdoor concerts as a way to see artists I really like. I still say I've never seen Sinead O'Connor live, since I saw her way back on the hill at Pine Knob and didn't get the effect. I felt the same way with both Me'shell and India. They played later in the night and on a bigger stage than Dar, and we didn't get a good spot at all - we were way off to the side, unable to see the performance and without a speaker pointing at us. Me'shell was nearly inaudible over the mix of her music, and India was tough to hear as well. Me'shell was a little disappointing as well, as I really love her new CD, but it was for the things she had to say as well as the music. Since the music drowned her out, it was disappointing. Plus, you gotta play your biggest hit when you do a big summer festival concert like this. She didn't play "If that's your boyfriend (he wasn't last night)".
India Arie was better, because she was wearing yellow and I could kind of see a yellow speck through a hole in between the scaffolds on the side of the stage. Plus, her music is more structured that Me'shell's, and the songs sound more different from each other. With the crowd singing along, songs like "Strength, Courage, and Wisdom," "Brown Skin", and "Video" turned out nicely, even if I couldn't hear all the lyrics like I would have wanted to.
I'd like to see both performers again under better circumstances. I'm actually proud to say I was an india.arie fan before she got big - I remember seeing a quick clip of her on some show and was really interested in her because you don't often see African-American women with a guitar (and when it happens, with folks like Tracy Chapman and Lauryn Hill, I tend to really love the result), and searched out some of her music on the internet, and loved it. I bought her CD the week it came out, and no one started playing "Video" until about six months later. So, like John Mayer, I knew her before she was big. However, unlike John Mayer, I never got the chance to see her in a tiny venue before she exploded. Now, I guess I'll have to contend with shows like tonight's, unless the industry displays its fickleness with talented female singer/songwriters it has in the past.
I also spent a lot of time alone today with Renee as the rest of our group broke off to see other sights. I'm not thinking there's much chemistry there. We have a lot in common, and she's cool, but I don't see things going beyond that. But stay tuned, I guess.
Today's eating was horribly. I had "Fried Dough" (no euphamistic terms like "elephant ears" or "funnell cakes" at this place... nope, they call it like it is) with chocolate pudding on top, two beers, a large breakfast including hash browns before we went out, and this orange creamsicle-tasting milkshake called an orange fantasy. Luckily, today is my running day and I'll be shedding off the guilt.
In other news, I'm getting really excited about my big road trip back to Michigan on August 18. Josh and I are driving up, and it will be a blast.