This is a press pic by Stefano Giovannini
Live shots from the show here or here.

After a not-so-fun-fun-fun-fest and a canceled show, Cat Power had some making up to do on this visit back to Austin to make good on her reschedule. I’ll save you a little suspense: she made up good.

A few numbers off Jukebox and an apology served to clear the lingering air of the past. Whether they were as concerned with a proper apology or not, the packed crowd seemed more than willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, cheering her on as she crept along the stage, pausing to crouch down and sing to pockets of fans. Though I’ve never been blow-away by Chan Marshall the recording artist (The Greatest lingered in my CD rotation for a while, but Jukebox came and went all to fast), I realized that night that there’s another half I’d been missing: Chan Marshall the performer. With the dark blue haze of the stage lighting obscuring our view, she’d reach down, tilting her head and even kneeling, to bring up deep, soulful tones reminiscent of old jazz performers. Without a guitar she was free to roam about the stage at will, sinking below our view into the audience up front or standing strong at center stage. I left feeling that I ought to give Jukebox another shot - with the image of “performer” in mind, a cover album at least seems much more appropriate.

I think it’s sufficient to say I couldn’t get enough of Marshall’s performance. Unfortunately, I mean that quite literally. As stunning as she was, her presence on stage seemed to wane more and more often throughout the show. An intermission featured the band’s very-British keyboardist playing an awful rendition of “This Little Light of Mine” and long solo breaks often left her absent from the show entirely. Worst of all, backup vocals (on songs like “The Greatest”) that have become some of my favorite parts of the albums went missing.

These complaints are more about the style of the show of course, and my final word is still an expression of my amazement of Marshall as a performer. Even during songs off The Greatest she managed the same soulful girl-croon that I’ve been raving about. If nothing else, the show healed all wounds with her Austin fans, and, at least for me, left a feeling that I needed to go back and give her catalog the time it deserved.

For those of you who’d prefer I shut up and just post music, here ya go:
Cat Power - Metal Heart