bring back the love

[snugglekitty]

Last night I went to see Bebel Gilberto with mrpet. (I made an "art" exception to Buy Nothing Day, and feel quite good about it.) It was incredibly sweet of mrpet to go with me to see an artist that I liked and he really didn't know much about, in a musical genre is pretty far from his interests.

As usual the start time of the concert was not publicized. Based on my previous experiences with the Paradise (they want people to call it the Dise but I don't think anyone does) I figured we should not leave the house any earlier than when the doors were opening. Doors were at eight, we got there around nine, the show started a little after ten. So that was a good call. It was nice to get there before it got super-crowded.

The show was quite nice. I had never seen Gilberto in concert, and she has great stage presence. She's an impressive performer, with good energy and really graceful movements. She comes by it honestly, as she's the daughter of famous bossa nova singers Joao Gilberto and Wanda Sa. She didn't sing my favorite songs of hers ("Baby" and "August Day Song" and "Tanto Tempo") but she did sing a number from her three previous albums which I was able to recognize - Agaju, So Nice, Bring Back the Love, and others I can't remember the names of. She also did a few songs that I knew because they were bossa nova, not because they were hers - "Bim Bom" and what I think was a Portugese version of "Only Trust Your Heart."

Of course it wasn't a perfect evening. Some people next to us on the floor had a new digital camera, and there were some problems with the sound, but really it was just so much fun. I never got really overwhelmed or discouraged, which for an outing late at night with a big crowd at this time of year for me is pretty miraculous.

After the concert was over, it was raining and there was no train. We decided to walk back to the BU bridge to get to the Red Line. Just then my body started crying out for pizza, so we took takeout slices over the bridge with us. The rain got in my ears and on my pizza, and my hair kept blowing in my mouth, but it was really really fun. It reminded me of my days in the goth scene, feeling silly because you're up so late. We got the very last red line train.

I don't normally go to many concerts, but I had such a good time I am thinking about whether I might like to go see Luciana Souza in Boston in January. I'll have to listen to her new album before I make a decision, though it's hard to imagine it could be better than The New Bossa Nova. (Of course, to be perfectly honest, for me it's hard to imagine that ANY album could be better than The New Bossa Nova.)

Comments

[chienne-folle.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you had such a good time, and it's fabulous that you were able to enjoy a large, crowded event during the month before Christmas!