Venue: Tractor Tavern - Seattle, WA
Date: Feb. 18, 2008
The Bottom Line
If you've never seen Toshi Reagon live, you need to just go next time she's in town. Whether you've heard her on record or not, doesn't really matter. Even when, as she was on this particular night in Seattle, she's in "some kind of mood," her shows are electrifying, heart-twisting, mood-lifting experiences. It just makes you feel good to know someone with that much talent is out there in the world, doing that.
The Crowd
Owing in no small part to some scheduling mishaps at another venue, and the fact that it was a Monday night, the crowd for this show was remarkably small. It was fine, though, because the evening leant itself to a casual, familial atmosphere. That familiality has been present everytime I've seen Reagon in concert, though, so it can't all be owed to the living room-like atmosphere in this Seattle bar.Still, the crowd was happy to be there, even as Reagon fed them sad song after sad song. Between tunes, her banter reminded them of the joy behind even the sad songs. She told about how she came to write "Mia's Song" during a recent shooting of Showtime's The L Word, on which she made a brief appearance. The song itself was a beautiful, sentimental tune, as so many of her songs tends to be.
The Songs
Toshi's songs occupy that sweet space that defies definition. Words like blues, folk, soul, and gospel, are often thrown around, but her songs are about more than that. On this particular occasion, she was singing a lot of heartbreak songs, many from her forthcoming record (due out May, 2008), although she did honor a request and close the show with "Mr. Conductor Man." Hers are the kind of songs that break your heart, just by listening to them, and then leave you feeling like everything will be okay, after all.They're the kind of songs that often inspire people to join in, or to comment from the audience. Because Reagon is such a gifted performer, these comments often become conversations that lead to stories, and segue seamlessly into the next song she's ready to sing. Like I was saying, if Toshi Reagon comes to your town, just go.
Toshi Reagon tours frequently, and has a new CD coming out in May, 2008. For more information and updated tour calendar, visit her Web site.
