I first wrote about Ingrid Michaelson when i went to see her play at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles and I don’t think i can do any better in describing the experience of seeing her play because the article was subsequently published in Interlude Magazine and you can view it here (I’m on page 50).

Anyways, seeing Ingrid Michaelson play is one of those experiences where every show is completely different. Her music isn’t life- changing but its fun and she puts on a damn good show.

some of the things that i love about seeing Ingrid Michaelson:
- she’s really witty and should probably have her own stand- up act
- she doesn’t get distracted or angry when her audience yells ridiculous things. Instead, she chooses to poke fun at her audience
- most of the audience knows all the words to her songs and participates when asked (one drunk girl and this has the potential to be a huge disaster but it works for her shows)
- the band plays on

The most memorable part of the night was during my favorite song “The Chain” when the fire alarms started going off making that whoooooooooh whoooooooh sound with flashing lights and the emergency message and you could tell the band wasn’t sure if they should stop playing or not. I was surprised that no one in the audience left because we were in the HOB basement level. Not only was there a potential fire but it was a huge distraction. People were so into her set that they didn’t panic or walk out. The band played on until the end of the song when we were told that the fog machine had set off the alarms accidentally. ingrid managed to banter through it and the show resumed. the fire alarm sound became the running joke of the night with people making fire alarm noises during the encore.

Set List

Die Alone
Breakable
Overboard
Corner of Your Heart
Far Away
Lady In Spain
Creep (Radiohead cover)
Be Ok
Giving Up
Everybody
Starting Now
Keep Breathing
The Hat
The Way I Am
The Chain
Locked Up (new song)
———————————-
(ingrid on drums over the crowd’s fire alarm sounds)
Can’t Help Falling In Love (Elvis cover)
You And I (With David Ford on vocals)

ingrid michaelson, newton faulkner, david ford during the Sophie’s Lounge set in the Delta Room before the show doing a cover of “Elenor Rigby” by The Beatles:

david ford:

Another lovely show from Lisa Hannigan the same day as her date at the Greek Theater with Jason Mraz. The 30+ audience was graced with a 6 song set that included some of my favorite songs off the record. Taking place in a small space between racks of cds, the atmosphere was a lot more casual than the Largo at the Coronet. The audience near the front opted to sit on the floor so that people in the back would be able to see the show. As a result, it gave the show a living room vibe that I enjoyed. On top of that, the performance was low key and quiet while the songs were uplifting.

Set List:

Sea Song
Splishy Splashy
Ocean and a rock
Venn Diagram
I Don’t Know
Lille

During the set, I could hear the nuances of the instrumentation a lot better and Donagh’s trumpet work is so vibrant (listen to “I Don’t Know”) and it is the anchor for a lot of the songs.

Thanks to Fingerprints for the beautiful posters and for arranging the in store for such a great act. A big thanks also to Lisa and her band for being so accommodating and gracious.