Point: Norah Jones Is a Snooze
“Don’t fall asleep,” Norah Jones told the crowd at DAR Constitution Hall last night before introducing “Rosie’s Lullaby.” I didn’t, but I did bail 45 minutes into her show; I have only so much patience for mid-tempo rhythms, polite crooning, and guitar notes held for longer than FDR’s term. Trying to keep myself amused during this shower of molasses, I kept track of all the bright-red objects onstage. Jones, it turns out, is the Sammy Hagar of adult-contemporary pop:
Red Dresses Worn By Jones: 1
Red Guitars Played By Jones: 1
Red Towels: 2
Red Cups: 1
Glittery Red Drum Kits: 1
Shout-Outs By Jones to Gaithersburg, Which Is Served By the Shady Grove Metro Station on the Red Line: 1
Red Stage-Monitor Cozies: 7
Stage-monitor cozies are news to me. Monitors are the sort thing people in the audience never notice unless you do something silly to draw attention to them—like, say, drape them in crimson tulle. They're probably cheaper than flowers and safer than candles, sure, but wasn't bright-red lighting enough?
12:51 pm
Isn't M. Ward opening on this tour? That guy has the kind of beautiful growl/great songs combination that could put only the drunkest, happiest hobo to sleep. If I had attended this show I would prayed for a duet like "Islands in the Stream" or "Cheek to Cheek."
12:57 pm
He was really good, actually.
1:48 pm
Agreed. M. Ward's opening set was pretty good--he and Jones did a nice duet on "One Life Away," and he did a good take on Randy Newman's "He Gives Us All His Love." I like him better with a full band, but he's interesting when he's in solo-acoustic John Fahey mode--a little clumsy, but it works to his advantage.
2:49 pm
Y'all missed the best show in town last night while conducting your sociological study at Constitution Hall: The double bill of Michelle Malone and Jon Dee Graham at the Iota. Bluesy, personal, funny--all without the benefit of thousands of adoring fans who shelled out, what?, $50 for benefit of confirming their refined tastes in music. Over at the Iota, Graham joked that he was going to start his own children's show in which he engages the younguns on a variety of topics. Each episode, he said, would end with: "Yeah, what the fuck do you know? You're eight years old."