AXIS|OF|LIVE

Attending a Regina Spektor concert is like going to a big love-in. Everyone there is guaranteed to be mildly obsessed with her, if not starry-eyed to the point that they hang on her every word. Imagine 90s Tori Amos concerts, before she started making music that could double as Walmart background fluff. Regina is like a lighter, quirkier Tori, still enjoying her first baby steps of stardom, and peering out into the crowd at Town Hall, one could tell she was starry-eyed herself. She quietly sang her opening number and then shied away from the cheering masses, sitting at her piano, where her microphone promptly flopped out of its stand. "Town Hall is soooo snazzy," she remarked, and the audience knew their Regina had arrived; their Regina, which they wouldn't soon let her forget.

The problem with a Regina Spektor concert is the problem that always tends to arise when a very intense and personal songwriter slowly but surely builds an audience while keeping a non-rockstar attitude. I've seen it happen with other bands and solo artists, hence the Tori comparison. A musician such as Regina Spektor, who writes confessional, spiritual, emotionally complex and poetic songs, will inevitably attract people looking for something "deeper" in their choice of music, who feel personal bonds with the artists they enjoy. That is to say, if you're writing songs like Regina's and are consistently as sweet and accessible as Regina, you're going to attract fans who not only want to be your friends, but think they are your friends. Often, fans like this will take their imagined bond and deep attachment to a level where they feel it's absolutely fine, if not necessary, to profess their love to the point that it's disruptive. This was the case at Town Hall, where the audience screamed various words of affection, shouted song requests, sang along loudly to quietly played songs, and generally did not leave Regina alone. Miss Spektor is an understanding woman, of course; she seems to adore her fans right back, and surely knows she'd be nowhere without them. She seemed flattered by calls of "Where have you been all my life?" and song requests. But she's also a woman climbing the ladder of the music industry, and honestly, no matter how many times you demand she play "Hotel Song," she has a setlist and most likely, orders to get through it without huge delays or interruptions. 

And honestly, it's not as if we didn't get a huge helping of Regina. When I saw her play at the Bowery Ballroom last year, she went on for about two and a half hours before realising she'd been playing that long. But this performance was just as generous; she played a set of eighteen songs and then performed an encore of five songs, still going above and beyond the call of duty. She also had something she's never had before: a band! Three gentleman ambled out onto the stage after the first ten songs (the guitarist a dead ringer for Rob Livingston and the bassist with a resemblance to Kid Rock), and Regina shyly shrugged her shoulders and said with all the quiet excitement of a kid about to show off a first place spelling bee medal, "If you're wondering who these three handsome strangers are... they are my band." She's so adorable, it's really no wonder everyone loves her. Her stellar voice and incredible talent as a pianist and songwriter doesn't hurt, either.

We had perfect, perfect seats: second row orchestra, right in front of Regina. Everyone seated by the right side of the stage probably couldn't even see her, despite their orchestra seats, because of the huge piano in between. She meekly apologised for that, explaining that she and the stagehands had tried their best to get the piano in a perfect position, but it was impossible. She went on to insist that we not blame the piano itself: "It's a very large... friend." We had a dead-on view of her the entire time, which was lovely. I couldn't account for the apathy of the people around me, including girls who played with their cell phones while she sang, and a couple in the front row with the best seats in the house, who left before the encore. But also nearby was a girl who eagerly sang along with "Ghost of Corporate Future," so I suppose that served as a balance. Needless to say, Regina was amazing, and her band was superb, really adding a glam touch to some of her newer songs off Begin to Hope and a few from Soviet Kitsch. My favorite number of the evening was the dramatic, brooding "Apres Moi," and other great songs included "Poor Little Rich Boy," "Human of the Year," "On the Radio," "Music Box," and live favorites "Pound of Flesh" and "Baby Jesus," the latter being the quintessential Regina Spektor tune: quirky, vulnerable, unsettling, and altogether pleasurable.

It'll be interesting to see how Regina and her audience both evolve as she (likely) reaches higher heights of stardom. I'll be more than pleased to shell out the cash to see her a third time. Here's the setlist:

Ain't No Cover / Pound of Flesh / The Flowers / Baby Jesus / Summer in the City / Poor Little Rich Boy / Music Box / Human of the Year / Bobbing for Apples / That Time / On the Radio / Sailor Song / Apres Moi / Better / Edit / Carbon Monoxide / Fidelity / Your Honor // Ghost of Corporate Future / Field Below / Us / Samson / Hotel Song

Yes, she finally did play "Hotel Song." But probably not because of the screaming.