BLOBBY'S BLOG

Laurie Anderson

We went to go see Laurie Anderson last night - again. I believe this is my 6th time seeing her, which ranks her up there w/artists I've seen most times in my life (oh, Michael Stanley Band - you'll always be #1 !!!).

As always, she was very good. The themes were Beauty and Time mostly. She played some beautiful violin pieces, but started out w/what possibly the most disturbing piece of music I had ever heard (that goes for you Stacey Q!). Great stories that sometimes led nowhere, or sometimes came back around after an hour to tie together what seemed to be streams of conciousness. Some really great experiences as NASA's first and only artist in residence along w/some 9/11 pieces.

What always continues to amaze me is her demographics. When seeing her in Columbus umpteen years back, it was a college crowd. The arty. The hip. The too-cool-for-school crowd. And the gays. 18 yrs later it still is - though many of these crowds have gotten older, as has the artist. Pushing 60 she is. Many in the audience were too. It is always the most quiet I ever hear an audience - as they hang on her every word.

As we stood in the lobby afterwards, her themes of beauty and time kept coming through the doors - one at a time or in small clusters. If you ever have the chance to catch her - see her. Her disks are good, but they don't necessarily do justice to her live pieces.