Saturday, August 2, 2008

02 Aug: Duffy Live@Lollapalooza Festival, Chicago

OK so did Duffy do this live on 1st August (as her myspace schedule suggests coupled with the fact that reviews of her set are dated as the first day of the festival), or did she perform on 2nd August as shown on the "live" webcast and get on a plane straight afterwards to appear in Toronto the same evening?! LOL It's looking likely that this was actually performed on 1st Aug!


SETLIST
Syrup&Honey
Rockferry
Hanging On Too Long
Serious
Warwick Avenue
Cry To Me
Breaking My Own Heart
Delayed Devotion
Tomorrow
Mercy

Download mp3 audio here.

Watch the entire set again right below. This is a playlist of youtube vids:


Watch the interview by 93XRT:

REVIEWS

Duffy doesn't seem to have got the best reviews for this one.

The below comment is from here:
The one major Lolla letdown was Duffy, the 24-year-old Welsh singer who's on the cover of the new Spin. She's being hyped as the next Amy Winehouse, but Duffy's thin, shrill voice makes Ms. Winehouse sound like Aretha Franklin.

The below review is from here:

Lolla Day One - Sweaty Bordello, Disappointing Duffy

Piet Levy

The New York Gypsy punk band played to the point of exhaustion, as usual.
There's a reason why Gogol Bordello is christened as one of the best live acts out there. You don't have to own a Bordello album, or have even heard their stuff, to get caught up in those legendary, all-out gigs.

What's not to love, between the solid rocking, mosh-worthy sounds, the outstanding fiddle and accordion work, and of course, leading man Eugene Hutz, always a tempest on stage with his leaping and twirling and throaty vocals.

Heat be damned, because the folks at the Bordello gig rocked like there was no tomorrow. There were the sweat soaked guys smashed in the front, nevertheless pounding their fists as they seemingly gasped for air. Two women, covered in sweat, had to seek refuge on the sidelines.

And even Hutz, during "American Wedding" seemingly collapsed on stage. Lying down during a slow part of the song, the man was such a mess, breathing deeply like a dying fish, his hair soaked. But then, suddenly, he was up on his feet, leaping about again. I don't know how he does it.

This was an incredible show, but I'd never expect anything less from Bordello. Of course, being a Lolla gig, and not a club gig, it was a bit more restrained. Hutz didn't crowd surf, or stand atop a bass drum hoisted by folks in the mosh pit, as he's done in past shows. If you loved what you saw, and you want to rock even harder, you definitely need to check them out when they come back and headline a Chicago venue.

Duffy, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. Slow music. Little showmanship. In other words, a bit boring. Yeah, she's the Spin cover girl, and her single "Mercy" is terrific. The Welsh singer is drawing obvious comparisons to Dusty Springfield, but also Amy Winehouse, who has a similar Motown style.

But Duffy didn't really have the charisma to seize the moment. Her voice was pretty, but not heartbreakingly beautiful. She struck the same poses again and again when going through her sleepy set. It was monotonous.

Admittedly, I only saw the first few songs. Maybe it got better. But the beginning was underwhelming.


The below review and photo is from here:


Lollapalooza 2008 Day 1: Duffy, Black Keys, Cat Power, CSS

Many moons ago, Lollapalooza was the Battlestar of alternative culture, carrying all manner of tattooed freaks, noise, metal and rap outcasts to the galaxy of the mainstream. Oh so many years later, Lolla acts and the Lolla crowd are much closer to the center. Raucous histrionics (and thank you Lord, nu metal) are somewhat out of fashion—and soul has insinuated itself into the boutique music culture.

Take Aimee Duffy for instance, a small woman from a small Welsh town who sings light soul tunes inspired by the hits and classics of the ’60s. Surrounded by grown folks and dancing girls in bikinis—and one guy who says “I work at Barnes and Noble and we’ve been playing Duffy eight times a day for the last month”—a slick and soulful set from Duffy and her oh-so-pro backing band feels an odd way to ease into the fest. But brother can the lady sing—up, down and all around that microphone—and as it turns out, she’s written most of the tunes herself. Who knew? She gives us intros to “Warwick Avenue” and “Delayed Devotion” and explains the inspiration for both. Despite the acoustic guitar player with a faux hawk, her band’s competency proves an asset. And her red, white and blue sailor suit makes a good focal point as she shimmies away between verses. She pulls out Solomon Burke’s “Cry for Me” and a free download b-side called “Breaking My Own Heart” to enliven the set—ending with “Mercy.”



PHOTOS
11 x Large Photos (credit: Jeremy_Farmer)

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2 x large pictures by 93XRT
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More pics from Time Out Chicago (click photo for larger image):





Another review, this one by Rolling Stone:
Duffy Burns Through the Blues During Lollapalooza Afternoon

The heat was definitely getting to Duffy. Midway through the Welsh songstress’ Friday afternoon set at Lollapalooza, she had to dab her melting makeup with a towel. “I’m not used to this heat, Chicago,” she said. But she didn’t let what she called “Welsh melodrama” get in the way of a groovy performance that seemed to have a cooling effect on the crowd. Dressed in a sexy sailor outfit, Duffy wrapped her soulful, feathery voice around blues-soaked tunes like “Syrup and Honey.” She even dropped in a rocksteady cover of Solomon Burke’s “Cry to Me.” “I don’t normally do covers, but it’s a festival, so fuck it,” she joked. It was an excellent attitude to adopt as a way to kick off a long and rocking weekend.

[Photo: Rory O’Connor for Rolling Stone]

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Admittedly, I only saw the first few songs. Maybe it got better. But the beginning was underwhelming".

Oh dear. We can now spot these mad Winehouse fans a mile off. What a pathetic fellow this Levy must be.

Anonymous said...

This was not one of her better performances, IMO.

I think Duffy was suffering somewhat in the heat there - one o'clock Central Summer Time, wasn't it? Now that's hot and humid in Chicago; heat and humidity are major factors in affecting the vocal chords quite noticably.

I think it was the earliest gig in the daytime she has had. Usually most (if not all) of her other gigs have been late afternoon or evening.

Of course, her very best gigs have all been in concert halls with good acoustics.

Anonymous said...

anon: "This was not one of her better performances, IMO"

True, but I saw the webcast and there's no way she deserved such bad reviews. Her voice sounded very strong in parts, just not as consistent as usual. She seemed a bit tired in places, which may have been another factor.

Anonymous said...

I agree that Duffy should be singing in a concert hall and not in a field, although her Glastonbury performance was outstanding.

At the same time some of these recent American reviews seem to have been written before the gigs, reflecting the reviewers prejudices rather than the actual show.

Duffy is always being accused of being a product of hype and yes the first 300K of UK album sales may have owed a lot to hype. But now she's sold over a million and been in the top four for nearly six months. That's not hype, it's word of mouth.