SAN FRANCISCO, CA - I'm usually wary about rock artist-symphony mash-ups, but Natalie Merchant made it work elegantly on Monday night, when she performed with the San Francisco Symphony at Davies Hall. Thirty years on in her career, Natalie is now gray-haired but still exudes youthful energy on stage, leisurely spinning and dancing just like she did when she was the lead singer of 10,000 Maniacs 20-plus years ago.
In the first half of the program, conductor James Bagwell worked as a quiet guide through her songs, letting the smoldering power of the lyrics come through. Most of the songs with full orchestra were from her latest album, Leave Your Sleep — a collection of music adapted from 19th and 20th century British and American poetry about childhood.
Merchant’s distinctive dark, modulating voice – which, if anything, sounds more burnished now than in her youth – was crushingly delicate in older songs like "Life is Sweet," off Ophelia. The lyrics “I tell you life is sweet…in spite of the misery…there's so much more…be grateful,” hit home far more now than when they were originally released 15 years ago.
For the final few songs, Merchant performed with only Uri Sharlin (piano) and Gabriel Gordon (acoustic guitar). Throughout, Merchant and Gordon kept things loose, joking back and forth about which verse was next, where Gordon should capo his guitar, and how much time had passed since the song was originally released. From the 15th row, it felt like we were sitting in Natalie’s living room, watching her and a few friends jam on old favorites while the audience clapped along, negotiating with Natalie to play "one… ok, two" more songs.
For all of the cheese potential of the "crossover" symphony-pop show, this was one concert that moved and thrilled on almost every level. Call me converted.
Set list below. More pics on the photo page.
With the SFS
The Land of Nod
Nursery Rhyme of Innocence and Experience
Life is Sweet
Beloved Wife
Gold Rush Brides
She Devil
maggie and milly and molly and may
Butterfly
Verdi Cries
Spring and Fall: to a young child
Henry Darger
This House is on Fire
Man in the Wilderness
The Sleepy Giant
Sonnet 73
The Letter
The Worst thing
Encores, without orchestra
Hey Jack Kerouac
Wonder
These Are Days
Build a Levee
Tell Yourself
Kind and Generous