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PJ Harvey: Opening for U2, June 8&9, 2001 Boston MAJun 12 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Perhaps I should re-evaluate her album material that I've heard...
(Note:I'm not exactly a big PJ Harvey fan, but since I didn't mention her at all in my U2 review, I thought I'd give her just due for her two excellent performances that I witnessed) Walking into the Fleetcenter on last weekend, I knew what to expect from U2, having seen them perform earlier in the week. But having missed PJ Harvey, I wasn't sure what to expect. I had heard she was a dynamic live performer, but the stuff I had heard from her albums hadn't really excited me. Even her heavily acclaimed 2000 album Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea, which I had listened to multiple times, failed to galvanize my interests in her. But I have to say, when she comes back on her own tour, I may have to plop down some money to see her as the headlining act. OK, so I'm not gonna be stupid and say she upstaged U2, no way she could do that with only about 5,000 people (at best) watching her each night. But she performed with an intensity, devotion, and a never say die attitude that was addicting. As far as songs go, I wouldn't know what she performed. I would imagine she borrowed heavily from Stories, but most likely she took a bit from each of her albums in her 45 minute sets. Friday night she looked positively diva-esque, dressed in a black dress and long white coat, she prowled the stage with ferocity, deftly picking up a guitar for some tracks while her band kicked out the jams behind her. Her show takes on much more of a rock feel than her albums do. There's something very ethereal about her albums, they're very atmospheric, but in a live setting, she just rocks. The guitars took on an even greater importance during her Saturday set than her Friday set. She seemed relaxed and comfortable in her opening act position, almost as if she were truly honored to be opening for a band that has a status like U2 does. If anything, PJ Harvey is a true show-woman who looked confident on stage, and seemed to enjoy the front of the audience and the energy they exuted during her set. All her "little fishies" did her proud. However, her performances and her band spoke for themselves. If this positively galvanizing woman comes to your town, I urge you to go see her. Her stage presence is rare, and as I said before, her songs ROCK in a live setting.  |
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