Written and submitted by Chris Solari
FERNDALE--The bag contains...a small room, a few people and good ol' fashioned rock 'n' roll.
Of course, for those few people who did pile into The Magic Bag Theatre in Ferndale Saturday, the real sorcery and wizardry of the Halloween weekend was performed by Jeff Buckley.
Buckley, who recently released his full-length debut "Grace" this fall, dazzled the crowd of about 250 people in the small movie theater-cabaret setting and lived up to his growing fame as a tremendously overwhelming live performer.
Opening act Brenda Kahn, who will release a recording in February, warmed the crowd up with a great mix of eclectic alternative and beautiful rock numbers with her very intense voice-sometimes angelic, sometimes devilish.
But the crowd grew extremely restless waiting for Buckley to take the stage. When his group came out after what seemed a lengthy intermission (even though it was only about 15 minutes), not a word was spoken, performer or audience.
The theater grew dark, save for a ghastly orange glow set around Buckley and his guitar. What followed was five minutes of guitar play that would have made the devil himself cringe had the beast been there. Buckley used his extensive vocal range to emanate monk-like moans and wails from the gloomy light that haunted the small theater.
Buckley strummed languidly through the very trippy intro before leading into the notes to his first song on "Grace," titled "Mojo Pin."
He then followed up with another song from his debut LP-"So Real." The song started off with Buckley singing softly and serenely with his guitar and drums, then kicked in and out of tempo before the electric culmination. And Buckley's facial expressions while singing gave everything from angst to happiness to amusement to pain.
Buckley did more tunes from "Grace," such as the title song and his version of the folk classic "Lilac Wine" while mixing playful banter with the audience. Those who paid the minimal $12 fee to see the show felt almost as one in the intimate atmosphere.
Following "Lilac Wine," which showcased the tremendous voice of Buckley, a member of the audience shouted a request for him to sing "Sweet Surrender" by his late father, Tim Buckley. The woman even had the audacity to question Jeff Buckley's vocal range. The younger Buckley almost took offense to this, quipping back at the woman, who responded by saying she loved his music as well.
"Do you see me up here? You see something that is no longer here," he politely, yet scornfully told the woman.
With that, he launched into a number which he said was, "about love in any f**king generation." The opening chords sounded different, but the slide came out and Buckley tore into the third track on "Grace," "Last Goodbye." Tossing the slide aside, he hit a driving pace with his guitar and followed up with the song's touching lyrics.
After hearing the conversation between Buckley and the woman in the crowd, I finally figured the song out. To me, the tune is almost a tribute to the father who died while his son was young. And the pain in the singer's eyes...the lyrics and his face emanated his sorrows.
Most of the older crowd who were hoping for the performer to be his father left, leaving the true fans and music lovers.
The only drawback to the show was technical problems. A low, annoying hum from the amps could not be corrected until almost the end of the show. But Buckley, who proved himself as a virile comedian as well as musical genius, joked about it and told the crowd there were problems- not trying to side-step the issue at all.
Buckley went in to do some great numbers, like "Lover, You Should've Come Over" and the electrically powerful "Eternal Life" that showed Buckley's voice was more than that of a troubadour. He can rock with any musician and singer out today.
He closed with a number that, of all things, included a cello. "Dream Brothers" was a perfect end to a great set, and the remaining crowd beckoned him back for an encore.
In the future, watch for Jeff Buckley if he pops up around the area-his show is one that no man, woman, child, dog, cat, ect, should miss.
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