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rufus wainwright

15 Aug 2007
rufus wainwright

I did not take this picture, this guy did

Just got back from seeing Rufus Wainwright play at the Ryman. Is it still called a man-crush if the guy you have a man-crush on is actually gay? Or does it then just go back to being a regular crush.

Anyways, this show was unbelievably amazing – definitely rivaling the David Byrne show I saw there, perhaps topping it. No pictures, because, no fancy-pants cameras allowed. He came out with the band decked out in these vaguely flag-themed suits, with an american flag mockup background, which he explained was his own representation of the american flag: the black/white stripes representing all the bad, and the brooches as stars representing all the good. Given all that, it’s probably unsurprising that he opened with “Going to a Town” – a song which isn’t exactly rah-rah America. Afterwards, he commented “hey, only in America could I sing a song like that here and get away with it.” True enough..

Other highlights included a quick break for a costume change into lederhosen, a few songs, and then two kick-ass Judy Garland songs with piano accompaniment. Encore finale was “Come on get happy” with an entire dance routine performed by … his band. His band, who then got right back up and closed with Gay Messiah. Fuckin’ A.

Sorry for the play-by-play. It was awesome. I’m goin to bed.

Comments

Turner — August 15, 2007 at 16:42 · reply

I’d say yes, it’s still a man-crush. Now if YOU were gay, it’d just be a crush. However, Rufus is the sole man on whom you have a crush, so it’s an exceptional crush.

steph — August 15, 2007 at 20:49 · reply

I was there, and yeah, it was amazing. I especially loved the musical theatre number for the encore, and particularly delighted in how awkward but game the band was. It was probably the gayest thing to ever happen at the Ryman, and it was awesome. [Though from where I sat–with the exception of the acapella song–it sounded terrible. Which baffles me.]

cwage — August 15, 2007 at 21:00 · reply

People rant and rave about the acoustics at the Ryman – and don’t get me wrong, it’s a pretty awesome theatre.. But there are some pretty wicked dead spots, in my experience.. The second time I saw Elvis Costello I was stuck behind a pole where I couldn’t hear anything but bass..

dob — August 15, 2007 at 21:31 · reply

We got tickets lower level under the balcony and, yeah, except for the acoustic number, the sound was a bit lacking. The high end was tinny and the bass was rather muted. Have to remember to sit in the balcony next time around.

The show, though, was sensational.

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