This article was originally published on beingtheremag.com, an independent music and film magazine that ran from 2004 to 2007. It is presented here as part of the Being There Magazine archive.
By Adam Anklewicz | Being There Magazine, January/February 2006
Venue: The Rivoli in Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Date: January 4, 2006
A couple of months ago, Neko Case played Toronto with one of her bands, The New Pornographers. I was at the show to review their performance, and gave it one of the worst reviews I’ve ever given. It hurt.
I have now forgiven Neko Case, thanks to the fabulous show she performed to a sold-out crowd of 150. Case was in Toronto to preview her new album, Fox Confessor Brings The Flood. An excellent band including pedal steel/banjo, guitar, upright bass and a fantastic drummer backed Case during this show. Though that four-piece would have been enough for most people, Neko Case went the extra mile and added Rachel Flotard to provide backing vocals, and she did a wonderful job. Her usual backing band The Sadies were not around, but she praised them every time she performed a Case/Sadies composition. Case even suggested that Toronto franchise the country-rock outfit, as they’re too good for the city to keep to themselves.
While Case was struggling with a cold, you wouldn’t have guessed it from her vocals. She shined, and proved her worth as one of the best country-rock vocalists of our time. Her power and delivery were impeccable whether performing older material or teasing the audience with songs from her upcoming release.
The Rivoli is a venue usually occupied by a couple of dozen stragglers, seeing an intimate performance by an artist you might only know about if you read Being There. This night, in front of 150 people, Neko Case was able to do what I have rarely seen another do, she played to a tiny venue for the sheer joy of it.
Joy was definitely in Neko Case’s heart that night as she told the audience of a giraffe scalping a farmer. She had fun at Bryan Adams’ expense and only stopped cracking jokes with Flotard to serenade the audience. Musical ecstasy is perhaps the best way to describe the pleasure of hearing Case sing the opening lyrics to “Furnace Room Lullaby.” That melodic-scream of, “all night, all I hear / all I hear, if your heart / how come, how come,” as she begins her Poe-esque tale. Even the squeal of the venue’s dying ventilation system cannot destroy the magic.
Song after song of beauty, Neko Case gave Toronto an exclusive preview of her upcoming album, Fox Confessor Brings The Flood. Without having heard the album, I think it might be able to rival the masterpiece of 2000’s Furnace Room Lullaby.