A microphone, an acoustic guitar and a little magic.
The lights dimmed and the audience was introduced to Christine. You could feel a dynamic in the air... Half of the audience knowing we were about to be touched by something not of words but emotions. Some laughter, some tears, all from the heart. The rest of the audience consisting of people who just came along for the ride. Unprepared, unaware of what would be happening, and a smile came across my face as I felt like part of the "in" crowd.
Her first act of the evening was an apology for her voice. It was slightly scratchy from the pollen in the air, and though we hoped she wasn't getting sick, we didn't know how bad it may become. For lack of a better term, we were "Chlora-skeptical". Those who were new to Christine might have considered it a bad sign, but she promised to see the show through... a true trooper. The first line of a song I had never heard before started and within moments, the questions any of the audience who had never heard of her before were wiped clean. I can only assume the song was called "I am Christine's Clone", but the title was never told to us in the audience. It was a cute look at how cloning has helped Christine get in her leisure time while her clone tours in her place. Clone or not, she was wonderful...
Between songs, she would communicate with the audience. Not the typical looking at audience members as if to say "I'm singing to you" communication, rather, it was a "here's something I would like to share" dialogue. Whether it was about issues of the day, or what inspired the song, or just thoughts about the audience, she shared of herself.
The Art Garfunkle verse to "What Was I Thinking?" was the first sign that she was going to keep even those of us who were true fans on our toes. In case you've heard the original version, yes, I know there's no Art Garfunkle verse. This is part of the reason you have to see the show. She continues to keep it fresh for all of us.
Then she turned off the lights. Encouraging the audience to take advantage of the darkness, I believe the thought was that she wanted us to think. Without being able to see her, we could focus on the words to "The Kind of Love You Never Recover From". For those who do not know the song well, it is about people who love someone intensely, only to lose them, yet they carry on... keeping that flicker of light alive in their hearts though the flame has long since been extinguished. In my mind, I drifted off to Titanic again, the closing montage, where Rose is fast asleep and the pictures beside her bed reflect her life after the sinking. Riding a horse on Coney Island, flying a plane, having a family and enjoying life as opposed to being suffocated by it. All this prompted by this same kind of love... and I wondered if I was the only person who made the connection between these two experiences.
During the course of the evening we were treated to the delightful story of Pluto and it's uncertain destiny as a planet through the song "Planet X", in which I noticed two changes... One was explained as reflecting the passing of Clyde Tombaugh, whose quest to make Pluto a planet is documented in the song. The second was a pronunciation thing. (Yes, Christine, we do listen to every word... be honored.) After this number, she gave away articles on Pluto... sharing the wealth as it were.
We were given the chance to laugh with old favorite songs such as "Waiting for the B Train (or "Help, There's a Puppy on the Tracks")" and "Good Thing He Can't Read My Mind", after which she handed a translation of the song into various languages and back into English, an experiment she has been cultivating on her website. She also performed a few songs which have not been recorded... yet:
Before intermission, she sang a dysfunctional love song about a woman who falls in love with the voice on her self-help tapes, which ends in a ribbon twirling display that was everything one could describe as cute..
She performed a song I'll refer to as "Wild Blue" about kamikaze pilots who fought to defend their country because "...that's what men do.". The focus of this song was a pilot who volunteered for every mission and was never called to fly, so when the war was declared over, he hijacked a plane which crashed. He died a hero, or so it was thought, until he confessed to his children on his deathbed that he changed his name and allowed his old name to live on, revered as a hero. This song has gathered quite a few wonderful posts on Christine's page, but one I wish I knew more about as well still haunts me.
The song I have in mind here is "Errol Flynn", a true story Christine brought to the audience. It was written and originally performed by the daughter of a bit actor whose name was third or fourth down on the list of stars in a few of Flynn's movies. A man who was a celebrity, yet who was virtually unknown. A man whose memory lives on in old films, never aging for all to see. A glance away for his daughter, who has his movies and his posters, even though he is no longer with her. I only wish I knew which artist recorded the song. I would love to have a copy of it.
The show ended in a baton twirling extravaganza, after which we applauded to our hearts content... and I waited for her to touch the back wall of her dressing room and present the encore she earned.
The show was closing... the time was running out, and I wanted it to go on. We all did. That's when she ended the show with the one song that brought me to her in the first place: "Sensitive New Age Guys". Yes, it was magic... and more. It was a full circle.
The Christine Lavin Concert Experience - Feb. 11, 1998
Before the show - The Show - Intermission and Afterwards
Check out the Christine Lavin Homepage at http://www.christinelavin.com.
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