Tuesday night at the Egyptian Theater fans were blessed with Patty Griffin's first appearance in Boise. The grandeur of Boise's most historic and beautiful venue could not match the awe inspired by Griffin's voice. She sang as if inspired by the angel of heaven as her deep, introspective lyrics brought fans through the gamut of emotions. At one point she'd have you laughing, at another crying, while at others examining the entire meaning of existence.
Patty started off her singing career in Bangor, Maine where she received initial
notoriety with her classic Living with Ghosts. After her recording studio heard her demo of it, executives had her cut the album with a full back-up band. Once finished the studio execs decided that her original bare-bones version was just perfect and released the original demo.
Her next album, Flaming Red, was also recorded with a full rock band. Griffin's intimate lyrics seemed to be lost in all the sound on the album. Patty seemed a little out of place in the context her label put her in. Wisely, she moved away from that label and headed down to Austin, Texas, the Live Music Capital of the World.
She later moved onto a new label, one run by Dave Mathews, and seemed to revel in the artistic freedom she was given to decide who would record with her and what instruments would be heard on each song. Now, I'm a big fan of talented musicians playing in bands, but there are talents, such as Griffin has, that at times are best shown with a minimal use of backing music. With Griffin's near perfect voice and her simple but dead-on guitar playing, she can now decide when to have her band members come out and jam and when she'd like to sing and strum by herself. Bravo Patty for seeking a label that lets Griffin be herself.
From opening note to her last lyric, Griffin mystified the crowd. If you've ever seen how a crowd stands in awe of an amazing guitarist, you'll know how the Boise fans stood in awe of Patty. She did not disappoint any one's expectations and mixed her songs from throughout her career. Several songs came from this years release, Children Running Through. These included You'll Remember, Trapeze, Burgundy Shoes, and her tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Up to the Mountain.
Griffin also played several songs from 1000 Kisses, such as Making Pies and Tomorrow Night. She also rang in some of the old tunes such as Every Little Bit and Not Alone from Living with Ghosts. One fact is for sure, the eclectic crowd, something Boise needs more of, ate up everything Griffin laid down.
As for me, Patty Griffin is one of the best singer-songwriters I've ever seen. Each album she records is like another chapter in her life. Though she doesn't attempt to make the crowd think she's had it tough, the truthfulness of her songs about what she or others around her have endured just makes me want to hold her in my arms and caress that beautiful red hair until her burden of sorrow is lifted away by the angels who gave her that voice.
***to hear a wide variety of samples of Patty Griffin's music, click on the link to emusic.
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