In My Mind’s Zen Garden

DAMIEN RICE
SDSU Open Amphitheater
May 1, 2007 ~ 8pm

stones taught me to fly
love taught me to lie
life taught me to die
so it’s not hard to fall
when you float like a cannonball

My wedding anniversary gift to my wife were tickets to see Damien Rice in concert.

Last night was intimate, and personal, as the concert wasn’t filled to capacity and the announcer (in a British accent) told us that, in an orderly fashion, we could transfer up to any available seats towards the front. We were in the back so this was a blessing from heaven!

At the start of the concert the lights were turned off. The darkness of the stage, however, was interrupted by the glow of candles in glass containers, placed randomly around the stage.

leave me out with the waste this is not what i do
it’s the wrong kind of place to be thinking of you
it’s the wrong time for somebody new
it’s a small crime and i got no excuse
and is that alright yeah?

Suddenly, a spotlight had found Damien Rice on stage, alone, seated at the black grand piano, and the crowd cheered him as he began playing the piano intro to “9 Crimes”. Lisa Hannigan, who had sang vocals on Damien’s “O” and “9 Crimes” albums was not there (later I found out she had left the band), and he sang Lisa’s parts with a very nice falsetto voice. It all worked out perfectly.

I’m trying to remember all the songs that were performed last night, but the ones that really stood out to me were: “9 Crimes”, “Older Chests”, “Cannonball”, “Delicate”, and “Volcano”.

His band was great too… guitarist, drummer, bassist and cellist. Seemingly well-rehearsed, very professional, and “tight”, knowing when to come in to add a full band sound and when to drop out to let Damien Rice perform solo on vocal and acoustic guitar.

The overall quality of the sound system was just about perfect, crystal clear, with the vocals and acoustic guitars especially sounding wonderful, with a distinct clarity.

older chests reveal themselves
like a crack in a wall
starting small and grow in time

we all seem to need the help
of someone else to mend that shelf
of too many books
read me your favourite line

During times when Damien Rice was performing alone with his acoustic guitar, especially during “Older Chests”, the audience was very quiet. Damien’s songs can be downright depressing and melancholy, yet he truly knows how to connect to his audience. It was during those quieter moments when he just sang and played acoustic guitar did I appreciate the depth that his music delivered. And his acoustic guitar playing was impeccable.

At times, the band came in, rocking hard with a nice alternative rock groove, then would bring the dynamics down to a whisper. I was very impressed with the dynamics of the band.

There were moments when Damien Rice talked to the audience, told little stories before songs. Talked about how San Diego still had gorgeous weather, compared to where he was from in Ireland, even though San Diego had experienced a dark overcast day. By the time the concert started the night sky had cleared to a display of stars.

At one point, Damien asked the audience to pick a chord, and he ended up with A minor, G and C. Then asked for a name in the audience. And someone blurted out Rachel. And Damien asked Rachel to come up to the stage and make up a rap while he and the band put together a song on the spot. Rachel started rapping about some Swedish guy she’d met who took her on a boat. The whole thing turned out to be quite hilarious and entertaining, as Rachel struggled to make a rap to fit the newly created song! My wife insisted this was all staged, and maybe, but it truly seemed improvised.

He ended the concert set with “I Remember”, a song that builds to a crescendo, with Damien Rice on the verge of screaming, using a special microphone that distorts his voice, as if singing through a megaphone. (a very cool effect)

and so it is
just like you said it would be
life goes easy on me
most of the time

Damien Rice came back for two encore performances… and right away he started the song probably most everyone was waiting to hear, “The Blower’s Daughter”, and as soon as he sang, “And so it is…”, the crowd rose up in one big cheer. And the song was performed so impeccably, each note of the guitar, each word that was sung, was so clear and ethereal… the cellist playing the haunting and passionate accompaniment. I loved all the songs he had performed last night, but this one song made the concert worth the price of admission.

what am i darlin’?
a whisper in your ear?
a piece of your cake?

what am i darlin?
the boy you can fear?
or your biggest mistake?

Damien Rice then closed with one more encore performance… “Cheers Darlin’”. And a waiter comes up to Damien with a towel draped over his left arm, as he pour a glass of wine for the singer. Somehow, between verses Damien would extend his arm with the empty glass, and the waiter would pour another one, creating more laughter and cheering in the audience. Though the song itself is a total downer, depression-filled lamentation, it turned out to be a funny, entertaining close to a wonderful concert.

With all the angst-ridden, depressing and melancholy music Damien Rice had performed last night, he managed to close the concert on a humorous and happy note, as we walked away from the theater feeling quite happy we had gotten to finally see him in concert.

It was a great concert, and my wife and I were joking about seeing him on May 21 at Radio City Music Hall in New York. It’s a longshot, but to fly out there to see him again in concert would be amazing….