Vanessa Carlton made her way to Baton Rouge for the first time during her “Liberman” tour at The Spanish Moon on Feb. 3.
Doors at Spanish Moon opened at 7 p.m. and Carlton began her set at 8:30 p.m., although she was slated to play at 9 p.m.
The set was intimate which was appropriate for the quirky, eclectic venue. Carlton sat at a keyboard with several candles on top. Meanwhile, her stage partner controlled the effects and looper pedals. By using the loop, the duo was able to recreate the collage of sound heard on “Liberman.”
Carlton opened the show with her 2001 pop hit “A Thousand Miles.” She appeared resentful of the song which kick-started her career and made her a household name. She acted as if the song was a burden, saying after she played it, “now the real show can start.”
It’s understandable Carlton recorded “A Thousand Miles” at 21-years-old and since its release, has grown musically and intellectually. Now 35-years-old, she has a family of her own and is nowhere near the same person or artist she was. She’s tired of one song defining her career, especially now that she isn’t involved with the major label machine. She makes music that is beautiful and meaningful to her, and that is admirable.
But, “A Thousand Miles” is what gave Carlton her fame and, most likely, made her a lot of money. The generation that is now old enough to attend her shows grew up listening to “1000 Miles” and “Ordinary Day.” To young audiences, Carlton’s pop classics are half the reason they attend her shows.
Carlton’s snubbing of her early work was uncalled for. Yes, she wants this tour to be all about her new material and the direction she’s headed in. However, she can appreciate the music which got her to where she is now, and audiences can recognize that it’s been over a decade since “A Thousand Miles” was released.
She is a talented, genuine artist with so much to offer. Her live performance was as good, if not better, than the studio version of her album. Many artists cannot imitate their recorded songs live or recreate the effect, and Carlton’s sound quality was great.
Although the artist was personable at her show, her interaction with the audience went a little south. Carlton kept making comments directed toward the audience for talking during her set, which was only an hour at best.
I would expect a longer set for the $25 ticket price. “Liberman” is only 10 tracks and 35 minutes long.
Carlton’s album has a dreamy, experimental feel to it, but the songstress gave off the impression that she was somewhat high-maintenance and entitled. I respect her genuine passion for her vision and wanting to project a certain ambiance when she plays, but she is overestimating her relevance.
Carlton went immediately to the second floor green room after performing. She didn’t even get up and return for an encore, rather asking audiences to “pretend she did,” and played her two final songs.
Her concert was mellow and reflective of her genre, but Carlton needs to work on her stage presence.
Vanessa Carlton performs at The Spanish Moon on Feb. 3, 2016.
