Friday, May 15, 1998
McKennit’s dance
MUSIC: Combining versatile talent with mystical ambiance,
musician mesmerizes fans with classic celtic rock
By Vanessa VanderZanden
Daily Bruin Staff
Don your cloak and grab your fiddle. Pick up your skirts and
throw on your dancing boots. It’s time to hit the briar with
Loreena McKennit.
Though many still called it the Universal Amphitheater, none
could claim it to be the same arena that usually shows sweaty rock
bands amidst squealing teenage youths. Wednesday night, Loreena
McKennit transformed the space into a mystical Celtic howling
ground. Here, the spirits of traditional European folk stars meshed
with modern music sounds, captivating an almost-packed house.
The audience of affluent Angelenos drank wine and sipped
champagne as McKennit and her eight-piece traveling band played two
70 minute sets. Focusing the first segment on her most recent and
widely received album to date, "The Book of Secrets," she performed
the work from beginning to end. The second portion showcased
samples from two of her previous five albums, "The Mask and Mirror"
and "The Visit."
Moving from one harp to the next, to accordion, to keyboard, to
piano, McKennit proved herself to be a a versatile musician.
Flawlessly yodeling her soothing incantations under the cloudy L.A.
sky, Canadian McKennit remarked at her first break, "we’ve been
looking for good weather all over the world."
Fans would never have guessed that the group had only performed
before an audience of this size just once before. Only one song had
the musician seeming ruffled, her hit single "The Mummer’s Dance."
No doubt sick of performing the chillingly crisp tune, McKennit ran
through the work with a faltering voice.
However, once past that hurdle, she relaxed and fell into the
vibe that mesmerized the crowd. The ancestral, wailing voices of
times past channeled through her and provided a basis for the
instrumental jams which ensued. Each song had a story and like a
bard of ages gone by, she breathily related the tunes’
inspirations.
The last song on her album and the last tune of the first half,
"Dante’s Prayer," came from the plains of Siberia. Riding across
this wasteland on horseback, mingling with Russians and reading the
"Divine Comedy," she became creatively empowered. She had just
finished playing a show in Japan.
One hell of a way to get inspired.
Such tales, shared in the calmest of ways, revealed McKennit’s
polished intellect which seems to take her songs to a higher level.
The classy backdrop of Arabic curtains and three huge, glowing
lanterns provided the dark, mystical aura which the group thrives
upon. Even McKennit’s outfits felt right.
She began in a burnt-brown, ankle-length coat which covered her
long, velvet, cheetah print skirt. Later, she floated across the
stage in a floor-length black ensemble which included wide pink
lapels and a blousy white top. Her fluffy blonde hair running wild
over the conservative clothes accentuated the musician’s
professionalism over sex appeal.
However, the talented star gracefully introduced her fellow
musicians, without whom McKennit’s sound would fall hollow. From
two tribal drummers to a killer fiddler to a barefoot cellist to an
electrical guitarist/oudist ( it looks like a mandolin) to a
violinist to a hurdy-gurdy-ist (that had the crowd hollering for
more grinding rhythms), McKennit’s team members each deserved bands
in their own right.
Many songs, especially "Santiago," had the singer kick up her
heels in an uncontrollable jig, flying across the stage with her
accordion in tow to the wordless grooves. The driving pace built
speed as the jam session raced on. The audience cheered with gusto
after the piece, interspersed with McKennit’s rafter-piercing
yodels, fell to an end.
Not without a sense of humor, McKennit told the audience that
she was grateful to "receive all those long, rapturous letters"
from audience members about watching her tune her harp. Smaller
than most harps, it used to need to fit in her ’78 Honda Civic.
Embracing the crowd with such ease and charisma, McKennit proved
herself to be human beyond the seance caller to the days of
yore.
Once finished with the second set, the band left the stage to a
standing ovation. They abruptly returned, playing three encores,
one at a time, after each song having to be called back by the
zesty crowd.
Who knew it was Celtic-rock that turned on the upper echelons of
Angeleno yuppies, goths and, of course, Celtic cult
afficionados?
(Top) Loreena McKennit performs on the harp at the Universal
Ampitheatre.
(Below) Hugh March, a violinist in McKennit’s band, also
performed.
Photos by GENEVIEVE LIANG/Daily Bruin