DREAMWORKS Elliot Smith served up a
soulful set at the Wiltern Theatre Tuesday night.
By Chris Moriates
Daily Bruin Contributor
Music was the only thing that mattered. No lighting tricks, no
stage decorations and close to no band stage presence, but it
worked just fine for Elliott Smith’s emotional set Tuesday
night at the Wiltern Theatre.
Smith opened up his soul in front of the crowd through personal
lyrics, but as soon as the music stopped, he seemed uncomfortable
and shy, speaking very little and choosing to quickly return to the
safety of his music.
The atmosphere of the Wiltern Theatre could have been mistaken
for an auditorium at a prestigious art school. The reserved crowd
was transfixed on the dimly lit stage as Smith performed his
hourlong set. The audience would audibly gasp, giggle or cheer with
delight and excitement at the introduction of crowd favorites, but
would quickly quiet down to listen intently to the performance.
Smith, who recently signed with Dreamworks Records, has garnered
quite an indie following of dedicated fans, who showed up in full
force for the performance. Smith’s music has also gained
attention due to its appearance in the blockbuster films
“American Beauty” and “Good Will
Hunting.”
The opening act, space-pop combo Grandaddy, used Radiohead-esque
complexity and melodies to entertain the arriving audience. As the
band moved around the stage, which was cluttered by artificial tree
branches and instruments, it mixed together sounds with the keen
precision
of a mad scientist.
Soon the stage was cleared of the muddle and the seats quickly
filled up for Smith’s set. His crooning vocals were the
definite strong points of the performance and they especially
excelled during the first encore, which featured Smith alone with
his acoustic guitar.
The energy of the show was disappointingly low, as the crowd
remained seated and the performers onstage remained relatively
docile, hidden behind their large Gibson Archtop guitars, until
about halfway through the set when Smith decided to break the
ice.
“You don’t have to sit down if you don’t want
to,” he said, sarcastically. “It’s OK. You can
have fun, even though this is a “˜theatre.'”
A fan in the front row quickly took the hint and jumped to her
feet, bringing a sincere smile to Smith’s lips, and the
majority of the crowd followed her lead. With the crowd on its
feet, the excitement escalated a little as people began to dance
and move around.
The low level of outward enthusiasm during the show was
acceptable, however, since Smith’s music isn’t meant
merely for the body. His music touches a chord in the mind,
eliciting the same kind of introspection and thought as the lyrics
of masters such as Bob Dylan.
It was difficult to get into the almost Tori Amos-style piano
that made its way into some of the songs, but Smith’s gifted
voice was able to hold interest on its own.
The night ended with a surprisingly energetic and absolutely
rocking version of the Blue Oyster Cult’s classic,
“Don’t Fear the Reaper.” The vocals were
unbelievably sung and the guitar work was inspired, adding
climactic excitement to the show and summing up the transcendent
mood and atmosphere of the evening.