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8.04.2004
Two Shades of Hallelujah
k.d. lang with special guest Rufus Wainwright
Los Angeles patricians and their pearl necklaced wives mixed it up with lesbian mommies and gay dandies this weekend at the Hollywood Bowl’s Canadian themed, “An Evening with k.d. lang”. While Ms. Lang and her special guest, Rufus Wainwright both hail from the Great White North, their connection is deeper than location; both musicians are luminaries in the all-too-narrow field of openly out artists who sing and write about their experiences as a gay person. While much of the audience was unaware of this fact, for those in the know, the chance to see such outspoken artists perform backed by the L.A. Philharmonic and at such a large and prestigious venue as the Bowl, was a real treat.
While Mr. Wainwright and Ms. Lang may not be mainstream singers, their voices and styles suit the Hollywood Bowl’s deco elegance. Mr. Wainwright offered a brief set that extends his style into orchestral territory, with mixed results. Too often, on songs like “Oh, What a World”, Rufus’s nasal and overly arty mumbling style of singing seemed to work against the orchestra, leaving the audience the impression that the orchestra either irritated or intimidated the shy Mr. Wainwright. When the orchestra and Mr. Wainwright managed to see eye to eye, however, especially on a sublime rendition of “Poses”, you can see that this kind of expansive and more developed music may very well be the natural path for Rufus to travel down in the future. His nervousness aside, Mr. Wainwright managed to win over the audience with his charm, both when singing and interacting with the audience, with whom he floated the idea that he may be the next Mendelson. Ending his set with Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”, a “song so good it deserves to be played twice”, Wainwright showed that while he may not be ready to enter the canon of great songwriters just yet, he is well on his way.
After a brief intermission, k.d. lang arrived onstage to a roar of cheers. Comparisons to Mr. Wainwright’s style are inevitable, so let’s just get them out of the way. While both artists conjure up images of smoky café’s on the Left Bank, Ms. Lang is by far the stronger singer. Her voice is crystal, husky and brilliant. She owns the stage with a self-assurance that Mr. Wainwright has yet to develop. Coming out on stage in a suit, but barefoot, Ms. Lang is so at ease that while singing, she allows herself to dance and twirl around on the giant Persian carpet laid out for her. Singing mainly songs from her new album, the Canadian songwriter tribute, “Songs from the 49th Parallel”, covered songs from Roy Orbison and Neil Young as well as her Tony Bennett duet, “Kiss to Build a Dream On” and a “medley of her hit”, “Constant Cravings”. After asking the audience to close their eyes, hold hands (“because you know you’ve been dying to all night”) and channel the spirit of Pasty Cline, Ms. Lang sang a rendition of the country idol’s “Three Cigarettes” that was, well- perfect. Ms. Lang may have asked that we channel Pasty Cline for help, but k.d. lang owns this song all on her own. Ending the set where it all began, k.d. sang her version of “Hallelujah”, but by that point in the evening, comparisons were meaningless.
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