Au Naturale last night

I went to see/hear BNL & Alanis last night at Shoreline, in what they billed as their Au Naturale tour.

As usual, I truly enjoyed BNL, they're always fun and last night was no exception. For those as haven't experienced them live, their style seems to be irreverent and playful in a sort of self-and-industry mocking way. Notable last night was deliberate tongue-in-cheek choreography that descended into synchronized swimming mock. And, of course, their unique rap.

I wish I could say I enjoyed Alanis. I've enjoyed some of her music in the past, notably the first album, but haven't really connected with her newer material. But last night I especially didn't appreciate what I can only describe as taking to extreme some of her more distinctive vocal style, and the projection video jerki-vision / b&w that further cemented the style. Don't like it.

Most unfortunate was the lack of energy ... BNL had the place laughing, dancing, yelling. The energy level dropped pretty quickly, though it rebounded a bit towards the end of Alanis' set when she played a couple of her more popular (and, not coincidentally, older) songs.

I didn't seem to be the only one who felt this way. Many folks remained through the intermission to hear her, and while lots cheered at the end of this or that song, there was an increasing exodus after the first couple.  I was up on a lawn that wasn't packed at ay point in the evening, but mid-way through Alanis it had emptied to the point of no-one within 40 or 50 feet of us. And the seats didn't appear to be any more full, so it wasn't folks moving down or anything. They were leaving.

All in all, I'm not sure who thought up this combined performance. Apart from both being Canadian acts, they don't draw much of a common audience. And once combined, probably BNL should have closed, so the energy could have built through the evening.

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