6.15.2010 - Ingrid Michaelson and Matt Morris
July 10, 2010
The Vogue
Indianapolis, IN
We were pretty excited about getting to see Ingrid at the Vogue as our first show back from Bonnaroo. It was because of Bonnaroo that we were convinced to see the show in the first place...we were captivated by how funny and personable she was onstage.
Upon arriving, we headed upstairs to find some seats overlooking the stage and crowd scene below. There was a pretty good crowd, considering the rain and general gloominess of the day.
The show begins with opener, Matt Morris. His new album, When Everything Breaks Open, is a pretty new release and one of the champion projects from the Tennman label, which was founded by Justin Timberlake. You may never have guessed it, but Matt and Justin were cast-mates on The All New Mickey Mouse Club...you know, that show that was a breeding ground for all those TRL superstars from the late 90's. Anyways, Morris is a pretty talented songwriter and has helped pen songs like "Miss Independent" for Kelly Clarkson, and "(Another Song) All Over Again" for Timberlake's Futuresex/Lovesounds album. And that fact that he is a songwriter is what stood out in his performance this evening at the Vogue. He simply brought a couple of other band guys to play with him and opened up the show with 2 very funk-soul sounding songs, then launched into the indie/songwriter mode. He played "In This House," "Money," and "Live Forever," which is the first single from his new album.
I'm going to be honest, I wasn't entirely impressed by Morris. Don't get me wrong...he wasn't bad, but I think he is just getting started at the indie singer-songwriter thing. I get the fact that he is a talented songwriter, but many people will tell you that going from songwriter to songwriter and performer is a whole new ball game. I could appreciate that Morris is a supporting act and though I'm sure he has a plethora of resources that could gain him instant fame, he seems to want to go through the struggle and work of an entirely brand new act. That is commendable. I think Morris has some more growing and exploration to do as far as finding his sound and the songs that work for him, and I think getting to see that exploration take place first hand is what will draw people to him and his music. I, for one, am interested in seeing what Morris comes up with in the future.
Not too long after Morris, Ingrid Michaelson hits the stage and the crowd had such a warm response to her. She opened up with the first track from her newest album, a song called "Soldier". First thing that I noticed was right from the start, Ingrid and her band are sounding amazing, with the harmony sounding perfect, which gives me chills from the get go. And with perfect timing, Ingrid and the band insert lyrics from "Poker Face" into the harmony. It's an excellent start to the show. And of course, it doesn't take long for Ingrid to show off her comedic skills. She told the crowd how she was all bummed out because it was raining and she didn't think anyone would come to the show. She continued with an excellent set list that included "Parachute", "The Hat", in which Ingrid had the whole crowd doing choreography. She told some great stories, one in particular about how she has been asked to speak at a graduation ceremony and the story she was going to tell about how she threw water on some dumb boys at at stoplight that ultimately had no moral. Also, as she was interacting with the crowd, she made up a song on the spot about someone in the crowd sitting on a vibrating speaker named Jean and the song turned into "Kinky Jean"...and all I could think was "God, I hope someone is taping this and putting it on YouTube tomorrow."
By the way, we have to give a shout out to the couple sitting next to us at the show...it's so nice to meet people at shows who are genuinely interested in music and it was great to meet you.
Ingrid continued to entertain us musically and comedically, and did more songs such as a cover of "Creep." One of our favorite moments was when the band sang a song called "Let's Get Rich" and all the members of the band took turn singing parts into the microphone. The song is so incredibly sweet. In the middle of the song, as Ingrid's guitar player, Bess Rogers, was singing, we find out that she is going to marry Chris Kuffner, the bass player. They shared a little smooch onstage and it was just the cutest moment of the show.
The moment we were looking forward to the most was when Ingrid did a cover of "Toxic," by Britney Spears, who she introduced as an up and coming singer songwriter. The cover included choreography, as well. Ingrid also included both versions of her song "The Way I Am"...one was the album version and the other was the full blown rock and roll version...either way, the song is great.
All in all, I have to say that I've felt lukewarm about Ingrid's music when I'm just hanging out and listening to it, but upon seeing her live, I really appreciate her. She is not the fabulous diva girl that so many artists feel they have to be. Instead, she is genuine, humble, morose at times, and optimistic at others...and we love all of those because it is a reflection that is not so different from our own. We look forward to seeing her again sometime soon and listening to her music with new insight.
| Previous Review | Next Review |
Follow Us!
