The air was heavy with smoke. Orange light sifted through the
trees on a chilly October night. With Halloween just around the
corner, the atmosphere was a perfect setting for the Tiger Lillies
and Kronos Quartet to present their collaboration in honor of
writer and illustrator Edward Gorey.
The evening started with solo performances from both groups, and
the majesty of the Kronos Quartet was a welcome way to begin before
the dark humor of the Tiger Lillies overtook the stage.
Continuing to establish themselves as one of the foremost
classical groups in the world, the Quartet showed off their dynamic
range by playing pieces like bluesman Blind Willie
Jefferson’s “Dark Was The Night,” Icelandic
post-rock band Sigur Ros’ “Flugufrelsarinn,” and
even Indian film score music.
A short intermission followed the Tiger Lillies’
abbreviated set, and soon both groups returned to the stage to
perform “The Gorey End” in its entirety.
With the quartet brightly playing along, the Tiger Lillies
received their first laughs of the evening during “ABC”
as their drummer flipped through posters from Gorey’s
“Gashlycrumb Tinies” while Martyn Jacques sang
gleefully the gruesome couplets about death for each letter.
Death permeates the Gorey End song cycle, with fresh characters
dying hilariously macabre deaths by the end of nearly every lyric.
Like a grim reaper’s Dr. Seuss, Gorey’s words found
life in Jacques’ capable voice.
The performance finished with a one-song encore and a large
ovation. With their obsession with bizarre deaths and strange
circumstances, the Tiger Lillies and Gorey himself are not
everyone’s cup of tea. However, in these troubled times, a
little humor never hurt anyone.
The concert’s highlight was the set’s closing
performance of a song about fire, when Jacques said
matter-of-factly, “I like burning houses down, and the
factories as well. I like burning anything!” The crowd
cheered wildly as the band exploded a yowling chorus of
“Fire! Fire!” but the irony was lost on no one.
All one had to do was step outside during intermission and
breathe in the smoky night air, and be thankful the Tiger Lillies
were here to make it okay to laugh again.
– David Greenwald