Monday, November 17, 1997
10,000 Maniacs heat up stage, mix new, old styles
MUSIC:
Despite shaky start, new singer gels with band, pleases crowdBy
Sharon Genadinik
Daily Bruin Contributor
No Natalie Merchant, not the same … not true. The departure of
the 10,000 Maniacs’ much-loved lead singer to become a lone
"tigerlily" in 1993 led even devoted fans to question the band’s
future.
Fear no more. The Nov. 12 show at the intimate, small Troubadour
put the group under the strict scrutiny of the audience, but
ultimately proved that, still, these are the days you’ll
remember.
The crowd appeared to be one tough cookie. Throughout, many
appeared to be contemplating whether to ever buy another ticket
again as the new, tiny lead singer, Mary Ramsey, appeared on stage,
adorned in fishnets, coat and wool scarf. Ramsey seemed
uncomfortable at first, attempting movements that seemed timid and
almost awkward. But, as the winter wear came off, Ramsey got a
groove on in all the right ways.
The first few songs from their new album, "Love Among The
Ruins," including "More Than This" and "Big Star" were of course
expected and met with crowd approval. But it was the charismatic
and graceful renditions of old 10,000 Maniacs favorites which
brought the necessary relief so that the audience could stop
staring and start dancing.
"We’ll enter my room to where the whiteness is the only thing,"
Ramsey sang solemnly before breaking out into an innovative version
of everyone’s high school anthem, so overplayed on the radio that
names need not be mentioned.
However, the performance gave proof that life can begin again
for 10,000 Maniacs, especially when Ramsey strummed her fiddle.
Under the spotlight, the sounds that came from her bow were
transcendent, ending in a powerful climax. Ramsey also shined in
their popular cover of the Bruce Springsteen/Patti Smith song,
"Because the Night." Ramsey sang, "Love is an angel disguised as
lust,"which led into the powerful chorus, "Because the night
belongs to lovers." There was a feeling in the music that went
beyond their famous "Unplugged" performance from 1993.
While Ramsey has a long way to go before earning the fans’ love
like Merchant did, she has some secret weapons of her own. Her
interpretations brought a new intellectual and emotional tone to
many of the pieces, and her warmth wonderfully juxtaposed two of
the guitarists, who looked and behaved as if they belonged on a
much darker version of "The Munsters." The lack of unity the band
exuded on stage, however, was balanced by their fantastic musical
performance.
The entire set, from the crowd-favorite, "What’s The Matter
Here?" to the new chart climber, "Save It For A Rainy Day," hummed
of a sweet and upbeat nostalgia. This style, while allowing for
most of the songs to melt into each other, sounding a lot like each
other, prevailed as the right recipe for crowd satisfaction.