02/27/10 @ Great American Music Hall, San Francisco (Mark solo) (Page 1 of 2)

This was the first time I had seen him live. Sloppy is the right word! However, it was very nice to see his talent in person and he really showed it in a couple of the new songs. One new song (didn't catch the name) had an odd little repeating finger flick during the picking that was quite unique and I really liked it. I thought Heron Blue and Glenn Tipton were his best played of the show.

Still, I was surprised how little of the *depth* that I hear in his studio versions (and some of the live ones) came across. Is it always like that when he plays solo or was it just the night? I want to see him again just to see but so far I think I enjoy his music far better from albums.

I'm pretty sure it wasn't sold out (I think capacity is around 600), but there was a decent crowd on hand. There were a couple of factors that may have contributed to the turnout: Compared to most other Noise Pop shows, tickets were relatively pricey (around $30), and this show was also scheduled opposite Magnetic Fields. In fact, Mark's first words on stage were something to the effect of "Yeah, I wanted to see the Magnetic Fields tonight, too."

I agree, I thought MK was quite sloppy in some places. at one point he said he had "kind of just rolled out of bed" for this gig, and it sounded like it. i was prepared to be disappointed at this show because last may at GAMH he was such a prima donna and so mean and insulting to some fans that my expectations were very low. with that in mind, i took the show in the spirit of - here's Mark playing for his hometown, in his "living room" so to speak, kind of workshoping some new songs and tossing out some favorites,  and i actually enjoyed the looseness and casualness. he was playing what he said was a 4500.00 nylon string acoustic guitar (didn't catch the brand name) and his play was sloppy and loose on some songs, but actually better than i have ever heard from him before (and i've seen him countless times over the years). it sounds to me like he's been studying classical and/or flamenco guitar, because some of the new songs (I assume they're new, i didn't recognize them) had long intros or interludes with incredibly complicated fingerpicking in classical and flamenco styles. some of these stopped and started a few times, but i was happy to see him stretching himself as a musician and a guitarist - both as a technician and a songwriter. he was in good voice, oversang or was mixed too loud on carry me ohio, hit all the pretty high notes in duk koo kim. I wrote down this song list as he played:

1. Glenn Tipton
2. I'll Be There (Michael Jackson)
3. a new song (or one i didn't recognize), first line: I got some news on you again.

i was very excited to catch mark kozelek in san francisco again at the stunning great american music hall, particularly since i've just moved back to the bay area from new york. that said, i must admit that my enjoyment of saturday's show stemmed from mostly personal reasons. i have been a fan of mark kozelek's songwriting and music for the last 15 years or so, and at this point, his luminous voice, heart-stopping lyrics, and sublime chords are tethered to my core in a way that can never come unstitched. i will forever be grateful to have his music in my life, but over the last few years, his live performances have often left me frustrated. he generally manages to sneak in a song or two that, for me, greatly redeem the set even when he forgets/repeats the lyrics ["all mixed up" is an example from saturday] because the song itself and the memory of that song--of when i first heard it, of the countless times i've heard it since, and how it still tends to melt even the parts of my heart that i thought recent months had frozen over--is so perfect and powerful that i don't think it could ever be diminished....but i wish that he'd actually play his songs the way he wrote/recorded them sometimes. wanting that, i can't help but wonder if i'm just a selfish fan. i mean i should feel privileged to know his music at all, but on the other hand, i feel for the new/newish fans. every show i saw of his/rhp in the 90s was absolute magic from start to finish [albeit a bit tense at times], and now it's like we only see glimmers of what could be. at one point, i jokingly whispered to my friend, "is he just getting old?" but i really don't think age has anything to do with it, at least not in the physical sense. but maybe passion does dull a bit as we grow older? i can only pray that is not the case, but, in his case, i don't know how else to explain it.

anyway, please excuse the useless nature of this post. i just wanted to chime in because although his performance certainly could have been more focused and inspired, the show truly made my bittersweet homecoming a lot sweeter.

thank you for reading,
rayna

p.s. [i am guessing the parties responsible for such egregious behaviour will not read this, but...] to the people who were standing behind me and who i finally worked up the nerve to talk to, it is NOT okay to converse incessantly during an acoustic set--or any show for that matter. why even bother coming??

i wish i could dismiss it as "a bad night," but that would mean he has had one nearly every time i've seen him since the early aughts. i actually often think it's endearing when singers forget their words and look to the crowd for assistance or just plain repeat themselves and muddle their way through songs; they're only human after all. the thing that kind of irks me is that he'll noodle his way through songs or play seeming medleys, which is a huge disservice to the obvious musical talent he has [not to mention the songs themselves]. the flamenco guitar stylings came through every now and then, and were the more riveting parts of the show ["si paloma" was not played, but i am completely taken by its sound and the sweet, playful way it ripples and rises...please pardon the non-technical language, for i don't know how to play guitar].

as for pics/video, security, acting on kozelek's behalf, requested that everyone check their cameras at the door...

take care,
rayna

p.s. it has been eons since i've posted, i think, so thank you for welcoming me back with your kind words.

It wasn't just you. I moved from the front right to the back because some people were talking too loud and in the back it was even worse. Overall I was surprised how many rude people were in the audience. But I haven't been to a concert in years....maybe they are all like that now. That and the damn phones. Everywhere.

Maybe because the crowd was being disrespectful Mark just didn't give a fuck and played a lousy set. We've all heard him tell the crowd to shut up...maybe he was just over it.

Im not defending him though...I would be bummed if I paid to see him and he just played a below average set.