concert review: Antony and the Johnsons

Antony Hegarty and co. played at San Francisco's beautiful Nob Hill Masonic Center last Tuesday night (24 February 2009).

Antony was on the piano with a backing band composed of 2 guitars, 2 violins, a cello, a sax, and a bass guitar.



The performance was nearly flawless except for a couple of slips when Antony's voice faltered, but both times he stopped, excused himself, and began once again. His falsettos were delivered beautifully, and he thrilled the audience with his signature cover of Beyonce's "Crazy in Love".



I was quite surprised at Antony's demeanour throughout the set, which was humourous and lighthearted. I don't know very much about the musician past his music, but I had assumed that he would be solemn, because that is what his music is like. On the contrary, he managed to captivate and entertain the audience, making them laugh in between his songs, which had everyone holding their breath in awe. The lady in front of me was silently tearing up the entire time, and while I didn't have the same reaction, I had goosebumps throughout the night, especially during the gorgeous violin sections of "Kiss My Name" and the beautiful guitars in "Fistful of Love".



In short, it was a great performance true to the three well crafted records which Antony and the Johnsons have released. Most of the set list was derived from their latest, The Crying Light. I managed to record the show, and I have included mp3s below. I've listened to the entire concert 3 or 4 times since Tuesday night.

I would only recommend that you go and see Antony and the Johnsons in concert if you are VERY familiar with the music and are a devoted fan. While some bands can awe and inspire first time listeners, I feel like Antony's performance can only truly be enjoyed by people who understand his art.



set list:

1. where is my power
2. her eyes are underneath the ground
3. epilepsy is dancing
4. one dove
5. for today I am a buoy
6. kiss my name + Antony talking about his ass
7. everglade (never detox before show)
8. another world
9. shake that devil + talk about opening artist William Basinski
10. the crying light
11. crazy in love (Beyonce cover) + “Beyonce is amazing!” + “you share” sustained note
12. fistful of love
13. you are my sister
14. twilight
15. aeon

encore:
16. cripple and the starfish + makeup story
17. hope there’s someone

ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS ON AMAZON