Aimee Mann @Music Hall of Williamsburg, Aug. 1st

Last Friday, I met up with Ste & Lora, Julie1 and Wawa (man, it had been a long time since I last saw him) for an evening featuring the ever-so-droll Aimee Mann at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Much like my prior visit to the venue, we preceded the concert with some drinks and greasy 'cue from Fette Sau, which may have somewhat dulled our abilities to pay attention. This was my third time seeing Ms. Mann (first at St. Ann's Warehouse and then at Town Hall), and it was the closest I had ever been to the blonde sliver of cool, but despite our proximity to the stage and the intimacy of the venue, I was more distracted by the people surrounding me than ever before.

I am by no means an ardent fan of Ms. Mann, but I have always appreciated the plaintive quality of her songs dealing with regret, heartbreak, relationships, and so forth. Her music may not be the most stirring but it is consistent in its lyricism and cleverness. I have a few of her albums and find that even when I'm not up to date with her catalogue, her shows are quite enjoyable for her casual banter (although how many times must we hear her bash on Phil Collins winning the Oscar over her for his Tarzan song over "Save Me?") and skilled musicianship. She does not overindulge and seems to connect with her audience quite well. Even though at first I found the group of large men behind me singing along every word kinda off key a nuisance, by the end of the show, Ms. Mann found a way to bring them into the fold, when she stumbled on the words for an audience request, and the men helped her out, to which she responded with something like, "Who knew my music could be like a German drinking chorus?"


Here is a good chunk of her probably most well-known solo song "Save Me" (before security tapped me on the shoulder to stop recording):