Words and photos by Ant Ritz
On a darkened stage and with little fanfare, a pretty and bespectacled Ingrid Michaelson walked to the mic and proceeded to set the Metro Theatre in Sydney alight with a brilliantly entertaining performance. She did much more than just sing well crafted pop songs, – she entertained and she had the crowd enthralled not just with her wonderful music and sweet voice, but also with her wit, humour and quirky storytelling.
Sometimes singers struggle with attempts to engage the audience with dialogue and hence so many just avoid banter like the plague. Many concert goers would actually prefer to just hear the music. However, at Ingrid’s concert she really captured and held the audiences attention with her story telling – they appeared to follow her every word and were moved by the ebb and flow of her stories. There was a lot of laughter from the audience as a whole throughout the show and yet on other occasions they were quiet when she was more serious, albeit rare. She’s a great communicator and that communication comes across in her songs too.
She played songs from her new cd Human Again as well as some of her other well known songs. The crowd sang along to quite a few of her better known tracks like You and I and Be Ok. Other songs included Blood Brothers (preceded by one of her great stories) and Parachute. Towards the end of the show a member of the audience was chosen at random and invited up on stage to do a duet with Ingrid and her band.
Her band – well not really a band – more like her two right hand accompanists (although one was to her left and the other to her right). Perhaps equally talented, Bess Rodgers and Allie Moss both sang back up, harmony and played guitars. Both Rodgers and Moss are obviously both gifted musicians and singers in their own right. Apart from Rodgers & Moss, no other musicians were required. There were no drums or bass so it provided an intimate feel to the show conducive to her storytelling style. Ingrid’s husband, Greg Laswell (& her support act – vocals, guitar & keys) also came on towards the middle of the show and did a duet with her on the song The Light In Me. Ingrid herself played keyboards and ukulele. Believe it or not she almost made the ukulele appear cool.
Ingrid Michaelson has at times been referred to as the “darling of the indie set”. Well she didn’t disappoint, the darling of the indie set was adorable, so very likeable, sweet yet with panache and at her charming and entertaining best.
Words and photos by Ant Ritz
Read our interview with Ingrid Michaelson… click here
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