Monday, June 27, 2016

Eliot Sumner at Slim’s in San Francisco – What Happened?

     It seemed fitting to take advantage of Eliot Sumner’s visit to San Francisco on June 22. We already had tickets to see her father (Sting) a few weeks later. So, we grabbed four tickets, including two dinner tickets. After missing her performance at SXSW in Austin, Texas, because the line was insurmountable, we expected the venue to be crowded. Instead, Slim’s was far less than at half its capacity.
     Was the surprisingly low attendance due to an under-appreciation of the music of Eliot Sumner? Probably not, since she was a draw at SXSW and she had an enthusiastic following when she opened a show at Rickshaw Stop in September 2015. Maybe the show wasn’t properly promoted, although Slim’s typically gets the word out.
     Whatever the reason, Eliot Sumner and her band seemed unaffected. They were energic and fully engaged. The first song on the setlist was “Dead Arms & Dead Legs.” The first half of the song had a Pop Rock feel, while the last portion ended any resemblance to Pop. The same description could be applied to the fifth song, “After Dark.” There is less emphasis on the synth in her live performances than in the studio recordings. An exception to that statement was the performance of “Species” as the encore song.

The Setlist at Slim’s on June 22, 2016
1. Dead Arms & Dead Legs
2. Firewood
3. I Followed You Home
4. Let My Love Lie on Your Life
5. After Dark
6. Halfway to Hell
7. Wobbler
8. All My Hate and My Hexes Are for You (Crocodiles cover)
9. Come Friday
10. Information
   Encore
11. Species





The view from the balcony during the opening performance by Cheerleader.
The soundboard at Slim's.

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