Report by Ruth
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Lucy Lawless in concert at the Herbst Theater, San Francisco, CA. September 27, 2008
I have just had the good fortune of attending another Lucy Lawless concert. On September 27, 2008, Lucy performed at the Herbst Theater in San Francisco and donated the proceeds to the Richmond/Ermet Aids Foundation. As philanthropic as her gift to REAF was, I honestly feel that her performance on stage that night was a more generous gift to her attending fans.
Lucy walked onto the stage and for a moment, I felt like I had "time traveled" to the San Francisco of the 1940’s. The ‘Starlite’ at the Drake or the ‘Top of the Mark’, when the city was filled with soldiers either off to the War or returning from its pain. It was a time in San Francisco when the city’s nightclubs, with their entertainment and beautiful people, became the accepted standard to forget a world at war.
Lucy’s low cut, almost black dress, clung to her every curve and glistened as it reflected the red stage lighting. Her auburn hair, softly curling to her shoulders, arm length ostrich feather gloves and chunky leopard skin high heels were totally 1940’s fashion. Again, as she does so well, Lucy came dressed to steal our hearts and to take us all prisoner.
Is vamped a verb? Lucy moved across the stage and ‘walking’ doesn’t begin to describe how she got from stage left to stage right. The first song Lucy sang was ‘Tell Mama’… vamp became rock-n-roll. After the song, Lucy spoke to the audience a bit about the videos playing behind her, ‘Feel the Love’ week and REAF.
‘Are You Gonna Be My Girl?’ was the second song and it was accompanied by video with numerous Gabrielle clips. Melissa Etheridge’s ‘Like the Way I Do’, which Lucy has referred to as the "angry lesbian song" was the next number. She told us she "felt angry" and would have to "take off her gloves" for that song. Just let me be perfectly clear here, Nobody … Nobody… takes off gloves quite like Lucy does. Rather than attempt to describe, I can only suggest that the reader go directly to ‘Youtube’ and see for one’s self. To say that Lucy knows her audience and what moves them is a gross understatement.
Somewhere near the middle of the concert, Lucy, per the video, introduced us to her pet ‘rescue’ squirrel. Don’t remember just when during the night, but the high heels came off and Lucy was comparing her feet to squirrel feet. There was a bit of fun with how one must care for baby squirrels and then it was back to more music.
The songs Lucy sang were songs that she had sung for us before. Good songs that have personal meaning and that she sings well. However, there was a difference this night. She always gives her all and brings such joy to the stage; this night was no different in that regard. This night at the Herbst, I felt Lucy sang with more confidence than I’ve sensed before. After every concert we all say, "This was the best one ever …." Well, "This was the best one ever."
Of all the examples I could use to support that claim, personally, her performance of Hallelujah clinched it for me. Hallelujah is a beautiful song and a difficult one to sing. Even though Lucy missed the start and joked to us about that, when she sang the song, it was perfection. Maybe it’s just me, but when Lucy sang Hallelujah at the Herbst, time seemed to slow and life’s only reality became Lucy, a beautiful woman whose song gently held my heart.
How fitting that the next song was ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’. Well, if she didn’t have everyone in the audience by then, ‘Total Eclipse …’ had to have pulled in any remaining hold-outs. ‘New and Beautiful’ is another song with which Lucy can capture your heart. She then sang Tina Turner’s ‘River Deep and Mountain High’. Again, to say that Lucy was playing with and teasing her audience is another understatement. I’ve seen Tina Turner do that song in concert … nonetheless, when Lucy sang ‘River Deep and Mountain High’ … it was … Tina who?
First encore.
Undergarments were tossed on stage. Some with names attached … go figure.
For various reasons, whatever version of ‘Bitch’ Lucy does is always great. She started with her standard rock version. Left the stage, again… Second encore. She came back onstage to explain how the audience could pick a style of music and she would do ‘Bitch’ to that style.
Well, she did several other versions, a country and a blues. What a hoot! At times, she was playing off her image on the video screen at the back of the stage. Other times, just clowning around as she does, to our delight.
The mood for the entire evening was light and fun. Lucy was relaxed and seemed to be having more fun than anyone, though I don’t know how that could possibly be. Her voice was on and strong and the acoustics at the Herbst Theater were better than some previous venues. The positive energy between Lucy and her audience was so real I’m sure that the next performer at the Herbst Theater will feel it, still in the building.
It was a wonderful evening and a great concert. …. It really was the best one ever….
San Francisco has a rich and colorful entertainment heritage. There may not have been any sailors in the Herbst Theater this night who were about to be shipped off to the ‘Pacific Front’. However, there were quite a few lesbians who have had to fight many of their own battles. Lucy accomplished what some of the best San Francisco entertainers have done for years. For several hours, on a lovely San Francisco night, she kept a troubled world away. With her music, her wit, her warmth, her amazing generosity and more than a few sultry, sexy moves Lucy Lawless put herself firmly back into our hearts and hopefully, allowed us into hers.
