Part 2 :: Gigs In January :: Andrew Bird In Singapore

I was quite ready to give up the Andrew Bird gig to attend to work matters. It was a sacrifice I was willing to make because I prioritized work stuff for these 2 weeks. By a stroke of luck, some swift juggling and procrastination, somehow, I made it to the gig tonight. :)))

I shouldn't be surprised but I am, again, at the sold out Singapore gig even though it's just him and his gear. The separate queues for merchandise and autographs were so long that I didn't even bother to stand in line to get a tee. Mellow night at the Esplanade Concert Hall. No ear plugs necessary.

Andrew Bird is so nimble on the violin, more so than the guitar, methinks. He naturally picks up the violin more frequently than the guitar. In this brand of music, it's not just about meshing classical and indie. It's about creating new sounds. It takes alot of effort to move away from the classical undertones and phrasing. But he did it. He's definitely more expressive on it than his Gibson. Of course I don't know what model that guitar is. "ES125 or 175", came the whispers. Whatever! What took my breath away is his whistling. Man, he can whistle! The whistling isn't something I could just be contented with over the most sterling of stereo systems. I must hear it live!

I giggled when he stated that he would be singing it as 'Sweetbreads' and not 'Dark Matter'. Quite gross! A good way of putting his message across! I kept staring at the lanky stuffed monkey perched atop the Fender amp. What a whimsical touch. The monkey wore the most adorable grin, a cool jacket and the cutest laced-ups Converse lookalikes.

I didn't bother to get tickets with anyone else and had gotten a lone ticket because I didn't know if I could make it. When I finally sat down in the concert hall, I was alone with strangers next to me. But it was kinda cool to realize that the friends were scattered around and we caught up after. Very nice. Tonight concludes a fabulous stretch of gigs for me this month.