quasigeostrophy | I think I'm in love.

computerchix and I just got back from the Eileen Ivers concert. I misunderstood the nature of the show. It was not her with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. The ISO was just promoting her show as a "special event", since it was in its theatre. Rather, she had her band, Immigrant Soul, and gave an unforgettable performance. The woman is a bundle of energy, and she and her whole band looked like they were having as much fun as the audience, if not more. An excellent, very loose, tap dancer complemented several numbers, as did six probably older teen and one younger child Irish step dancers from a local Indy troupe.

Before the show, I wondered what the row of guitar pedals were for, as they looked to be near her fiddles. Sure enough, she used all of them, including wa-wa, distortion, and others. I've never heard anything like it. At the start of one number, I commented to

computerchix that she was the "Jimi Hendrix of Violinists", before I even noticed that, according to the program, the New York Times has already given her that appellation. It was great fun, and she is a virtuoso with all of the styles and fusions covered during the performance. The airs were haunting, the ballads moving, and the upbeat pieces were rocking. One piece, "Pachelbel's Frolics", started out as a traditional arrangement of his Canon in D, and turned into an upbeat and fun reel based on the same tune. I told

computerchix that was a version of the piece we should have used for our wedding instead of the traditional arrangement. Her percussionist had fun several times during the show with a menagerie of odd, natural sounds (bird calls, wind, etc.).

After the show, Ms. Ivers even came out to the lobby to greet concert-goers one-on-one. We got her latest CD, Eileen Ivers and Immigrant Soul, autographed, along with both copies of the program. I could tell she really likes to talk to her fans, but we tried to keep it short to let those behind us in line have their turn. Then, we nearly froze walking the four blocks back to our car.