Concert Review/Photos: Mirah @ Johnny Brenda's
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
On Tuesday, Mirah enchanted Johnny Brenda's with the entirety of her 2014 masterwork Changing Light.
[ 6/20 ] On Tuesday, Mirah enchanted Johnny Brenda’s with the entirety of her 2014 masterwork Changing Light. Rich in metaphor and lush with strings and percussion, the album translated seamlessly into a stunning live show. Opening as the album does with the haunting parable “Goat Shepherd,” Mirah’s vocals boomed forth with a sultry incandescence. “Gold Rush” with its sadness and storytelling might washed over the crowd with its brilliance. The Leonard Cohen-esque “LC” utilized the vocal talents of Led to Sea's L. Alex Guy, for a slice of harmony.
The small stage was packed with instruments to give the proceedings a mini orchestral feel: the vibraphone (usually played by drummer Andrew Maguire), drums, Guy’s violin and viola, keyboards, bass and guitar. And while mostly drawn from Changing Light, the setlist did pop in some other gems, including two tracks from her collaboration with Thao (“Hallelujah” and “Little Cup”) and “Words Cannot Describe,” her staple, reverie-filled encore.
The sublime night was set up nicely by Guy’s persona as Led to Sea, with her strings and voice carrying the crowd into distant lands, while North Carolina rockers Loamlands delivered an entertaining set as well.
SETLIST
- Goat Shepherd
- Oxen Hope
- Gold Rush
- Hallelujah
- Turned the Heat Off
- I Am the Garden
- LC
- Fleet Foot Ghost
- No Direction Home
- Radiomind
- 24th St
- Little Cup
ENCORE
- Words Cannot Describe
More reviews and photos by Chris Sikich:
- NonCOMM 2014
- Drivin’ ’N’ Cryin @ World Cafe Live at The Queen
- Jessica Lea Mayfield @ Johnny Brenda's
- Ani DiFranco @ World Cafe Live
- Escovedo @ World Cafe Live
- The Sounds @ Union Transfer
- The Stray Birds @ World Cafe Live
- Okkervil River/Typhoon @ Union Transfer
- Tinariwen @ Prince Music Theater
- Suzanne Vega @ Two Rivers Theater
- Drive-By Truckers @ World Cafe Live at The Queen
- Arcade Fire @ Wells Fargo Center
- Throwing Muses @ Bowery Ballroom (NYC)
- Paul Simon and Sting @ Wells Fargo Center
- Ex Hex @ the Ottobar (Baltimore)
