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Live: Jim James / Kurt Wagner

A great night for Jim, a not-so-great one for King Kurt.
13 december 2000, Paradiso, Amsterdam (NL)

Tekst: Alex Tobin

Publicatiedatum: 18 december 2000

Poor Kurt. Things were really shitty for him that Wednesday. Ambling into the Paradiso, equipped solely with a small backpack (with the obligatory airline luggage tag firmly attached), the Lambchop frontman was running slightly late. A few knowing glances at his watch, and it was straight into the soundcheck. If you can call it that. Some slight - shall we say - "altercations" at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport had led to Mr. Wagner's bags being misplaced somewhere along the way during the flight in from Dublin, and not only that - His trusty guitar had gone missing as well. The signs were ominous, and it's only a testament to Kurt Wagner's experience and professionalism that he was able to pull off his set at all.
The premise was simple enough: Kurt Wagner (he of Lambchop) and Jim James (he of My Morning Jacket) would split the bill at an all-acoustic, solo performance, bringing pre-Christmas joy to discerning admirers of blue-eyed Country/Soul/whatever. Think of the Billy Joel/Elton John pairing of a few years back, but then with guts.
Being a rare and inviting seated show, the Paradiso was decked out nicely for the event: rows of chairs, split into two sections (left and right), while up front, right in front of the stage, small bistro-style tables and chairs had been installed, complete with small, flickering candle. In short: It was cozy.
First up was Kurt's half. Listening to the man's 45-minute set, it soon became evident that the day's travails had taken their toll on the amiable Wagner. "Downtempo" is an appropriate enough word when describing the songs and setting, melodies zoning in and out, stripped bare of any glorious string and horn arrangements, arrangements so well-executed on Lambchop's lush masterpiece 'Nixon'. Without the strings, without the horns, the songs just seemed to aimlessly drift into the ether as time took a look at its watch, yawned, and rolled over for another few minutes. Sounding like a lost and forlorn Vic Chesnutt, there seemed to be a palpable sense of relief (both from the audience and from Kurt Wagner) as the set drew to its close. Really everything was like a blind date: Things seemed to go OK, but you had a nagging sense that once was enough. It just didn't click. Ah well, next time, eh?
Jim James was basically playing to a home crowd. Eagerly and enthusiastically embraced by the Dutch music press and public, his band My Morning Jacket have seen their fair share of these nether lands in the past few months, and this particular hero from Louisville didn't disappoint. Arriving on stage, casually barefoot, holding his guitar, and bedecked with red Christmas decoration hanging around his neck, Jim had them in the palm of his hand from the opening chords of 'Up on Cripple Creek', one of a handful of covers that evening (among the others were songs by CCR, Elvis, and the aforementioned Elton John). Whereas Kurt Wagner's set was full of sobriety and a killing-me-softly-with-his-song lullaby quality, the moment Jim James opened his mouth, people took a big gulp from their strong drinks and looked up. This was going to be good.
Possessed with a voice half of the Vienna Boys Choir would kill for - haunting, magisterial, and starkly beautiful - James is also an extremely charismatic and effective showman. And that's when he's just sitting in that old chair. Stripping the My Morning Jacket songs of their arrangements (notably on the choppy 'The Dark'), James was able to pull it off: that transition from full-fledged band sound to austere solo performer, all the while retaining that magic and sparkle. Aided by the Paradiso's fantastic acoustics (It is a former church...), songs soared into the night, crying, keening for lost loves, for redemption, for joy, making for a thoroughly enjoyable and oftentimes spiritual evening after all.
Let's pray that Kurt gets his guitar back soon and that nothing will stand in the way of Jim on the road to deserved stardom.

http://www.kindamuzik.net/live/jim-james-kurt-wagner/live-jim-james-kurt-wagner/121/
Meer Jim James / Kurt Wagner op KindaMuzik: http://www.kindamuzik.net/artiest/jim-james-kurt-wagner