Earlier today I was in the middle of trying to sell my tickets for this show, having asked for the night off work and been scheduled anyway. They hadn't sold by the time I went in so I asked, in a last ditch effort, wether there was any chance of leaving early to make the show. Amazingly, there was! Many thanks go out to my co-worker, Mr. Ruben La Riva, for agreeing to close up the produce section so I could get there on time.
Seeing a PJ Harvey show has long been on my wish list, in part because of their relative infrequency (she's only doing 5 North American dates on this whole tour!). She is well known for giving strong performances, and tonight didn't disappoint. The first show I saw at the Warfield was the Guided By Voices reunion tour, which was a loud, beer-fueled, sing-along nostalgia fest. In contrast, this show was much more subdued and filled with songs I had never heard and was happy to discover for the first time in a live setting. It was not a high volume distorted rock show, and some of the audience seemed let down. No '50 Foot Queenie', 'Rid of Me', 'Long Snake Moan' or 'Good Fortune'... but I'm glad for that. PJ Harvey is still putting out new music and that's what she came to play. The first time I heard White Chalk I listened to it start to finish in the same sitting which, despite having been a little stoned at 2 in the morning and not going anywhere, is more than I can say about many albums I love. The backing was sparse, but really it always has been . Her voice is still incredible.
Great night, then. Thanks Reuben!
