Richard Ashcroft @ Webster Hall: Have You Ever Been Down?

It's been about an hour and half since the end of tonight's performance and I'm still in a semi-euphoric stage because I shook hands with Richard Ashcroft. I feel like screaming like a little girl or doing the Curly Shuffle on the floor.

To start with a quick story, Richard was ending the show with "Bittersweet Symphony." He was adding in lines like "I'd like to thank you for letting be myself, again" and then looking into the audience at the edge of the stage. He came over to me and I was putting my hands together as to say "Thank You." I then reached out to shake his hand and he gave me a good hardy shake, a palm to palm affirmative one. He only shook hands with one other guy up front. I RULE! I'm going to cut my hand off and sell if on ebay, now.

Here's the setlist:

• Keys to the World
• Sonnet
• Music is Power
• Why Not Nothing
• Drugs Don't Work
• Science of Silence
• New York
• Sweet Brother Malcolm
• Words Just Get In The Way
• Lucky Man
• Encore & Acoustic: Check the Meaning
• Space And Time
• On Your Own
• With Samples: Lonely Soul
• With Full Band: Nature Is the Law
• Break The Night With Colour
• Bittersweet Symphony

Richard Ashcroft is the best pure singer to come out of the 90s BritPop movement. Damon, Noel, Liam, Gaz, Jarvis, 2D and even the mighty Ian can't hold their own again him. Even the current crop can't match his vocal skills. He puts sheer soul and gospel into every one of his songs. He can easily go from deep octaves to rising to relay the pain of his perfectly penned songs.

As we all know, Richard was the lead singer of The Verve, whose masterwork, Urban Hymns, made them legends in the U.K. and the U.S. and ultimately spelled their demise. The singer rose from those ashes with Alone with Everyone and the smooth dreaminess of the first song and creepy video, "Song for the Lovers," which was absent tonight.  He followed it with a more softer album, Human Conditions. His new album, Keys to the World, is similar to his solo debut, lots of string arrangement, poetic lyrics, stadium-type anthems and his sure fire soulful voice.

Having never seen him or The Verve before, I wasn't sure what kind of performance he would put out tonight. Being that he never smiles in any of his photos, I expected him to be serious -- quite the contrary. This being his only solo performance in the U.S. while he's touring with Coldplay, he was super-charged tonight. He constantly thanked the audience for coming and waxed poetic about New York. At times he was overwhelmed with joy by the capacity crowd and response.

If anything, he was downright chatty tonight, often ranting about subjects and telling stories. He told a quick story about his wife and 2-year old child being put through rigorous airport security in Cleveland. He went on to sing a few Black Sabbath lyrics, "Paranoia it will destroy, yah." On the flip side, he made himself laugh when he talked about his appearance this week on Live with Regis & Kelly.

Other subjects he ranted about were people talking in the balcony during his show, Four Weddings & A Funeral, James Blunt, a fan yelling out to play "C'Mon People" between each song (he never did play it), ebay, commercials, televisions, manic depression and the other famous Ashcroft, John. This was his first U.S. show in 5 years so he had a lot to say.

As for the music itself, it was a mesmerizing performance. He's a shaman type when he sings and strums away on his guitar. As you can see by the setlist, he delved into the Verve vault, even breaking from the set to play on request, "Space and Time," a song he says that he hasn't performed in eight years. The surprise for me was singing his U.N.K.L.E./DJ Shadow collaboration, "Lonely Soul" to the prerecorded track. "New York," from his first album, was shaking the floor with his heavy bass and powerful arrangement. The crowd went wild when he did "Sonnet" as his second song.

Of course, "Bittersweet Symphony" is one the best songs ever written. It's something that will define his career, for good and bad. Good that everyone loves it, the bad being all royalties go towards the Rolling Stones for the sample. Seeing that live from the front row ... man ... it doesn't get much better than that.

A singer-songwriter named David Ford opened up tonight and he was brilliant. He's sticking around to play The Living Room on Friday.

Comments

[J]

Chris - unbelievable show...i was also blown away. i haven't left a show so satisfied in a long time. your set list is a bit off though. RA definitiely didn't play 'nature is the law' nor do i think he played 'the drugs don't work'. on the flip side, he did play 'history' which was left off your list and was a massive highlight.

j

[Joe, England]

Richard Ashcroft is a musical God.