Neko Case has a voice that turns everything else upside down. I stood close to front and dead-on center and tried to look her straight in the eyes as she delivered her lines with the unexpected precision of an alcoholic surgeon; it’s effortless, but mezmerizing. Hearing her new songs was like seeing the Grand Canyon, not on your geography teacher’s classroom wall. She covered “Poor Wayfaring Stranger” in the only way it can be sung meaningfully anymore: she respected the audience enough to let us understand its significance. Bob Dylan’s “Buckets of Rain” was there apropos of the wet gravel.
The crowd remained unusually quiet and when the odd person yelled she answered graciously. “I Wish I Was the Moon Tonight” was introduced after someone requested a “birthday song,” as being too sad for a birthday. Someone requested a song by name, unintelligible, Tony yelled, “Freebird!” She replied, “Does Lynard Skynard get royalties for that or something?”
At one point I snuck away for another beer and ran into one of the guys from the opening band, The High Dials, who was standing next to the singer from The Black Angels. The former remembered me from their Houston show in March and I remembered the latter from the same. They were both extremely nice, but I was too busy watching the stage.
After the show I stuck around the merch booth for no particular reason, until Neko Case walked by me and got behind the booth. I just stared like a jerk for a little while. (Have you heard her latest album? Have you seen how beautiful she is?) So there I was, three feet from the someone who will probably reach Neil Young status if not Dylan status.
I realized that I had to get her to sign my ticket, but I was too afraid to move any closer. Just as I was about to move the extra foot she glanced up from the shirt she was signing and looked at me. She raised her eyebrows up and down and smiled at me. I’ve never been a real fan, you know, or a groupie, but I could have fucking passed out right there.
After another minute I moved up and asked her to sign my ticket and Jeff’s, I pointed to him so she’d give him a wave. My voice cracked with every word I spoke to her, but she was so damn nice and real…so hard to imagine after that performance. I wish I was that good. I hope I will be some day…but I don’t know if it’d be better to be the one who can give that look and make people want to faint, or be the one receiving that look. For now I’ll work towards the former, and hope for more of the latter.
PS, buy Neko Case’s new album, it’ll make you feel good.
