the loop machine maestro... ette.

Tonight I saw Imogen Heap for the second time this year. She's not someone whose studio albums I necessarily listen to a lot, but I'm not sure that I'd ever pass up a chance to see her live. I can't understand half of what she says, but she's got a beautiful voice and puts on a great show.

She upgraded to the Paramount Theatre since the last time I saw her at the Fox. My opinion of the Paramount is somewhat divided... since NIPP stopped selling tickets for the venue, the only way to get them is through Ticketmaster. I fucking hate Ticketmaster. However.... if there is a venue in the Denver area with better acoustics than the Paramount I'd love to hear it. The sound tonight was amazing for all three acts. Additionally, Paramount shows tend to start at 8:00 and on time, so even with two openers tonight we were out of there at 11:00. Oh, did I mention that I'm old? Yeah, I thought so.

One of the things I love about Immy is that (in my experience anyway) she treats her openers quite well. She handpicks them, introduces them herself, and has them onstage to play with her during her set.

I arrived just after the first act, Levi Weaver, began. I'm glad I didn't miss too much, as he was quite entertaining. He has a fabulous voice, he plays the harmonica, he uses a loop machine, and he sometimes plays his guitar with a bow. And to top it all off he writes very heartfelt songs and has a great sense of humor. Loved his set.

Next up was Kid Beyond. Holy shit. This bald behemoth of a man can do more with his voice than I would have ever thought possible. Also employing a loop machine, he managed to create an atmosphere of an entire percussion section using nothing more than his vocal chords. He got the crowd totally into his act and seemed to be having as much fun as we were. Levi and Kid Beyond both joined Immy onstage during her set for several songs.

I normally cringe at the mention of two opening acts. I guess it's been a long time since I saw an opener who really moved me. But I couldn't help but think "Damn..." when both Levi and Kid Beyond announced their final songs this evening. I could have listened to both of them for a bit longer.

On to Immy's set - well, first I should mention the stage. It was just magnificent, resplendent in Imogen, all her gadgets, a christmas tree, christmas lights, and a translucent piano. Fantastic. She played all of her big "hits" - at least I think of them as her hits... I've never actually heard one of her songs on the radio. Come Here Boy; Goodnight And Go; Hide And Seek; Just For Now; The Moment I Said It. Yes there were definitely gadgets a-plenty, and Immy is the master of them all. She does so much with a loop machine, a keyboard and her voice.

I love her sense of humor as well - she mentioned that she's up for a Grammy in the "New Artist" category, even though she's been around for... she trailed off then. She also revealed that she wrote Come Here Boy when she was 16, about a teacher. After the song she admitted that she shouldn't (and doesn't normally) give out so much information about a song. Ha ha. She just makes me happy when I see her perform. I guess that's the point, isn't it?