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9th May 2002 — Graceland, Seattle, WA
Review(s)
The Stranger (Seattle)
May, 2002
Over the past decade, the brother/sister combo the Cranes have created a
body of work that is hauntingly beautiful and truly spooky. Allison Shaws
childlike vocals are georgeously unsettling, particularly showcased as they
are by a musical background that manages to seem both stark and inviting.
It's what you would imagine music created by ghosts would sound like --full
of shadows and after images, whispers and longing. The Cranes sound
pretty, but also a little terrifying---all in the best possible way. San
Francisco's For Stars and Seattle's own Tagging Satellites round out the
bill, promising a night of perfectly matched mood music.
Reviewed by Barbara Mitchell
Cranes are clearly a case of a band better fit for playing a stadium, but
swept aside into smaller, more obscure clubs of the States. It's awkward
to think that a band of such talent and potential could be so largely
overlooked by local radio. This injustice, however, could not sway legions
of ecstatic fans from entering any form of dank pit to experience the
bliss of their return. This fan appreciation was made evident by the ever
growing crowed ? and their gasps of delight as the band finally took
stage.
A local band called Tagging Satellites was the first act to appear on the
wide, yet shallow stage. Their vocalist was an striking blond girl dressed
in smiles, and playing an equally radiant guitar. However, even as the
atmosphere produced by their somewhat ethereal sound was on the borderline
of what a Cranes fan might enjoy, the entirety of the audience was
hesitant to approach the stage. It was not musical persuasion they lacked,
the shyness was more in part by general crowd inhibition; they receive
much applaud and sold a few discs after their gig.
Second up was a San Francisco band along for a large portion of the
glories and tribulations of Cranes' North American tour: For Star. As they
prepared for their set, the "sheep" effect now forced the listeners a bit
closer to the stage, although they still retained at about a 2 meter
distance. On the whole, For Star offered the more mild sounds of the
night, but by no means did they lack musical talent. Their sound could
almost be a labeled as Ben Folds Five with a bit indie wound in their
melodious cogs.
As For Stars finished up their set, the audience was finally urged forward
by the jade magic of what was to come next. Either that, or perhaps
persuaded to get closer by a few fans (ahhmm..) who were unwilling to
experience it from a distance. More people continued to pour into the
somewhat undersized venue until they made up a small sea of faces.
Discussions faded into cheer as the long awaited return of Cranes to
Seattle was finally materializing before the eyes of eager supporters:
they took to the stage.
To open their set, Cranes pulled out some more mild songs like the
well-known "Cloudless" from Forever and the newer material such as
"Sunrise" appearing on Future Songs. The tunes forced the bodies of fans
lesser afraid to embrace the pleasure of the moment into a sway. Yet,
Alison appeared to be afflicted by a cold, or the relentless rigors of a
tour uninterrupted by rest. She apologized for having to work in her voice
and earned the response, "It's okay, we still love you!!" from one
showgoer consequently earning her smile. In fact, despite the apparent
fight for her ideal vocals, she often smiled during the performance giving
it a special sense of warmth. Nevertheless, the emerald beauty and
breath-taking vocals of Alison Shaw shimmered through for many fans.
Appreciation was unmistakable in the rising cheers for songs such as
"Lilies" and "Shinning Road." Despite the band's seeming sense of
disappointment with the outcome of their overall performance, they all
played hard and gave it their best and they even appeared to have a spot
of fun. At one point during the gig, Jim seemed a bit frustrated by the
malfunctioning state of his musical equipment. However, he didn't allow it
to hinder him for too long, and Cranes continued to play. The setlist
appears to be very similar to that of their previous concerts. Encores
were laced with songs of such strong caliber like "Jewel" and "Adrift."
As the lights poured in, the delight of the night had not quite ended. If
one very positive aspect could be attributed to smaller venues, it's that
it gives fans opportunity to converse with the bands. After-show mingling
revealed the group to be very humble and kind; more than willing to sign a
fan's newly acquired poster. They even apologized for their view on
playing a less than perfect show. However, many fans left the club as they
entered: thrilled Cranes made an appearance in town. In any case, truly,
imperfections are part of the beauty in a live show. Perhaps with some
persuasion they'd be willing to return in the near future and drag the
Cure along beside them, who Seattle greatly missed on their last tour.
Reviewed by Thomas J Riedell
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