Melody Gardot's Journey to Amsterdam
I'd been waiting to see Melody Gardot for two years. I missed her when she came to North Sea Festival twice. So waiting for Gardot one hour more standing in front of closed doors at the Melkweg because of technical issues that needed to be dealt with was not enough to discourage me. Yes it was a bit annoying to hear that even after the standing hour, Melody Gardot needed a bit more time to get ready "to give a good concert" as one of the organizers said, booed on the stage. But again, that wasn't enough to make me unhappy. I was too enthusiastic to let anything spoil the moment, and I have to say that my expectations were far more than met.
She was (and looked) wonderful tonight, la Gardot. She entered the music hall from the back, walked down the stairs, through the impatient audience and stepped on the stage, apologizing for her delay. In front of the huge white curtain, she knelt down and patiently spread sand on the stage floor. The ritual seemed surrealistic under the red spot light. Standing up she started singing a cappella, using her high heels as drums creating a little sand storm under her feet. Then she moved behind the curtain and, together with her amazing band, started an ombres chinoises show. It was the most original concert opening I had seen in a long time. After this enchanting introduction, I was even eager to discover more of Gardot's live music. I was mesmerized until the end, and I laughed a lot in-between songs, because she has some sense of humor la Gardot, and it feels so good! Just like her music, and as her interludes show, Melody Gardot is sincere. It was a delight spending the evening with her. And just a personal note for you Melody, if you ever read this post: we can go on my bicycle every day together, through my white little earphones you will sing to me and we'll take each other along on our different journeys.
Melody Gardot performed at the Melkweg in Amsterdam, 16 November 2009.
For more tour dates check: http://www.myspace.com/melody
Photo: A white photo of Melody Gardot by Shervin Lainez (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0)
