Nellie McKay @ Concert Hall: A Gopher With A Grin

Bashful, jovial and intensely ironic - another astounding evening with Ms. Nellie McKay. In spite of a blistering Nor'easter and a very random/peculiar subway ride with Jason Trachtenburg (of The Slideshow Players) on my journey to the NY Society For Ethical Culture, all chaos was put to rest as soon as Nellie opened with new holiday tune, 'Take Me Away'. Complete with a Rudolph hand puppet and Dorothy-esque gold slippers, the following eighty minutes served as the perfect prelude to Christmas '07.

The genre-bending New Yorker ran through a handful of tracks from each of her three full-lengths, all the while throwing in some fan-appreciated covers - including a ukulele-friendly version of Herman's Hermits' 1965 single, 'Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter'. Closing with a blaring take on Get Away From Me favorite, 'Sari', Nellie reminded me (yet again) why I fell in love with her in the first place. Simply superb. Enjoy some more photos from the show, plus a live Nellie MP3 below.

As always, you can learn more about Nellie McKay at her highly informative fan site.





MP3: Nellie McKay - Sari (live)