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Concert reviews Music

Cat Power at the Kool Haus

CAT POWER at Kool Haus, Saturday, October 20. Rating: NN


As long-time Cat Power fans know, there’s no telling what to expect from her live show. Reviews of the singer-songwriter’s current tour have ranged from okay to absolute train wreck, to the point where you simply have to pray you catch her on a good night.

Perhaps the tip-off that her Kool Haus show was going to fall into the latter category came several hours before, when Chan Marshall tweeted a photo of herself (or rather, her foot) in a Toronto ambulance. Taking to the stage half an hour late, the blonde mohawk-coiffed singer offered no explanation for her earlier photo, or many words at all for that matter. Her stage banter was mumbled at best, and her singing voice sounded distant and frail.

Playing mostly songs off her recent album, this year’s excellent Sun, she had trouble keeping the crowd’s attention while her backing band struggled to keep up. By the time she found her footing, picking up a guitar for Peace And Love (which Marshall dedicated to “this g-damn election”), it was too late.

The singer’s demons and struggles are well-documented (alcoholism, drug abuse, failed relationships, etc.), and while there’s no question she’s one of the most talented American singer-songwriters of her generation, this show proved a little rest and relaxation might be in order for the sake of her mental and physical health.

Marshall’s last show in Toronto was in 2008. Hopefully last night’s audience won’t have to wait that long for her to return in better shape.

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