Eagle-Eye Cherry with Leona Naess at the Horseshoe, October 24. Tickets: $12.50. Attendance: 250. Rating: NN
as opener leona naess got on with her set, the fistful of people in attendance at the Horseshoe last Wednesday acted like they were in a holding pattern waiting for Eagle-Eye Cherry, son of legendary trumpeter Don Cherry and brother of singer Neneh. Though Naess and her band, the American version of Sixpence None the Richer, were all well versed in the art of playing their instruments — and surely some of her songs will appear on upcoming movie soundtracks — the warm-up left me cold and cranky and the rest of the audience indifferent.
Some of the Wednesday-night concert-goers would have been just as excited had Eagle Eye come out in a G-string and just stood there. Actually, his biggest shtick during the weak performance involved starting off the set in a waist-length leather jacket and then taking it off.
His songs delivered pop clichés filled with repetitive yammerings like “Gimme one good reason” followed by “I know” repeated over and over again. At least you could understand the lyrics, right? The whole affair was uncreative and uninspired. You’d expect more from a guy who’s clearly heard lots of good music in his lifetime.
The stage was so full of gear that the six-member ensemble could hardly fit on it. At points I was sure that metal god guitar player Mattias Torell, who was tripping on his riffs, was going to set off a domino effect onstage. It would have been the highlight.
