We Went There: L’Rain Live Album Taping at Walker Art Center
Seeing shows at the Walker Art Center theatre always adds an air of excitement to every concert, but Saturday night was particularly special because it was a live album recording for L’Rain. It was my first time seeing her despite being a fan for many years, and even with the heightened expectations it lived up to the expectations.
The show was a vibe from the minute we walked in, getting handed a small bottle of what we were told was Jericho water before going to our seats, and seeing the beautiful stage setup that we found out later were meant to represent Jericho flowers. When the lights dimmed, with the stage still empty, a haunted piano loop started playing, adding to the tension. Suddenly flashlights lit up on a few seats, pointing up to the person’s face like they were about to tell a scary story around the camp fire, and the people holding them one by one walked down from the crowd and took their spots as part of the band. It was an interesting way to start the show, one of many adventurous paths the band took over the course of the 80 minute set.
The music throughout the night was as expected from the critically acclaimed artist (Taga Cheek) and her band, ranging from neo-soul to ambient to spiritual jazz to noise-y art pop, all with a distinctive flair. The band behind her included a drummer, a guy playing synth and occasionally sax, a guitar player and a guy who switched between guitar and bass. Cheek played guitar, bass, synth and a whole slew of electronics, all while singing and maintaining the center of gravity for the show. She is an artist who is both commanding of attention and perfectly adapt at letting the music do the talking.
The show included a camera person who I’m not sure ever stopped moving the whole show, capturing the performers, but also the crowd, the flowers and so much more, with someone in the booth blending the videos with other footage and distorting the images to add to the intrigue. At times the live footage had a bit of a delay and was coated in a grainy cover, giving it the feeling of a dream hovering above the performers. The videos did an excellent job matching the mood of the music, which ranged from joyous to tense to sad to chaotic. At one point Cheek left the stage (followed by the camera so we saw her walking the backstage area) and then set up somewhere where she sang along with the band in a different area, but her face was on screen. It was a trippy, almost other-worldly amalgamation.
There were guitar strummed ballads, dissonant noise breakouts and everything in between. At times it had a groove, at other times it felt like your brain might melt from the frenetic energy. Many moments, where the music was matched by compelling videos, it felt euphoric. Near the end of the set, with a song that started with her whistling like a bird, the song/suite ended with almost wall of sound chaos, ending with her knocking over her guitars and letting the feedback ring. The song included her singing the words printed on the back of her shirt: “I am not prepared for what will happen to me,” a heavy statement whose spirit lingered over the track.
The evening ended with a lo-fi R&B jam that felt like a pallet cleaner, showcasing that despite all the detours the band took, they wanted to end the night showcasing that no matter what they did, they were *tight.* Cheek walked through the crowd at the end, singing in the isles between the crowd, ending up in the top of the main section where she said even though it seemed like we were a shy crowd, she had one last request for us. She said to celebrate the recording of this album, she had some local bakers make some cake, and she wanted us to come down to the front and get some cake. In typical Minnesota fashion, there was some hesitation, but quickly that melted and we all made our way down to be served some delicious, beautiful cake (I had some carrot cake that was amazing).
It was a sweet (pun intended) end to an amazing evening. I’m not sure what the plan is for the recording (she said we were the first of what could be multiple experiments) but I hope it sees the light of day. It showcased an artist and band who immaculately blended experimental with emotional, proving rules and settling for boundaries are for suckers.
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