TORONTO -- Lou Reed has never been one to pander to his audience's expectations.
He rarely performs a song exactly the way it was recorded, and seems to feel compelled to constantly re-examine and rethink his material. That can frustrate his fans, but they're almost never bored.
Reed's recently released two-disc retrospective, NYC Man, for instance, includes remastered and rejigged versions of many of his own favourites. And at his Massey Hall show last night, he brought different instrumentation, tempos and styles to a wide range of his work, from early Velvet Underground songs to selections from The Raven, his recent homage to Edgar Allan Poe.
The band included Mike Rathke on guitar and keyboards, bassist Fernando Saunders, cellist Jane Scarpantoni and a singer known only as Antony -- but no drummer, although Saunders hit an electric drum on a few songs. Oh yes, and a white-robed tai chi master who came out to perform smooth moves on a couple of tunes.
They opened with the unmistakable crowd-pleasing chords of Sweet Jane, but Reed couldn't help interrupting the song with an analysis of those famous chords before allowing us to enjoy it. Throughout the night he continued to toy with the audience, stopping to introduce band members or make faces or sardonic comments.
During Songs For Drella's Small Town, for instance, he asked whether Toronto was the kind of place people have to escape from, and wondered why Neil Young and Joni Mitchell didn't stay. That song also featured Rathke playing a guitar that sounded like a piano -- which Reed made a point of explaining so that no one would think they were playing to tapes.
Saunders' bass playing was terrific, but we could have done without him performing his own song, the hokey Reviens Cherie. Scarpantoni's cello added welcome intensity and echoes of John Cale's viola to a searing version of Venus In Furs. As for Antony, he has a magnificent if bizarre-sounding voice, which is doubtless an acquired taste. But his presence allowed for the performance of the sweet Velvet classic Candy Says. Still, it was strange hearing someone else sing it.
Reed and company performed a number of songs from The Raven, including the starkly beautiful Vanishing Act, Call On Me and a spoken word recitation of Poe's title poem, with new lyrics by Reed. They were sprinkled into a pretty inspired mix of old and new songs -- including a wistful Sunday Morning, a nearly unrecognizable All Tomorrow's Parties, the brutal Last Shot, Street Hassle, Dirty Boulevard, Set The Twilight Reeling and Perfect Day, which closed the marathon show of nearly three hours.
True to form, Reed satisfied more than he disappointed. He declined to play some of his best-loved songs, but gave us so much more than a run-through of the hits. (More on Lou Reed)
JAM! Rating: 3.5 out of 5
