Music Matters
Fiona, freed: Apple apologizes before rocking out in first post-arrest show
No, she didn't play "Criminal."
As soon as she took the stage at Houston's Bayou Music Center, Fiona Apple took a moment to address her recent arrest for possession of hashish at a West Texas border crossing.
"I just have a couple things to say. The guy who runs the jail, he's a real nice guy. I just met him yesterday morning … and I apologize for being attitude-y," she said.
If this is the kind of concert we get after musicians spend a night in jail, maybe they should be arrested more often.
Apple can seem awkward, flighty or slightly impenetrable onstage, but on Friday night she came out like she had something to prove. And then she did, gripping the microphone like a weapon while opening with a gorgeously furious version of "Fast As You Can" before sitting down at the piano.
In songs like "On The Bound" and "Get Gone," Apple's dynamic voice was full of outrage, delivering the choruses somewhere between a growl and a scream. Though still as gaunt as she was back in 1997 in her infamous "Criminal" video, Apple looked strong, not fragile, in a clingy, floor-length striped cotton dress.
After emotional takes on "Shadowboxer" and "Paper Bag," she lightened up a bit on "Extraordinary Machine," her strong voice interspersed with chirpy falsetto as she held her hands on her hips. As a stunning lights program wrapped her in sexy shadows, Apple danced around to the guitars at the end of "Periphery" and seemed to be having nothing less than a blast.
On slow songs like "I Know," Apple was cast in dramatic pink light, with elegant hints of chanteuses from 50 years ago — Peggy Lee in combat boots. At least until the throaty guitars broke in and her voice began to crack once more with emotion, ranging from a war chant in her rough but clear runs to lyrics delivered in a furtive whisper on "Not About Love."
On slow songs like "I Know," Apple was cast in dramatic pink light, with elegant hints of chanteuses from 50 years ago — Peggy Lee in combat boots.
Energy from the audience started out high and just kept rising. By the time Apple hit songs like "Every Single Night" and "Left Alone" off her new album, The Idler Wheel, she had the crowd eating out of her hand as she danced around and even played a bit of percussion on "Daredevil."
Ending on a lush cover of Conway Twitty's "It's Only Make Believe," Apple stared off into middle distance above the crowd like a saint in a Renaissance painting, breaking away from an intense hour-plus set that combined intimacy and emotion with just enough rock-star growl.
If this is the kind of concert we get after musicians spend a night in jail, maybe they should be arrested more often.