Enthusiastic concert-goers were entertained by the harmonic melodies of female singer-songwriter Neko Case at the Newport Music Hall on Saturday, April 23.
Cheers of excitement rang out from the crowd as she took the stage to kick things off with one of her most popular songs, “Maybe Sparrow,” from her 2006 EP “Fox Confessor Brings the Flood.”
A creative display of carefully chosen images scrolled on a screen behind the band in-sync with Case’s lyrics.
“I loved the visuals,” said Emily Dowell, a private art teacher from Dublin. “There was so much going on, I didn’t know what my eyes should look at.”
Case is known for her trademark voice and indie country-folk style.
“She has a real great voice, a real one-of-a-kind voice, an all-tell voice,” said Binoy Mathew, manager of the Press Grill in the Short North.
The show marked the bands 23rd stop on a 34-show spring tour promoting Case’s new album, “Middle Cyclone.” The album peaked at the number one spot on Billboard’s Top Independent Albums chart.
The approximately 1,200 people in attendance, a mixed crowed of artsy-intellectual students and young professionals, had the chance to become acquainted with Case’s band. Bassist Tom V. Ray was particularly interesting because he used a bow to play his bass guitar, an unusual technique.
Case’s guitarist, Jon Rauhouse, garnered cheers from the crowd every time he slipped into a smooth solo on his steel pedal guitar.
Case and her band performed for a little more than an hour before returning to the stage to play two encores.
During the first encore, Case sang an emotional rendition of Harry Nilsson’s “Don’t Forget Me” before closing the night with “Margaret vs. Pauline.”
Earlier in the evening, Crooked Fingers opened the show with their soulful indie sound.
“They were an interesting mix between maybe X and Steve Earle, especially a modern Steve Earle with the mix music stuff,” Mathew said.
Ian McCollum can be reached at [email protected].
