Although it’s only January, I feel confident in saying few shows will surpass the overwhelming perfection that was Neko Case with support from Thao and the GDSD Thursday night at the Vogue. Featuring a band of all-stars (including golden-voiced mainstay Kelly Hogan on background vocals and Eric Bachmann on guitar), Case and her posse delivered a pristine set of tunes in what felt like the fastest 80 minutes of live music ever performed. It was that good.
Thao and the GDSD hit the stage precisely at 8:00 and powered through a 35-minute showcase of their wistful pop. Thao’s rich, smoky voice was front and center, but just as impressive was her instrumental dexterity. Bouncing between guitar, slide, and banjo — as on the hopping Kindness Be Conceived — she and her band did a great job setting the mood and introducing new fans to her two-album catalog.
The sold-out Vogue crowd was respectful and attentive as they waited for Ms. Case to take the stage. The Worse Things Get . . ., her 2013 release, was one of my favorite records of the year, so I was anxious to hear those tracks live. Adding to the anticipation was that it had been some time since Case had come through town. She opened for My Morning Jacket in 2012 at White River State Park — and I saw her down in Bloomington with the New Pornographers a year or so prior — but it had been too long since a proper set. She blew away all expectations, leaving the audience basking in the afterglow of her presence. Hers is one of the few voices that turn my bones to jelly.
Case opened with the reserved, stage-setting Where Did I Leave That Fire before powering into Middle Cyclone’s This Tornado Loves You. And if you weren’t in the palm of her hand yet, you were unlikely to escape after hearing her belt the song’s chill-inducing coda line of “What will make you believe me?” The love-fest continued unfettered for the next hour. Lion’s Jaws had the couple in front of me swaying (and, frankly, getting a bit handsy — good for them) and Nothing to Remember from the Hunger Games soundtrack was haunting. The two biggest surprises of the night were the sparse, heartbreaking Nearly Midnight from the new album — a song that hadn’t been making previous sets — and Set Out Running, which was dug out from 2000′s Furnace Room Lullaby. Case closed the main set with the smart, rocking Man before returning for a two-song encore of Maybe Sparrow and the uplifting Ragtime.
Everything about Thursday’s show was ideal. The pacing, the song selection, the BeeGees banter (those early albums are still glorious), Neko’s amazing voice and her crackerjack band — I’m still thinking about it. A wonderful night.
Were you at the show? What did you think?
Set List:
Where Did I Leave That Fire
This Tornado Loves You
Next Time You Say Forever
Bracing for Sunday
Lion’s Jaws
The Tigers Have Spoken
Local Girl
City Swans
That Teenage Feeling
Nothing to Remember
Set Out Running
Red Tide
Nearly Midnight
Pharaohs
Calling Cards
Hold On, Hold On
Night Still Comes
Man
Encore
Maybe Sparrow
Ragtime