Regina Spektor live at the Fillmore Auditorium--concert review

Regina Spektor's latest album "Far"

At the historic Fillmore Auditorium in Denver, Regina Spektor played to a full house on November 7.

The show opened with Jupiter One, an up-and-coming four-piece band from New York.  With a rock/pop vibe accentuated with occasional violin and flute, they warmed up the audience nicely.

A 45-minute delay between acts made the crowd slightly impatient; however, all that was forgotten when Regina Spektor took the stage. With her winning smile and quirky not-so-innocence, she greeted the cheering crowd, sat at the Steinway piano, and quickly proved why her fan base is so enthusiastic.  Accompanied only by drums, cello and violin (played by the lead singer of Jupiter One), she sang and played songs like "Machine," "Eet", "Laughing With", and more--hit after hit while the audience sang along, word for word.

About halfway through the 90-minute set, the other instrumentalists left the stage, and Regina finished the show solo--attesting to her showmanship and ability to entertain. Leaving the piano for awhile, she did some of her more humorous songs on electric guitar, and even sang one song a capella--one of the high points of the night.  She talked fairly little between songs, but as she wriggled into her guitar strap, a fan tossed a flower bouquet laced with glitter onto the stage.  It sent a cloud of glitter into the air, creating an other-worldly effect around Regina with the stage lighting.  She seized the moment.  "I'm melting, I'm melting," she quipped, followed by, "I'm being transported to another dimension."  The audience loved it.

Not surprisingly, the audience demanded an encore.  After Regina returned to play "Samson" alone at the piano, the band joined her for two more, including the most anticipated and well-received song of the night, "Us."  Like a true pro, she had saved the best for last.

The great thing about this concert was that despite Regina's stage presence and personality, she obviously knew what her fans had come for: the songs. She never stopped to preach a political agenda, or describe what her songs were about; she just sang them, letting them speak for themselves.  There was no video screen behind her, no pyrotechnics, no dancers. The night was about the music and the fans, and she seemed genuinely as appreciative of the fans as they were of her. 

The verdict is in:  Denver loves Regina Spektor.

  Read my music blog, The Oomph!