Last night I drove the 2 hour, semi-scenic, half speed trap – half autobahn, stretch of highway from Charlotte to Asheville in order to take in a concert by one of my favorite current artists: the adorable Feist. Loyal listeners of the show (all 7 of you) know of my affinity for the Canadian songstress, but for those that don’t, let me spell it out for you: I love her. More artistically than physically, however I do find her to be attractive and during a discussion last night discovered that I would marry her right now if the offer presented itself – which it didn’t. But it is her music and signature vocals that are the cornerstones of my affection and seeing her live proved to only deepen those ties that have me bound.

She came on stage draped in theatrical lighting, while a collage of spring and earthen images were projected on the backdrop. She opened with When I Was a Young Girl from her first album Let It Die, but from then on in stuck mostly to newer tracks from her Grammy nominated album The Reminder. The overall tone of the show was somewhat reflective and the song pace was admittedly slow, but one had to kind of expect that type of atmosphere because a good portion of the album lends itself to showcasing her voice in melodic ballads. That’s not to say Feist didn’t come ready to rock it out – on tracks like I Feel it All and Sea Lion Woman she let it all hang out and performed with fantastic energy and musicianship, replacing the haunting piano with bursts of electric guitar and trumpet. The downside to these tracks is that it leads to “terrible white girl dancing” where all the ladies in the place (and there were a lot) gyrate with absolutely no-rhythm, while waving their arms around their heads as if they paid for belly-dancing lessons but left 30 minutes into the first one and then never went back. Luckily Feist’s awesomeness relegated this to only the most minor of distractions.

She played all of the tracks on The Reminder (except for Brandy Alexander), the favorites from Let it Die (including a slowed-down, softer version of the usually upbeat, R&B inspired Inside & Out) and even threw in a Broken Social Scene cover. I know what you’re all wondering: what’s my favorite Feist song, and did she play it. The answer is the sultry-smooth The Limit to your Love and yes she broke it out after she was about five songs deep. It was awesome. Let it be said that one thing rang true no matter what song was being played – something I knew before going in, but had proven to me in person – Leslie Feist has the most beautiful voice ever. She sounded perfect. Anyone who is a fan of her, or a fan of live music in general, should definitely check out her touring schedule and catch her show. I hope you won’t have to drive two hours out of your way to do so, but even if you do, it will be well worth your time. Respect…

-John (your trusted East Coast Host)