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The Collins Center for the Arts celebrated its 25th anniversary on Sept. 24 with an entertaining evening featuring k.d. Lang and the Siss Boom Bang.
With strong, stirring vocals and an ease that was tangible from the moment she stepped on stage, Lang wowed a packed audience.
Lang’s accompanying five-person band included backup vocals, piano, cello, keyboard, three guitars both electric and acoustic, and for one song, an accordion and washboard. Lang herself often had an acoustic guitar around her neck that she played effortlessly as she belted out each emotional song.
Though the entire show was a fun, exciting spectacle, Lang was at her best when she was running from one end of the stage to another on pure, natural energy, dancing barefoot to her own proverbial drummer or engaging with band members.
She seemed to delight in every note and it was clear that the connection between Lang and her Siss Boom Bang-ers doesn’t stop offstage. Each member appeared to truly love Lang and by the end of her show, the audience couldn’t help but do the same.
The show was a heady mix of old and new with both covers and originals. It was an emotional roller coaster, moving swiftly from passionate ballads to hoppy bluegrass and back again. Lang’s smooth rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” was a highlight of the evening, but choosing just one would be impossible.
Unlike Cohen’s and Jeff Buckley’s versions of “Hallelujah,” Lang’s was slower and moodier, drawing out each syllable and note until there was barely a dry eye in the house. She had obviously found a way to connect this song to something personal within her and brought that feeling to the stage.
Suddenly the space felt wildly intimate rather than expansive and cold. The repeated “hallelujahs” at the end of the song reverberated through the auditorium and for a moment, the crowd was silent. After a brief moment of quiet awe, the audience rose to their feet in unison and began clapping and cheering enthusiastically.
Opening for Lang and the talented and rowdy Siss Boom Bang was Teddy Thompson, a Joshua Radin-inspired British singer and guitarist who lit up the stage in his own unassuming, charming way.
Thompson plucked a few tunes with his acoustic guitar and soulful vocals, creating a relaxed, pub-like atmosphere of the massive CCA. At one point, an audience member cried out, “Who are you?” as Thompson was not listed on the CCA website’s show description — or anywhere else, for that matter.
“Who am I?” Thompson said. “Who are you? Why can’t you look at yourselves,” he joked, and went on to explain that he is originally from London but now lives in New York.
He then gave a quick, poorly-delivered sales pitch.
“I have some CDs outside,” he said. “They’re really overpriced and it’s a dying format, so … don’t buy them. No, I mean, what’s the harm?”
The crowd was instantly wooed by the young, handsome Thompson, who could easily be pictured in a hip New York City lounge or on an old album cover. He was a perfect lead-in to the relaxed, fun Lang.
Lang entered the stage full-force, jumping right into three powerful songs. Once she took a breath, she joked casually and made helpful suggestions to the crowd.
“Happy 25th anniversary,” Lang exclaimed. “I know it’s a 25th anniversary gala, but tonight it’s going to be a ‘gay-la.’ Tonight you’re going to be a freak, because it’s a k.d. Lang show and we love freaks. Loosen your ties and take off your high heels.”
The conversation didn’t stop at making her audience more comfortable, though Lang did seem to value that as a priority.
“If you’re raising kids, do the world a favor and raise your kids with the confidence to be freaks if they want to,” she said.
This elicited applause and cheers from the eager crowd.
The crowd wasn’t shy about showing Lang their appreciation. Many waved to her and received a sheepish wave back from Lang, while one shouted, “You’re super great.”
Lang simply replied, “Thank you,” and continued to perform.
Lang’s voice and demeanor drew instant attention, and her passion and carefully-crafted lyrics kept it there.
Mixed in with the Lang originals both new and old was a Talking Heads cover, which Lang referred to as the start of a “spiritual sojourn.”
“I’m feeling a little strange and vulnerable at this point,” Lang said before performing the Talking Heads’ “Heaven.” “So I think in the spirit of fair and balanced singing, that perhaps we should repent at this moment, ladies and gentlemen. We’ll start at the top. That way, there’s no question as to where we are going.”
The Talking Heads’ melancholy “Heaven” was ideally suited to Lang, as it is a song that demands powerful but subdued vocals and flawless instrumentals.
Often the most memorable parts of a show are the very beginning and the very end. In this vein, at the end of the night, Lang performed “A Kiss to Dream On,” a lovely tune she sang most famously with Tony Bennett. She carried on just fine without the crooner.
Even a performer with the pipes and personality of Lang owes credit to her accompanying band. Lang didn’t ignore this and took a moment halfway through the show to introduce her musical men.
“I can say that they are all equal parts siss, boom and bang,” she said. “Well, maybe except for Josh. He might have a bit more. Look at this belt buckle.”
Lang pointed out the hefty buckle that backup vocalist and guitarist Josh Grange sported, one that bore the words “k.d. Lang and the Siss Boom Bang” in flashy print.
“It opens hearts, minds, beers and pants,” Lang said. “It’s an incredible steel sensation.”
She called the other members of her band her “left and right hand men,” a “bona fide rock god” and her “co-conspirator,” and credited guitarist and cellist Lex Price for keeping her grounded.
For one song, Lang pulled out a banjo and addressed the crowd once again.
“I feel obligated to give a disclaimer. If you start feeling a slight pull toward the stage, it’s perfectly normal, especially if you’re of the female persuasion,” she said. “Ladies and gentlemen, I have recently discovered that the banjo is a bit of a chick magnet.”
The crowd roared with laughter, and Lang proceeded to tear up the banjo while bouncing around stage in her usual, fervent fashion.
Lang rocked the CCA with her undeniable talent and staying star power, but perhaps one excitable audience member summed it up best — she was “super great.”
Bangor Daily News