Last year, just as the hype around Cindy Lee's remarkable album Diamond Jubilee was starting to gain a lot of attention, they were scheduled to play Brooklyn's Baby's All Right on the same night as one of Neil Young's gigs at Forest Hills which was giving me an incredible amount of decision paralysis. However, in the middle of the tour, Cindy Lee abruptly cancelled all of the upcoming dates. Luckily, I got to go see Neil, but was unsure if my chances to see Lee were forever shot. When they announced a short run of dates for this fall, I knew I had to jump at my chance to see of the best records of 2024 brought to life on stage and boy am I glad I was able to catch her on this go around. While I must admit that when I saw that Freak Heat Waves was opening, I assumed it was a guarantee that we'd get to hear "In a Moment Divine, " one of my favorite songs of 2023 live, but it never happened and while that may have served as a slight moment of disappointment, the rest of the night more than made up for that one missed opportunity. Walking out to her red Fender SG laid out on a stool, a microphone, and some pedals and loops, Cindy Lee entered a barren stage with all eyes on her. Decked out in a white fur coat and a glimmering gold sparkle dress plus a kick-ass pair of go-go boots, the queen quietly composed herself, set down a bouqeut of flowers and unveiled a harrowing set of immaculate songs that transcended time and space. Appearing like a shimmering vision straight from a dream, Lee walked out of the darkness and into the spotlight, standing behind her microphone and elegantly belting out her exquisite tunes with pristine form. Lining up her backing tracks, Lee's main focus was on her divine voice which hit like a fever dream and outer worldly experience, sounding like no one else, a singular frequency and power unlike anything I've ever seen. She was a magnet from the start with everyone's gaze locked in, never wanting to part and she held the capacity crowd's attention while barely uttering a word. Throughout the night she'd comfortably pick up her strapless guitar and hug it to her body while she plucked out ecstatic notes of electricity that shook through the crowd, their metallic tones clamoring about, prickling like pins, and sending shockwaves into the ether. If you didn't know better, when you saw her hold her instrument, you may assume that it was the first time she'd ever picked up the thing, holding it unconventionally to say the least while she rang out these bluesy tracks that seemed plucked from another dimension. Far restrained and removed from interaction, Lee's focus was intense and direct, occasionally smiling at the crowd, but mostly engulfed in their act, entranced in a mindset that could not be broken. The music itself added to the avant-garde nature of the performance and wonderfully matched the aesthetics of Lee's persona, the panache for vintage attire combined with the retro sounds were transportive and gave the sense that this show could be happening in a vacuum. As if somehow we passed through a portal and this show was taking place in a world of total reverie. If Lou Reed fronted the B-52s and covered the Supremes, you'd get close to the sonic realm of the set, the vintage pop and retro rock and roll a perfect fit for the ornate setting that is the Paramount. Blown-out fuzz and glamor were injected into each track, "Wild One" sending a surge through the crowd, everyone hushed and swaying in steady rhythm. Existing in a universe all her own, the solo performance was of a magnitude of divine proportions as Lee commanded the crowd at every second, the focus never faltering and always fully under her magical spell. Through the vocal acrobatics juxtaposed against the ragged guitar lines, it was a hypnotizing show and as Lee shifted across the stage, glittering in gold in a cloud of smoke and against a solid black background, it was is she was indeed a fantasy come to life. Something mythical in stature that somehow lives up to the expectations and still somehow defies reality. On record Cindy Lee reached her watermark achievement (so far) with Diamond Jubilee and it's a sublime experience watching her bring it the work to the stage.
Set list:
01 "Cat O’ Nine Tails III"
02 "Lucifer Stand"
03 (Unknown)
04 (Unknown)
05 "Dreams Of You"
06 "Lamb of God"
07 "Wild One"
08 "Durham City Limit"
09 "Always Lovers"
10 "Dracula"
11 "Deepest Blue"
12 "If You Hear Me Crying"
13 "Darling of the Diskoteque"
14 "I Don't Want to Fall in Love Again"
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15 "Just for Loving You I Pay the Price"
16 "Burning Candle" [Chad VanGaalen cover]
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