Ingrid Michaelson At The Fillmore In San Francisco

Last week we went to see singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson at the Fillmore in San Francisco. The venue is famous, from the 60s until now, but it’s not really the best place to see a show. It’s basically a general admission open area except for a bar on the side and a very few balcony seats that fill up really fast. I’d rather have a seat, but they don’t do it that way. This show was pretty civilized, though, no mosh pit or anything. Everyone was pretty cool and having a great time.

My review of the show and some pictures too after the “continue reading…”

The opening act was Harper Blynn, a new york three-piece with a driving but melodic sound reminiscent of Ra Ra Riot, also from that city. They were good. Then after a longer-than-I-expected break came Ingrid and her top-notch band. She is supporting her latest (fourth) album and played almost all of it. She starting veering more into pop-rock on her third album but this one takes it quite a bit further. I don’t think that is her main strength but she does it pretty well. In the process, though, some of her quirkiness and charm gets buried in the glossy and produced arrangements. She did some older material too, of course, but not as much as I would have liked. The was no Die Alone or The Hat or Be OK or lots of other quirky charmers from the first couple albums. But all that aside, the show was still really entertaining and Ingrid is a charismatic performer and a singing and writing talent with a really good band. She even played a song never on an album, about San Francisco, that was a treat to hear too. She is still well worth the price of admission, but there’s a part of me that wants the folk-pop artist back. However, time marches on and I still think she is great and will no doubt buy the next album too whenever it comes out.

Oh, and I’d gladly go see her show again. This was my third time seeing her and I have always felt I got more than my money’s worth. If you don’t know her, then go and buy her CD “Boys and Girls”, then “Be OK” and “Everybody”, then her latest “Human Again”.