Artist: KT Tunstall
Date: June 6, 2006
Venue: Fine Line Music Cafe
City: Minneapolis, MN
Review by [Amy Lotsberg] Producer of Collected Sounds
I didn’t even know this show was happening until a friend told me she had scored tickets on Craigslist. It is unfortunate that Tunstall’s mailing list did not alert fans or press contacts (of which I am both). Not that it mattered to her, the show was sold out.
We got there just before KT was about to start. We scootched up as close to the front as we could. I’m not tall by any stretch, so I always have difficulty at these kinds of shows. Inevitably a man of about 6 foot 5″ will stand directly in front of me. He was there this time but I also had a drunk girl who had no concept of personal space or that there was anyone else in the room besides her BF she was grinding on.
KT came out and was very chipper. She said, “Wow, I guess it really is sold out! What’s it like to be a squishy sardine? At least if anyone faints they won’t fall over!”
It really was packed, I imagine it was not quite as bad in the back, but up where we were was pretty tight.
It was a really diverse crowd. There were your average 20-30 something urban concert goers, but there were also some suburban soccer moms, much older couples, gay couples and even a biker or two (one who was singing along). I always love to see a variety of people at a show. Very good people watching.
KT was wonderful of course. I’d not seen her live yet and she did not disappoint. Her band is great. All fantastic musicians. I was especially impressed by her keyboard player who also played horns as well as the lid of a garbage can.
At one point she said that it was nice to know that she could have been a finalist on American Idol. “Not a winner, but at least a finalist!” Referring to Katherine McPhee who was runner up and sang Tunstall’s song, “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” Then she said, “She should have won shouldn’t she?” (with which I wholeheartedly agree though the crowd didn’t seem to). “She sang my song! She could have sung Simon and Garfunkel but she picked a new artist!”
KT was charming and funny and seemed really happy to be there. She complimented Minneapolis many times calling us fun and saying she looks forward to coming back. She said she’d be back in September…she thought. Then she said, “You’re American’s, if I don’t come back you can sue me, right?”
She’s very entertaining live, her voice is amazing and even more lovely than it is on record. There is a TON of energy in her shows and that is so infectious.
She played a song that she said was new and that she’d never played in public before. It was called Hollywood Hills and it was great. Afterwards she said, “That cherry is popped!”
She did an encore that consisted of two songs, one with the whole band and one with just bass and drums and herself on piano. It was lovely.
At the end of the night she said, “Thank you and I’ll see you in September…or I’ll see you in court!”
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