Nikka Costa’s rhythm, energy charm audience

By Mary Williams
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

The floor of the Knitting Factory was shaking to the beat of the
music Friday night as the crowd jumped and danced to the rhythmic
wails of Nikka Costa.

The red-haired singer gave it all she had, her voice fluctuating
from a sultry whisper to an impassioned scream. She sang with her
whole body, her arms raised, her hips gyrating and her eyes
squeezed shut as she hit the high notes. Sometimes she would sink
to the floor, disappearing behind the wall of tightly packed bodies
in front of the stage.

The room got hotter and hotter, but no one showed fatigue;
instead they called Costa back for two encores. Members of the
audience shouted out encouraging comments, in addition to singing
along to many of the songs.

A performer since she was five, Costa certainly knows how to get
the audience in the palm of her hand. Costa charmed the crowd with
her personality, which was fiery and energetic.

Sung live, her songs were far more spirited than on her albums.
Any sense of reserve that could be found on her smoothly recorded
tracks was abandoned in the performance, which emotionally took the
songs to a new level.

Her band backed her well, looking like they were having as much
fun playing the funk-influenced rock as Costa had singing it. The
solos they played as she introduced the members revealed the
individual musical talent lurking behind the ensemble
performance.

The hit “Like A Feather” was a highlight, with the
audience joining in on the fast paced clapping during the chorus.
During the first encore, the acoustic “Push and Pull”
was another memorable song and one of the quietest moments of the
evening. Her second encore, a soulful a cappella song, was a
beautiful finish.

Although riddled by delays ““ beginning with the doors
opening far later than expected ““ the concert got off to a
strong start, too. Maroon5, who opened the show, performed a short
set of crowd-pleasing rock songs. The group, formed by UCLA grads,
were surprisingly good for the first of three bands.

The singer was the most charismatic member of the group.
Twisting his body and contorting his face as he played, he looked
like he got some sort of sexual pleasure from his guitar solos.

His voice had an apparently larger range than the backup singer
for the next performer, Tre from the underground rap group The
Pharcyde. While Tre’s performance was impressive, the woman
who lent additional vocals was distracting. Her voice didn’t
add anything to the songs, and in fact, often detracted from
them.

Tre held his own as a solo performer, but the feeling lingered
that a show with the other members of The Pharcyde would have been
undoubtedly more powerful.

Fortunately, Costa’s performance didn’t suffer from
any of these distractions. Both she and her band were expert
entertainers, and her set was a burst of energy that, even in its
softer moments, conveyed the emotion and fire of the singer.