Smith’s songs show emotional duality

Pain is only bad when it doesn’t lead to something
beautiful. And when that beauty is manifested in tortured,
cathartic music it becomes really hard to talk about.

Elliott Smith played at the Henry Fonda Theater Friday and
Saturday night. His music was devastating, but only in the best of
ways. As probably the greatest singer-songwriter of our generation,
he lyrically and melodically expresses the human experience
intensely, without losing the private, personal edge or crossing
over to cliche. But when he tried to talk about his songs, his
words weren’t up to the challenge.

Smith, who is known for his flighty stage antics, was gorgeously
emotionally resonant during his songs, and nearly unintelligible
during his stage banter.

Opening for Smith both nights was Rilo Kiley. Led by the wailing
vocals of Jenny Lewis, this band played some serious pop. With
bouncy hooks and a whole lot of infectious energy, Rilo Kiley far
outdid its studio sound and provided a good contrast to
Smith’s more subdued sets.

On Friday Smith played mostly new material. The new songs
didn’t stray from Smith’s catalogue ““ amazing
lyrics, killer acoustic guitar and soul-wrenching vocals.
Basically, the show furthered the already rabid anticipation of a
new Smith album, rumored to be a double-album summer release.

Friday’s crowd was terrible, however, shouting incessantly
at Smith. People complained of his not standing up (he didn’t
have a guitar strap and sat through his sets both nights) and was
even so audacious as to yell comments about illicit substances, a
terrible affront to a sensitive artist who has had a notoriously
hard time staying sober. Friday’s show was amazing, but Smith
often seemed flustered and nervous with his own presence on stage.
He played a reasonably short set, followed by two lengthy
encores.

This format was followed Saturday night as well, but instead of
mostly new songs, Smith trotted out the hits, and a few live
treats, including “The Enemy is You,” “Christian
Brothers,” and surprisingly, a cover of Oasis’
“Supersonic” as well. But while it would be impossible
to complain about hearing songs like “Miss Misery” and
“Independence Day” there was an immediate freshness to
the new songs Friday night that was in some ways more fulfilling to
hear. All of the songs were powerful, but to get to hear new
Elliott Smith lyrics live from his mouth was intense.

Saturday night Smith was more responsive and happy with the
crowd. His mumbling sounded more like actual sentences, and the
crowd was more respectful. He had trouble remembering some songs,
but talked himself and the crowd through the lyrics and chords he
was having trouble with, including an excellent version of the
“Either/Or” album track “Alameda.”

Smith’s mumbling often referred to his songs as sad, but
not really all sad ““ he said that sometimes sad songs can be
happy. This was, of course, the least eloquent he was either night,
but any observant audience member immediately knew what he was
talking about. Smith’s songs and sound taps into brutally
melancholy places, but the listener and the music emerge together
from the dark places somewhere a little closer to the light ““
to human connection and understanding, which is what all the best
songs are about anyway.