We learned a number of things about Elle King at her concert at the Marquee Theatre on March 1, 2016.
First, don’t piss her off…or you may very well become the subject of an upcoming song.
Second, she has a ton of attitude and a great sense of humor…and she uses both very effectively to own the moment.
Third (and probably most importantly) is that while her radio friendly song Ex’s and Oh’s is a fun, campy song, there’s a whole lot of depth, nuance and texture to the rest of her music. Ex’s and Oh’s is a catchy, foot-tapping radio friendly alternative/pop cross-over hit that dominated the airwaves throughout 2015. It was nominated for a 2016 Grammy award for Best Rock Song and helped propel King to a 2016 Grammy award nomination for Best Rock Performance. It’s just that the song seems a little more bubblegum pop than actual rock. The rest of her catalog, however, is much more thoughtful, textured and nuanced, both lyrically and musically, than Ex’s and Oh’s.
King appeared at the Marquee as part of Vance Joy’s The Fire and Flood Tour in her first performance in Arizona. Throughout her set King came across as upbeat, sassy and fun. She strikes you as being they type who’s always the life of the party, wherever the party may be. And she does it to great effect with the audience.
Vocally she showed great range moving from soft and sultry to forceful and passionate throughout her set. Her album, quite frankly, doesn’t really do her justice as her voice had much more depth and passion live than it does recorded. Maybe her albums are just too overproduced because there was a certain depth and vibrancy in her voice hearing her live that doesn’t seem come across in her records. Whatever the reason, she puts on a terrific show and I suspect that the next time through Arizona she will be the headline artist on her own tour which will be well deserved if she keeps putting out the music that she played at the Marquee.
And musically she plays a killer banjo, which is something you don’t really get to see every day.
Photos and review by Greg Cohen
Photos © Greg Cohen 2016
King’s set list included:
- Where the Devil Don’t Go
- Good to be a Man
- Good for Nothin’ Woman
- Under the Influence
- Last Damn Night
- Song of Sorrow
- Oh! Darling
- Ex’s and Oh’s
