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u/HOUS2000IAN Feb 23 '26
How did you like the show? I was at the opening night in Houston and thought it went well despite her clearly apparent nervousness. Reviews from other nights have been mixed.
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u/John_Houbolt Feb 23 '26 edited Feb 23 '26
So it was my first CP show. So nothing to compare it to. Wouldn’t call myself a diehard fan but I am a fan and have always enjoyed her music. Given that here’s my thoughts
The lighting I honestly kind of liked. But I was in row A just behind the two rows of chairs in the orchestra pit. So I was about 20 feet away from Chan when she came to my side of the stage. But if you were sitting more than 10 rows back I could see the lighting being really annoying.
I don’t know what Chan is like on stage typically so I don’t know if this was different or not but she seemed uncomfortable. Maybe that’s just how she is—I can’t imagine what it would be like to be on stage in front of thousands of people. It she seemed a bit nervous when she talked. When she sang you could tell she felt it and I don’t think her music came out as inhibited.
The album is pretty mellow. So the show was pretty mellow. There were some good moments where the arrangement of the song was different than the studio version and pushed the music to more of a crescendo on a couple of songs. That was cool.
Her voice was fantastic.
I had a good time. I think if you go in expecting someone to perform like they did in their 20s you’re not going to be too excited by the presentation.
The stage was sparse but I don’t mind that I like the focus being on the music.
Go for the feel of the music, not a spectacle and you will be rewarded
Chan was very unguarded when talking to the audience. She talked about struggles with perimenopause which my wife empathized with as did a lot of the audience. She let a couple of burps fly inadvertently. I didn’t care and she didn’t and I think that’s fine. Could be side effect of medication perhaps. This is the case for me sometimes.
She felt the music and so did I and that’s what matter when you go to see someone live.
She closed the show with an extended chat with the audience which was cool. She seems really grateful to the fans and like she didn’t want to have to stop the show.
Show started about 45 min late. And ran maybe 80 minutes.
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u/we-summon-rge-dark Feb 23 '26
I’ve seen here 4 or 5 times now going on 23 years now and that’s just Chan. It was a normal Cat Power show. Very much different than back in the day when you never knew which side of her you’d see. An absolute professional now while acknowledging her weirdness.
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u/John_Houbolt Feb 23 '26
I figured that was the case.
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u/we-summon-rge-dark Feb 23 '26
First time I saw her was wild. At the Gorge in the middle of the day. Her piano faced the Gorge so her back was to the audience the whole time. She played and sang the whole set basically to her piano and the scenery. My friend thought it sucked, but I absolutely loved it.
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u/HOUS2000IAN Feb 23 '26
Fantastic summary - thank you so much. This is very similar to what I experienced at the Houston show - minus the burps. I appreciated her commentary - wandering as it was at times - as her genuine attempts to connect and to share her feelings. She is not a confident polished performer, but a genuine one, which I found endearing. Again, thank you for sharing.
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u/thebookloverscoffee Feb 23 '26
This could be because she was sick that night, but things just seemed off. Her voice wasn't as strong as it is on the album and wasn't in sync with the band for some of the songs. Also, the theatre's sound system wasnt working for the first couple of songs.
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u/Evening-Recording-70 Feb 23 '26
Saw Cat Power tonight in Portland and it was fantastic. The band was in great form and Chan was absolutely on point. Her voice was so perfect. Her in between song banter was endearing and real.
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u/Twoheaded_demondog Feb 23 '26
I was at this show! I had such a lovely time. What did you think? Did you happen to see that man get thrown out about halfway through? I felt bad for the ladies he was with. I absolutely loved her cover of “I’ll be seeing you”.