Review: Anxious Appreciation For Regina Spektor In Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- As a storm by the name of Stella threatened chaos outside, a singer by the name of Spektor delighted a sold out crowd inside.
Despite words of warning for weather doom, The Fillmore Philadelphia still filled on Monday night with a polite appreciation for the New York pianist.
Just after 8:15pm Regina Spektor emerged in a black dress and black tights to take her seat at the center stage piano.
"What's up Philly!" she exclaimed as the crowd swelled with hollers.
So began the tricky dance of enthusiasm and energy shared between Spektor and the spectators.
After settling into her piano bench, Spektor cruised through 2006's "On The Radio" with vigorous vocals. As the last note echoed the crowd escalated with loud admiration.
"Thank you" said Spektor shyly.
And then the crowd would settle into silence. Anxiously awaiting what's next from the Remember Us To Life singer, the room became near completely quiet. The mood was gracious and the evening played more like a recital than a concert.
So continued a relationship of mutual appreciation.
Spektor would show off her talents as her voice tiptoed up to crescendos and crested with power, fingers dancing across the keys effortlessly. The room would yell and applaud furiously as Spektor said "Thank you", only to sink back into stillness and anticipation while Regina readied her next move and sipped some water.
Still, it's tough to complain about momentum when the performance is so on point. Spektor preferred to let her expertise entice the crowd, rather than some overdone bravado and that works out just fine.
It also wasn't a night of only niceties. The well-mannered and reserved audience was still dotted with screams of song requests, questions about her sick mother, and at least one "I **** love you!"
To which she answered, "I **** love you too!"
In turn, Spektor had a few surprises beyond her typical talents. Whether it was the swirling cello sound during "Tornadoland", her crowd clap-along to "Better", or her fully upright a cappella style on "Silly Eye-Color Generalizations", there were moments when everyone was electric.
In the end, the storm named Stella waited until Spektor was finished with her beautiful performance, apparently just as courteous as everyone else.