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It’s been a day or two since the Taylor Swift spectacle descended on Atlanta. But enter Natalie Merchant, who commands the stage with a floating stage presence, twirls of her skirt and a timeless and powerful alto voice. Accompanied by a concise grouping of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ample strings, less brass) and her band, Merchant featured five songs from her 2023 release, Keep Your Courage among her solo hits and deeper tracks.
Anyone who has followed Merchant over her career should know that her interest is in the craft of making quality, timeless music. And that music, even with its lyrical depth, can be danced to, a particular enjoyment she relished after going through spinal surgery during the pandemic. And it’s obvious in concert.
As often as not, Merchant faced the orchestra rather than the audience, absorbing the warmth of the orchestra that brought warmth to the set, gently moving her arms and swaying, in her flats or out. The first set beautiful music, if unfamiliar to most of the audience. Even “The Letter,” from her best-selling album, Tigerlily, wasn’t one of the hits. “Break Your Heart,” closing the set, was the first for some to break out their cell phones for videos. It was beautiful music, beautifully performed and sung.
The second set began with “River,” again from Tigerlily, a familiar song but one likely heard from listening to the entire album. “Butterfly,” another deep cut, deserves a special mention for the harpist accompaniment that elevated the song. But, like a Mark Knopfler concert, it required a measure of patience to wait for the songs for which the artist became known.
That happened with “Beloved Wife,” where the audience finally got both her stellar voice and a familiar lyric, warranting their first standing ovation. “Sister Tilly,” a new song about women she’s known of her mother’s generation, benefitted from the goodwill. And from “Life is Sweet” on (earning a huge and rowdy standing ovation), Merchant caught fire as well, interacting with audience members, smiling, and likely even changing the setlist to get to “Come On, Aphrodite,” the liveliest song from her new album. And it worked.
The encore was presented sans orchestra, with her touring band which includes piano, acoustic guitar, drums, bass and supporting vocalist. After a jazzy bass intro, the familiar notes of the classic “Carnival” launched many to join in, and “These are Days,” hardly a footnote in her career, was an all-out sing-along, closing an exceptional performance.
Set One:
Set Two:
Encore:
