the Informer

Saturday night at 9:00 p.m., after a long day of trekking around New York City, I found myself impatiently tapping my foot in front of the Music Hall of Williamsburg stage in Brooklyn. Singer and pianist Amanda Palmer's concert was supposed to have begun an hour ago, and I was not a happy camper.

Luckily, the wait proved to be well worthwhile. When the opening band, Nervous Cabaret, took the stage, members were equipped with all the usual band amenities in addition to both a trumpet and a trombone. I knew I was in for a good show.

Although I had not heard Nervous Cabaret before, I found myself happily moving to their music and thoroughly enjoying the change of pace provided by their ska style.

A quick glance around the audience showed most others felt the same as I did. Few, however, sang along, and it was clear the main attraction at this event was Amanda Palmer. She didn't disappoint.

When Amanda Palmer took the stage she was greeted by eager screams and cheering. To my delight, Nervous Cabaret stayed onstage as her backup band, adding a unique twist to her songs. She played songs from her solo album "Who Killed Amanda Palmer" as well as old songs composed during her time spent as a member of The Dresden Dolls.

Amanda Palmer has a unique way of relating to her audience. Throughout the concert, she will hold conversations, crack jokes and relate her life stories, as though she were talking to a friend. She has the ability to make a public venue extremely intimate.

About half-way through, she paused for a time segment labeled "Ask Amanda," in which she drew questions written by fans from a bucket.

She also read a short story from the recently published "Who Killed Amanda Palmer" picture book, complete with a multitude photographs featuring her dead body and short stories written by her current love interest, Neil Gaiman.

The encore was, by far, the best portion of the concert. She came back onstage, accompanied by Franz Nicolay, the pianist for The World/Inferno Friendship Society. At this time, however, he sported an accordion.

For the final two songs, Nervous Cabaret came back onstage as well as special guest Sxip Shirey, who makes a living by creating musical instruments out of everyday objects. The audience rocked out to a cover of "That's Not My Name" by the Ting-Ting's and the best version of "Coin Operated Boy," a Dresden Dolls original, I've ever heard.

The concert included a wide variety of genres, something not generally available in one concert. All in all, I heard ska, blues, jazz, folk, sailor songs and alternative in the period of three and a half hours.

To top it all off, as I waited in line to buy merchandise at the end of the show, Amanda Palmer came out on some guy's shoulders singing an island song and strumming a ukulele. Who could ask for more?

If, after reading this review, you decide to listen to Amanda Palmer, I have a quick word of warning. Her music branches outside the "norm." Most of her music differs greatly from the popular music heard on the radio or blaring from college dorms. It's a bit of an acquired taste. None of this is to say you shouldn't give it a try! But don't say I didn't warn you.