Rufus Wainwright
Oh Solo Wainwright – An Evening with Rufus
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Scottsdale, AZ, April 30, 2021
Reviewed by Lynn Timmons Edwards
Rufus Wainwright is a singer-songwriter who has been on the music scene for over 20 years. He has a loyal following that turned out for the first of three socially distanced shows in Scottsdale. A skilled pianist and guitarist with a lush, soaring voice, he brought us songs from his early recordings and promised that each of his three shows at the Center would be different. The son of famed folk musicians Loudon Wainwright and Kate McGarrigle, he is, as David Fricke of Entertainment Weekly said, “his own man.”
Wainwright is known for his lavish musical style, some referring to his music as “popera” (pop opera). I found his songs to be pleasant on the ear, but I struggled to understand all the lyrics. Instead of experiencing a story, I caught poetic phrasing and feelings like “life is a game and true love is a tragedy” from the title song of his second recording from 2001 Poses. The first time he picked up the guitar he introduced “April Fools” as his greatest potential hit. Later, also on his 1950s guitar, his “Go or Go Ahead” reflected addiction and lamented “lyrics on postcards,” with the voice inside his head saying to “go ahead and try it.” He gave us a little look into his past talking about growing up in Canada and then he delivered one of the best songs of the night, “Complainte de la Butte,” from the soundtrack of Moulin Rouge. Because I do not speak French, I did not struggle with trying to understand the lyrics and just loved the song.
Like all touring artists, Wainwright did what he could to survive during Covid, offering his entire catalogue, Rufus-Retro-Wainwright-Spective, in virtual tour over the course of the past year. His most stirring song was “Going to a Town” which is a reflection on being tired of America. While nearly all the songs were his own, he did do two Leonard Cohen covers, “So Long Marianne,” a fast-paced folk song from his recording Northern Stars celebrating the 150th birthday of Canada, and his encore “Hallelujah,” one of my favorites. His cover of this American Songbook staple, used in the film Shrek, is considered one of the best.
Great American Songbook fans can look forward to June 7. Wainwright will stream Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall at 8 p.m. ET from Capitol Studios in Los Angeles using the same microphone as Garland once did. He will be joined on stage by Kristin Chenoweth. The show will recreate his sold-out 2006 Carnegie Hall tribute concert, the live recording of which became his sixth album. The Scottsdale Center for the Arts presents a diverse array of artists and they are to be applauded for bringing Wainwright to Arizona audiences. His fans got an intimate experience, hearing him up close and personal, and newbies like me discovered an artist worth getting to know.
