On November 10 beloved Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice will release his new album My Favourite Faded Fantasy. It’s a big deal, because it’s the first album that Rice has released in eight years.
Earlier this month Rice embarked on a small tour of tiny, intimate venues to serve as warm up shows for the bigger ones that will soon follow when he goes on a full national tour. This included a few stops in New York that included Warsaw and two nights at the tiny hole in the wall known as The Box. The venue fits maybe 150 people at most, so it was an exclusive, once in a lifetime sort of place to catch an artist as admired as Rice.
I was certainly spoiled by being in attendance, as it was my first time catching Rice live. It will certainly be hard to see him play at the huge ballroom’s that will follow, as seeing him at The Box felt like he was playing to me. He dabbled with a few new songs off of My Favourite Faded Fantasy, but mostly delighted fans with favorites from his treasured debut album O as well as the 2006 follow-up, 9.
It felt like a personal show simply because it was. Rice would talk to the audience, and give us insight into new songs, or provide a little background anecdote before an old song. He joked that “Coconut Skin” was his “fast song”, which got a good bit of laughs from the audience. Before nearly every old song he played, the crowd would gasp or cheer, not the sort of thing you normally see at shows. But then again, Rice isn’t your normal artist, and The Box isn’t your normal venue.
For the encore, he decided to play standing on a chair, in order to help everyone in the audience actually see him. He played “Colour Me In” and “Trusty and True” (which he asked for some audience participation, which ended up being beautifully done by everyone), before leaving the stage. Only, there was one song that he didn’t play. A little song known as “The Blower’s Daughter.” So, he came out again, for a second encore, and performed the beloved tune in true acoustic style, singing directly out to the audience, and they helped carry to tune home to the promise land.
It was a special show that delivered in every way. I’m excited to see what Rice’s new songs sound like recorded, and hope to catch him again someday soon.
Find the setlist as well as some more photos, posted below.
1. Delicate
2. The Box
3. Older Chests
4. Eskimo
5. Coconut Skins
6. Face (Juniper song)
7. Then Go
8. The Greatest Bastard
9. The Professor & La Fille Danse
10. I Don’t Want To Change You (with Shahzad Ismaily)
11. I Remember (with Shahzad Ismaily)
12. Woman Like a Man (with Shahzad Ismaily)
13. My Favourite Faded Fantasy (with Shahzad Ismaily)
14. Elephant
Encore:
15. Colour Me In
16. Trusty And True
Encore 2:
17. The Blower’s Daughter (unplugged)
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