and not forgetting the voice

i should have known better than to wear mascara to a neko case show. it goes without saying at this point, but she is epic. especially at park west, her voice just soared. and backed up by kelly hogan and nora o'connor (tied with jennifer for o'connors i wish i was related to), it was like the triumvirate of chicago-based sirens. trust me, that she made me cry is not at all as surprising as when...certain songs that reduced me to tears the first time i heard them ("star witness", "margaret vs. pauline") sounded surprisingly upbeat live, while "set out running," which initially struck me as well-crafted country pastiche, absolutely killed me. and then were there the songs that always had that effect, like "i wish i was the moon." and then, even though she gave us fair warning that it was "a sad one" there was "in california" (which some googling told me was written by her previous bandmate lisa marr) that turned my eyes from watery to flooded. (check the lyrics and tell me i'm wrong.) which is not at all incompatible with saying that i had the absolute best time. plus she and her ladies are just the funniest, even sans rachael flotard. and songs i previously wrote off, like "favorite," floored me. and in the hands of her capable band and my admirably silent fellow concertgoers, "dirty knife" was absolutely cinematic. the scary thing is, the shows tonight and tomorrow are probably going to be even better.