she and him...are pretty fantastic

cameras flashed like strobe lights from moment she and him took the stage. and zooey deschanel looked a little overwhelmed.


she--angel-faced, in a silver-sequined, vintage halter dress--is a slip of a thing. from my vantage point (not close), i could clearly see her ribcage, and it was a little alarming. i wanted to offer her one of those empanadas that they sell at the venue. were it not for the generous bouffant, and the colossal white flower on her headband, how very small she would have looked on stage...

but oh, what a voice. a strong, clear, capable instrument. if she were ever so inclined, she could make the transition from indie pop darling/cute, quirky songstress, to convincing chanteuse. some years from now, i would love to hear her ooohs-ing through a cabaret set at some swanky nightclub.

as for him--his voice is used as kind of an oddity on the recording. i sort of love that, of course. but on stage, he sings a true "second voice" and does it well. with his sexy guitar stylings, he just might be a more compelling presence than her. he can play with real abandon, and some of my favorite moments of the night were the amazed, joyful smiles she gave him whenever he did.


she's an undoubtedly adorable, but timid tambourine player--i kept wishing she'd just go wild with the thing. i kept thinking--this is the gal that wants to play janis joplin? she could do it, of course, i think she has the voice in her, but the stage showmanship would require real acting.

all of that said, i loved the show! i really did. they sound very true to the record. the only somewhat disappointing rendition? "sweet darlin'" --they sang it like "camptown races." part of the magic of that song is "the build" toward the end. but they started so fast, too fast, there was nowhere to go with it, but off stage. and so they went...(but came back for their encore).

here are a few videos. you get the gist of how "true" they sounded, i think. terminal 5 was not "camera friendly" in any sense. this was all I could get.

and jojo, these are especially for you...

black hole


you really got a hold on me


this is not a test


a new zooey tune