Revolution Hall, Portland, OR
3/12/2024
It was bound to happen. Some clever jerkoff would feel the need to shout, “Judas” at some point during Cat Power’s live recreation of Bob Dylan’s legendary “Royal Albert Hall” concert. And without fail, right before Chan Marshall closed out a triumphant evening with her interpretation of “Like a Rolling Stone,” a chorus of “Judas” pelted the stage in playful recreation of the inciting incident from 1966. However, Marshall, full of grace, didn’t play along. Didn’t tell the audience that she didn’t believe them or tell the band to “play it f*ckin’ loud.” Instead, she ended the show with a warm version of the Dylan classic, even handing the microphone to fans in the front row to sing along during the chorus.
The performance comes on the heels of Marshall’s Cat Power Sings Dylan: The Royal Albert Hall Concert, her 2023 record that uses the widely bootlegged 1966 performance as a framework. Marshall has often covered other musicians, so a Dylan offering was not surprising. Marshall even recorded her version at the Royal Albert Hall, a tip of her hat to Dylan’s wild mercurial spirit. Because here’s the deal ‒ after many years, Dylanologists figured out that the bootleg wasn’t even recorded in London, but at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester, hence the apostrophes around its title.
Marshall rode Dylan’s volatile energy into her second Portland concert in two nights. The singer, who like Dylan has a history of a tumultuous relationship with her audience, claimed that this show, along with one in Des Moines, was the best of the tour so far. She appeared to be in good spirits, making jokes, waving at people in the crowd and pausing between songs to let patrons find their seats.
Just like the record, and the bootleg the record covers, the set was split into two distinct parts. Marshall played the first seven songs with minimal accompaniment, just a guitarist and a harmonica player backing her, before opening things up for an eight-song electric set, backed by a six-piece band complete with a Hammond organ player. Beginning with “She Belongs to Me,” Marshall played a faithful reading of the ‘66 concert while her own spin added some lyrical changes and her unique vocal delivery to these Dylan favorites. There was no encore. No inclusion of her own songs. Just the “Royal Albert Hall” concert from beginning to end.
Hair cut short, wearing a black top, black jeans and stiletto high heels, Marshall took center stage with only a music stand with the lyrics to guide her. Notorious for stage fright, the lights were kept dimmed while an array of lamps flanked Marshall to light the singer from behind. Henry Munson played an immaculate acoustic guitar while Aaron Embry’s harmonica felt tasteful. Free of the burden of doing it all herself, Marshall channeled her energy into delicate readings of songs such as “Visions of Johanna” and “Desolation Row,” taking ownership over some of the twistiest lyrics ever written.
Marshall kept the banter to a minimum but did attempt some jokes, such as the idea of selling razorblades as merch as way to minimize stage fright. She often sipped a mug of tea but also suggested she wanted to a take a shot of mezcal to celebrate the evening. Most of the time she concentrated on her soulful interpretations of classics like “Just Like a Woman” and “Mr. Tambourine Man.”
Without a break, Embry shifted over to the piano, Munson strapped on an electric guitar and four more musicians took the stage. The band then broke into a fiery version of “Tell Me, Momma.” During the acoustic portion of the set, the ushers kept the doors closed, only allowing audience members to come in and sit between numbers. Now, the doors were literally wide open. It was time to unwind and have fun.
After Marshall pointed out the “bad bitches” who stood and danced when the show went electric, all the fans on the lower level got to their feet and danced along with songs such as “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues” and “Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat.” The groove continued over tracks like an amplified “One Too Many Mornings” and the sinister “Ballad of a Thin Man.”
Then came the shouts of “Judas.” But Marshall didn’t let them get to her. As a fan of Dylan’s bootleg, she must have expected such shenanigans, and they did not deter her from turning in an excellent version of one of Dylan’s most-beloved songs. For many musicians, taking on Bob Dylan would likely result in disaster. Marshall found ways to both honor his place in the pantheon of music greats and never lose Cat Power in the presentation.
