MUSIC
K.D. LANG: INGENUE REDUX TOUR
★★★½
The Plenary
July 18
The Plenary at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre is a weird venue for a concert.
![K.D. Lang and her band were let down by poor sound.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170721125849im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/p/n/k/l/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gxe412.png/1500480717553.jpg)
There's the airport-like entrance dotted with signage for furniture conventions; the lost-looking bar staff who forgot to prepare enough focaccias; the bright orange lobbies that smell like mouldy old couches.
The Grigoryan brothers' brief support slot saw them bunched at the front of the stage in the cavernous auditorium. Their duelling classical guitars sounded thin, with the speakers channelling towards the centre of the room. One hoped they would turn up the volume once Lang arrived – but alas, it wasn't so.
On the momentous first night of her Ingenue Redux Tour – which we get before Canada – the mix was flat, lacking in bottom end and becoming muddy when the full band ramped up. Lang had to ask for the foldback levels to be tweaked throughout the performance, and once or twice when she neared a speaker curiously placed on the stage, there was a squeak of feedback.
It was a damn shame too, because this was a truly cracking concert in just about every other way.
Lang's unwaveringly even voice is more dynamic live than in her pitch-perfect recordings. Her mic control is something to be gawked at; each warm crescendo amplified with impeccable lighting design from Baz Halpin.
The singer interspersed feats of vocal prowess with moments of humour and playfulness – dancing about the stage to Miss Chatelaine in her suit and bare feet, or making lewd jokes about "strapping on" her guitar.
Her band was remarkable. From long-time bassist David Piltch to backing singers Moorea Masa and Tahirah Memory (say that out loud – it's a delight); to Rich Hinman's soaring pedal steel and Grecco Buratto's guitar solos, which give the Grigoryans a run for their money – the band's chemistry was palpable, as much with Lang as between each other. At one point Lang caressed Buratto's face.
After 25 years, Lang's breakthrough album Ingenue stands the test of time. Conveniently, her big hit Constant Craving is the penultimate song on the album, and won a standing ovation from the crowd.
A brief selection of encore songs included the gorgeous Honey and Smoke, from her most recent collaboration with Neko Case and Laura Veirs; and some tributes to Canada's best.
Neil Young's Helpless fits Lang's voice like a glove, but it was Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah that stopped the room, giving Lang a chance to really show off her vocal chops. I sat stunned in my seat thinking"f--- me dead"; a woman seated in front of me simply pumped her fist and exclaimed, "Yes!"
One hopes the sound issues of the evening were venue specific, or opening night teething issues; Lang, and her band, could not be faulted. I dare say those with tickets to the next two Melbourne shows at the State Theatre are in for a real treat.
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