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LISA MARIE PRESLEY
House of Blues, Chicago
August 8, 2003
Review by:Anita Lande
Photos by: Niva Bringas
As the lights turned down a little after 9p.m., the
sellout crowd was getting very antsy as they awaited the first ever
Chicago performance of Lisa Marie Presley. She was on the bill
as the opening act for Chris Issak
on this, the first leg of her debut national tour.
Many fans held up in the air copies of her debut CD
"To Whom It May Concern," making it clear that as many in
attendance were there for her as for the evening's headliner.
Finally, her six piece band strolled on stage and took
their positions, and then after the band started jamming a bit , out came
Lisa Marie to a roar of applause. Dressed in bondage leather
pants and a white T-shirt with black
words reading "Free Love," she looked hauntingly like her
mother, Priscilla, back in the day as her hair was a deep chocolate tone.
Lisa Marie came out smiling big, and she seemed
fresh and very ready to rock. She swept right into action,
performing one of her album's best rocking
tracks [and an obvious crowd favorite] called, "S.O.B."
Other songs she performed were "Gone," "Indifferent,"
her first hit single, "Lights Out," which really got a strong
response. A real highlight was the delivery of her new
power-rock single, "Sinking In."
She surprised the audience when she slowed down her set
to perform a solid cover of the George Harrison-penned Beatles classic,
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps." The only real
disappointment of her set was the omission of her
song, "The Road Between," which is a chilling, slow moving
song, about a hot and cold relationship.
She flirted with the audience many times and then told
them 末 "Hey, I am just the opening act!" 末 as
she neared the end of her well received set.
She used a music stand and would turn pages after each
song. Lisa Marie's set was short, but being the opening act, she
accomplished what she needed to do 末 which was introducing her music
to her fans and show that she had the
chops to make it as a live performer.
She heartily praised the six talented musicians in her
band, who were all strong players in their own right.
But it seemed as though from the second she walked on stage, to the moment
she waved goodbye to us, that all eyes in
the house were constantly watching her every move. Perhaps
that is not too surprising, as this was the little girl most of the crowd
saw grow up before their eyes.
Her new CD lyrically reveals much about Lisa Marie from
her childhood to the present 末 the ups and the downs 末 and
it has set a standard for her. With "To Whom It May
Concern," Presley has made it clear that she desires to
do things her way and that she can succeed without outside intervention.
To her credit, Presley has not been
"invented" or manipulated by any suit-wearing "spin
doctors" and from right out of the gate, has shown the world that
despite her fame, her love for music is real and deeply rooted.
As her new hit single says 末 "You don't seem
to see me sinking in do you?" Oooh yes, we do!
Lisa Marie is sinking in right nicely with her deep, smoky vocals, and
unique sound. We have been waiting for this for far too
long.
Presley seems well off to a good start on what will
hopefully be a long
and accomplished career.
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