Rufus Wainwright & Band at Under the Bridge
Billed as a small, intimate warm-up show prior to his European tour, I was delighted to secure a ticket to see Rufus Wainwright and his band perform at Under the Bridge a couple of weeks ago. The venue is at Stamford Bridge stadium (hence the name) – convenient location and a good layout for small shows, just a shame about the bar prices!
With no support, Rufus Wainwright took to the stage promptly and launched into a song from his new album. The tour is naturally promoting the album so much of what we heard during the evening was new – and being performed in the UK for the first time.
Rufus W was fairly relaxed during the show, thanking us more than once for paying to come along to a live rehearsal. There were plenty of familiar numbers during the set to keep us humming along and a couple of storming solos from “band members” Teddy Thompson and Krystle Warren. There were covers of songs written by the Wainwright family (Kate McGarrigle – “the late, great Kate” – and Loudon Wainwright III) and the whole show was pulled together and supported by a great collection of musicians, including Rufus Wainwright’s brother-in-law Brad Albetta.
Rufus Wainwright continues to demonstrate an array of talents and he is a consumate live performer. On first hearing, the songs from the first album are not all immediately ‘likeable’ but I’m sure they will grow on me. It was great to see him perform in such a small venue – a rare treat these days.
