Liz Phair Moves Forward
By Scott Smith in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 26, 2005 5:32PM
Chicago’s famous for eating its own so it’s no surprise that the almost immediate backlash against Liz Phair started here. Whether it was her not-so-rock-and-roll upbringing (born in New Haven, Connecticut; attended New Trier High) or Brad Wood’s involvement with Exile in Guyville, critics of her work have often tried to explain away her success as a carefully constructed artifice.
So when Phair released her 2003 self-titled record that seemed to be all artifice, it was the perfect chance for the rock cognoscenti to lean back and claim they were right all along. Perhaps it was the whiplash-inducing 180-degree turn towards bubblegum that so offended the indie rock crowd as anyone who bothered to listen to her albums between Guyville and Liz Phair would note her subtle turns towards more mainstream pop sounds (“Jealousy”, “What Makes You Happy”).
Tonight, Phair wraps up a three-night, sold-out run at the Black Orchid (it’s in the Piper’s Alley building) that itself is the end of an all-acoustic tour of small venues to promote her upcoming album Somebody's Miracle. It’s worth noting that the Black Orchid only holds 500 so selling out three nights there would be like selling out one night at the House of Blues or the Vic. Other big acts have used this same tactic to build or renew a buzz.
Therefore, Chicagoist sees this recent tour as a correction, of sorts. It’s an attempt to put the focus back on her work as an artist and not the all-star production team. While her Lollapalooza set was universally panned, she did have a newfound sense of confidence though, at times, it bordered on contempt as she delivered rote versions of her earlier songs. Jim Derogatis’s review of her Wednesday show indicates that Phair has been reminded of what was so powerful about those songs in the first place.
Chicagoist has grown up with Liz Phair and we always looked to her lyrics for warnings about the romantic pitfalls ahead, including that one last hurrah you have before your grow up for good. But our days of playing Xbox on the floor with our lovers are long gone and we hope hers are too. We don’t mind if Liz becomes an unabashed pop songstress if it means her lyrics have us once again nodding our heads in recognition rather than shaking them in disbelief.