Dressed in a man’s white three-piece-suit, the barefoot lang cuts an imposing figure on stage – and if her initial reaction to the cacophonous applause seems one of reticence, her relaxed grin suggests otherwise. It’s not long before the barrier thaws, though, and as the 90-minute gig progresses, kd proves capable of eliciting several chuckles (as well as numerous declarations of adulation) from the crowd.
Her voice, too, has aged with grace and distinction: note- and tone-perfect, recitals of ‘Upstream’, ‘Coming Home’ and ‘I Dream Of Spring’ from her recent Watershed album are delivered with natural poise, warmth and professionalism, while beautiful covers of Neil Young’s ‘Helpless’ and Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ are particularly well-received – the latter earning a deserved standing ovation.
Crowd-pleasing hits ‘Miss Chatelaine’ and ‘Constant Craving’ are also inevitably dragged from the vaults – but instead of sounding wearisome and tokenistic, they’re performed in good humour, the former even inspiring lang to pirouette and bound comically around her five-strong band.
One song is introduced as being “dark, and complex, and honest”. Even if she hasn’t completely bared her soul tonight, she could easily be describing herself.