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June 16, 1997 - Asbury Park, New Jersey - The Paramount Theatre
Set List
The Emperor's New Clothes
You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart
This IS a Rebel Song
John, I love You
This is to Mother You
Petit Poulet
Thank You For Hearing Me
The last day of our Acquaintance
In This Heart
Fire on Babylon
Encores
I am Enough For Myself
He Moved Through the Fair
From: Someone
The best moment had to be in Asbury Park New Jersey, when Sinead sang 'He Moved Through the Fair' as the last encore. There was not a single sound from the audience.(the same could not be said of Providence the next night where they were really restless and noisy) She sang into complete silence and pulled off a completely magical performance. It was really quite eery to listen to. She controlled every note and the dynamics were brilliant from strong, open-throated notes down to the quietest whispers.
What a truly amazing performance! The audience was responsive, enraptured and enthusiastic. Sinead became more and more aware that she was welcome and appreciated and she blossomed and shined more and more with each song. After stretched on your grave she apologized for not talking. She said she felt like an idiot up there and assured the audience that she wasn't being rude. Although she actually did talk more comfortably as the set went on. She dedicated "Thank You For Hearing Me" to a girl who went backstage earlier that day. When she kicked off her shoes a fan screamed, "Nice feet Sinead!" She laughed and said her ex-boyfriend John back there says she has ugly feet. Yes it was John Reynolds on drums. I'm almost positive it was Justin Adams on lead guitar. It looks like he had lost some weight since the last time I saw The Invaders of the Heart so I wasn't sure. But when I heard him play I was pretty sure it was him. Another treat for the ears! I wish she had introduced the band. When she played "Last Day of our Acquaintance the audience went wild and she truly was beaming. She said we must have been shouting because of the magnificent guitar solo! The concert was such a success. The songs were extended compared to the New York City show and she improvised with that amazing voice of hers. She really let go and that's what she truly does best.
JCM (with some changes made my Mars-L)
From: Mike Rynne <mrynne@hswb.com>
I saw her a couple of years back at Jones Beach, NY (her performance converted me to a die-hard fan) and I must say I was a little disappointed with this current show. Not with Sinead herself but with her band. Whenever she performed accapella or with a solo accompaniment I was in heaven but any songs requiring back-up seemed to overpower her voice (especially Emperor's New Clothes and I Am Stretched On Your Grave). The band seemed to be "miked" too loud. Her back-up singers were also a little awkward - (the same from the Letterman show) and weren't as coordinated as you'd expect - they just didn't seem comfortable up on stage and were a little distracting.
Other than that she performed excellent versions of This Is To Mother You, Petit Poulet, Last Day Of Our Acquaintance, A Perfect Indian, and He Moved Through The Fair. She looked a little more casual than her Letterman appearance wearing what seemed to be a black Adidas t-shirt and exercise pants. She also went barefoot for most of the show and got embarrassed when a fan yelled out that she had nice feet. The crowd loved her and took any initial silences to scream out their appreciation - Sinead's answers were usually in the form of a quiet but sincere "Thank You."
It was an enjoyable night and I'm glad I had the chance to see her at such a small venue.
-M