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Saturday evening Joanna Newsom took center stage behind a gigantic harp to perform for a fully packed crowd at the Orpheum Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles. Donning a lavish-blue and white polka dot dress and singing in her whimsical, childlike voice, she came across like a character straight out of a childhood fairytale.
Backed by a five-member ensemble including violin, trombone, percussion and guitar, she kept the audience enthralled as she gracefully played material off of her new (triple) album, Have On One Me. Her performance was lengthy and moving; But even more important, it showcased the impressive range of her idiosyncratic voice.
Newsom’s style has grown in depth from her prior albums. While it is still laden with lyrical themes that lend themselves to fantasy, her instrumentation has increased in clarity and simplicity and her voice has taken on a much fuller, conventional tone.
Photos by Graeme Flegenheimer
Words by Molly Hill