Aimee Mann is arguably one of the finest singers and songwriters working today, and her music in this concert was wonderful, as always. Ditto Jonathan Coulton, whose songs are both witty and empathetic, and whose solo and harmony singing is superb. The setlist for Ms. Mann ranged from early solo work to her latest, all done with the grace, humor, and musicianship she has shown for decades.
Alas, the venue. Just awful. I had to take at least one star off because there were too many things to ignore - for example, the official venue site saying that the concert would start at eight, but actually starting with Jonathan Coulton at 7:45. (Very disrespectful to Mr. Coulton.) There was absolutely no point to having General Admission for two performers whose music is decidedly not danceable. I ended up in the front of the Loge, as a disabled woman who uses a cane, having to climb stairs and use said cane while balancing a glass of wine - only to realize that the performers were so far away that I should have brought binoculars. Having 50 people or so standing directly at the stage was distracting, to say the least. The seating and general upkeep of the Loge left a lot to be desired - such as basic cleanliness. Loud-ish songs in Aimee's set sounded awful because there is no way to baffle sound in this hard-edged and hideous venue, distorting the music to the point of pain.
As for what passed for "accessible"seating: it was at the rear of the General Admission section, leaving the people sitting there with no sightlines to speak of to the stage.
Aimee and Jonathan - wonderful, both - deserve far better.
