Enervated
by MichaelJB on 6/16/13Smith's Old Bar (Atlanta Room) - AtlantaI've seen Freedy three times now and was disappointed last night by a performer who seemed just about sick of himself. The venue, Smith's Old Bar's Atlanta Room, didn't help. It seats about 50 right under a much larger venue that was hosting a loud party band. It must be demoralizing to watch your popularity fade through the years. Right from the start Freedy seemed more interested in what technical problems were likely to arise than in presenting his great music to the small but attentive audience. His voice sounded great, his guitar playing was fine, and he did perform several of his best songs (Evie, Mortician's Daughter, On the Way Out, This Perfect World) but let it be known that he was too cool to play some of the songs that made his name back in 1994 (a pathetic attitude, reminiscent of Don McLeans's refusal to play American Pie for many years). Instead there were a few lame, slow covers. Note to "artists:" there's a reason why people pay to be in the same room with you. A couple years back at Eddie's Attic, he was brilliant, funny, and--while humble--proud of his own music. I thought it was one of the best shows I'd seen of its kind. The openers "Winter Pills" were pathetic and set the tone for the night: an aging would-be poet whining through his unintentionally funny lyrics (e.g., "I can't feel my f***ing legs..la la la la la la la la la la) while a lovely and talented singer mainly banged a tambourine and did backup vocals. The whiner made sure we knew he was too cool to perform for such a tiny crowd in that dank nook by mentioning that he left his harmonica in the car (mumble, mumble..."could go out and get it"...mumble mumble) and that the rest of the band overslept the gig. Charming! Not. Freedy does not need an opener, just a bit of appreciation for the great success he's had, rather than disappointment at the shrinking of his audience.