Marianne Faithfull Tickets

I must admit I went to New York City’s Town Hall with low expectations. Yes, I’ve long followed the extraordinary life story of Marianne Faithfull, but I didn’t expect her to be the significant talent that she is. I was wrong. She definitely won me over. The moment of truth came when Faithfull performed "As Tears Go By," the Mick Jagger-Keith Richards song that made her famous at age 17 in 1965. This time the naive innocent voice is gone, replaced by the sound of a woman who has lived a very hard life. There’s nothing like surviving 40 years of sex, drugs and rock ’n roll to bring a genuine maturity to the human voice. It reminded me of the old saying that to be a real bluesman, one has to live the blues. Faithfull most certainly has, and is now a far more powerful singer because of it. The diversity of her material is impressive. Backed by a nine piece orchestra with violin and cello, accompanying the normal rock ensemble, the concert was to promote "Easy Come, Easy Go," Faithfull’s 22th album. The title song, from Bessie Smith, was from another woman who scrapped her way to the top. There are, however, a diverse range of songwriters on the record—from Dolly Parton and Merle Haggard to Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. Faithfull was joined on stage for a couple of songs, including "Many a Mile to Freedom" by Jenni Muldaur, daughter of Maria and Geoff Muldaur. Faithfull also did a powerful turn "In Germany Before the War" by Randy Newman. Her latest CD was produced by Hal Wilner, a man who has pulled remarkable performances from a woman many had written off long ago. Fans gave Faithfull repeated standing ovations, which she well deserved.