Natalie Merchant Tickets

The new album is great and Natalie did a great job at presenting information about the writers in addition to the actual musical performance. Her voice is amazing and she did not disappoint. Great choice of songs and two encores! She had such stage presence and fabulous interaction with the audience. If her touring schedule coincided with an upcoming trip to the west coast I'd go see her again. Others I know that attended the show were also blown away with how great a performance it was.

Natalie Merchant's performance in Ann Arbor was outstanding. Her powerful voice brought the children's poems to life, making me wish I had little ones to share these poems and music with. "Leave Your Sleep" is an amazing creative effort, and a tribute to the poets. I respect an artist who is confident enough in her muse to open with all new material. After the curtain call, she was gracious enough to return and perform many of the crowds favorite songs from past compilations. She gave it her all and sang for 2 hours. It was an honor to hear her live.

Very creative new work - poems put to music! Old stuff always amazing. NM's voice is still great. And she was having fun and it showed. Great evening!

As always Natalie was wonderful. First 14 songs were from new CD Leave Your Sleep. I realize she wants to share her new material, but I would have to liked to see that part of the show cut down to maybe 10 songs. During each of these poems/songs Natalie would display a picture of the poet/author. I think it would be very beneficial to also show the words of the actual poem as well so those unfamiliar with the music would appreciate the songs that much more. The Michigan Theater acoustics are so bad that most people unfamiliar with this new music could not understand many of the words. On a more positive note...Natalie interaction with the audience is so comfortable and natural...it really makes each show special and memorable!

The first sounds that utter from her divine throat overcome me! How can one person (a woman!) possess so much strength and beauty, salt, sensual grace, and salvation in her voice? I wish I could hear her every day; I often listen to her sing. The songs from her most recent work are still prancing and dashing around in my mind - full of whimsy and charm overlaid with delightful earthy womanliness; until I can capture them - this is a process. Her voice strikes a deep chasm within me, her chords make me still, and her words provoke my thoughts. Her artistry touches me on so many levels. I loved her spontaneous fluid movements on stage, but would love to dress her for her next trip to Ann Arbor!

Natalie's show was only selections from her new cd "Leave Your Sleep". Like most artists you love, when they tour with a new cd, it is not as enjoyable an experience if you have not digested the new material. You wait for the old standards and hits. I listened to the new disc for a couple of months and love EVERY song start to finish so for me it was awesome to see her recreate some of the songs live. But alas, not wanting to disappoint, Natalie saved the encore(s) for recognizable songs and even surprises!!!! For her encores in A2 she played "Life Is Sweet", "River", "Eat For Two (amazing new rendition of the Maniacs standard)", "Wonder" , "Kind And Generous" and a song I wasn't familiar with. Overall, my fourth time seeing her, she never lets you down. The voice is as Fantastic as ever. If Natalie comes to a town near you, don't miss the show. You won't be disappointed.

It was too warm in the venue and the tempo of the show was far too slow for the first half. Thankfully, those who remained for the entire show were pleased by the end.

Natalie had a child a few years ago and as most people it kinda changes your view point. Natalie got into poems and made music with them. I love her music and voice but she should not have done 85% of her concert with her new style. I like the new stuff but she could have done a little more of the stuff we have grown to love.

Her voice is amazing and her musicians skilled, but it would have been a lot nicer if we could have understood the words! We could only catch about every 10th word or so, so the lyrics were rendered meaningless. When she spoke, without singing, her speech was clear. But in singing her words were indistinct, leaving us with only sounds to enjoy. Some of the music was quite sophisticated and I enjoyed this. But some of it was a bit dull. While I can't recommend it, neither can I say don't go, because her voice is a delight.

2 hour show. First hour filled with songs from new album. The songs are good--nice, fun, interesting songs and great performances. Natalie's chatter between songs became almost unbearable. It felt like I was back in school, learning History of Poetry by a bored T.A. Her delivery was dry; the content not informative or interesting. Worst of all, the interludes between songs lasted almost as long as the songs. The encores, which lasted almost an hour, were GREAT.

Being a fan of Natalie since the 10,000 maniacs, her transition thru the decades and utter genius is paralled by no one. Of course the more upbeat pop version of Natalie will always be my favorite. Yet, I sat in amazement as I watched poetry from many unknown poets turned into simply amazing, beautiful music. The show is for those with an appreciation of life's up's and downs. Having children is not necessary to fully appreciate the work presented but it does bring one all the closer to your children. I sped home to kiss them and thank God they were there. Truthfully, Natalie is one of the rare talents where, I dont think it really matters what she sings? "AS LONG AS SHE KEEPS ON SINGING". "Thank You, Natalie Merchant, You are truly an Inspiration, God Bless"

While I could listen to natalie Merchant read the phone book and love it, I suspect there were some folks who weren't expecting her new material to be childrens poetry set to music...that being said, I found the performance riviting! The songs/poems were interesting and the dancing was mesmerizing; of course the vocals were outstanding. The multimedia display of slides, along with the information about the poets and poems, added depth to the stories. For those folks who were waiting to hear some of her more popular/older work, they had to wait until the end, but weren't disappointed. She created a casual atmosphere and when she forgot some of the lyrics, invited us to sing/sing along, leading the way. At one point it became a summer bible camp sort of thing with a shortened version of Michael Row the Boat Ashore...delightful! Another word about her dancing; the choreography and movement were sensuous, expertly executed and were all perfect partners to the songs. Her skirt raising, Cajun sounding Adventures of Isabel made me want to get up and dance. By the end of the show it was more like having an old friend over that you just couldn't wait to see, and who didn't disappoint!

Not only did Natalie put on a beautifully orchestrated concert honoring her new CD, she sang for 2.5 hours! She continues to show her fans what an amazing artist she is. Thank you Natalie!

Wow! Natalie played a sold out Michigan Theater and treated us all to a delightful new cycle of songs from her new album Leave Your Sleep. The lyrics of these songs are all from poems selected by Natalie. Bleezer’s Ice Cream had us all doing the New Orleans swing. The Dancing Bear, a Yiddish folk tune had everyone rockin! The songs she played tonight included orchestral chamber style music and a rompin Celtic fusion tune. And each song rang true. The poet’s story and books and face were put up on a screen. This was the most enchanting Natalie Merchant show I have ever seen. She was there with Gabe and a stable of hugely talented musicians – a guy who blew the Clarinet away, a fiddle and bass player, a smokin guitar, percussion and keyboard man. After all these years, Natalie takes it up a notch! At the end, she played many of the the favorites, including “Life Is Sweet” to start the encore and “Kind and Generous” to end the over 40 minute encore (a song that brought down the house)

She was great! Her stage prescense was magnificent. Would go back and listen to this concert again, and again! LOVED it!

she did her entire albumn of poetry which was very well done and not boring as one would think. then she did 2 encores and all of hits (kind and generous, carnival, etc) she was a wonderful host and had a great band backing her.

Natalie's voice is still on the mark and her new music is way fun. You'd think that a child theme CD would not be for her adult fans, but it is just phenomenal. Her band mates are wonderful; the clarinetist was a delight and added so much to her music. She sang all new songs from her new CD - plus some great older pieces during the encores! She connected with the audience, musically and personally, and we loved her for it. Hope she comes back soooooon!!!!!

Most of the show was her talking and doing poems. I wanted to hear music and was very disapointed. The last third of the show was music and she did not do many of her past hits. Very boring show and would not see her again.

NATALIE IS AMAZING - SHE STILL HAS HER BEAUTIFUL, UNIQUE VOICE. AND SHE IS SO DOWN TO EARTH, SO HERSELF. SHE IS A GREAT ENTERTAINER. AND FUN. SHE IS JUST UP THERE HAVING FUN, AND SPREADING THAT TO HER AUDIENCE. HER POEMS/LULLABYES WERE LOVELY, AND THEN SHE CAME BACK OUT AND GAVE US ALL HER OLD FAVORITES. AND WHEN SHE SCREWED UP THE WORDS TO ONE OF HER SONGS, IT DIDN'T MATTER. SHE HAD FUN WITH IT. NO ONE CARED. IT SHOWED HOW HUMAN AND DOWN TO EARTH SHE WAS. AND YOU KNOW, SHE DIDN'T CARE. IT DIDN'T MATTER. IT WAS AN AWESOME SHOW. WE LOVED IT!!!

Incredible show in Ann Arbor last night 7/27! I wasn't sold on the new album until hearing it live. She played the new stuff for the first hour or so, then came back out and played some solo stuff and some Maniacs (Eat for Two, Don't Talk). It was great to hear some of the older music. She was very personable, entertaining and funny (great dancer too). Get to the show on time, she started promptly and it was nice not to have to sit through an opening act.