PJ Harvey - 9/13/01 @ the Riviera

Now I thought for sure the show would be canceled due to the events that occurred. Even though PJ was in Washington when the stuff went down, she decided that the show must go on.

PJ came out and said a few touching words on the events, and went into a song called "This Mess". It is a traditional song, but PJ added you own music to back it. The evening was filled with many of her songs from her latest album "Stories.....", which were superb. It was those old songs that really delivered for me. The third song in was a sturring rendition of "Man-Size", from the Steve Albini produced album "Rid of Me". She also played the title track of that same album in her encore, which was very powerful.

Of course she couldn't leave out the standards such as "Send His Love to Me", "Down By The Water" and "Good Fortune". Her entire set seemed to be flawless in both music and it's sound. It was the last song, which will make you walk away from the experience with an everlasting impression. She busted out a song from the "Wind" single, which she never plays, called "Nina in Ecstasy". It was her and a keyboard, which both send chills down my spine. She obviously decided to play it in light of what happened. The crowd was so silent, you could hear a pin drop. When she hit the high notes with the lyrics "Nina was a young girl and now she's dead." And the other lyrics "Where's your momma gone." If you never have heard this song, I urge you to download it fast.

I equate my experience at this PJ Harvey show as a religious one (or as close as I can get). The mood was somber, the situation couldn't have been more drastic, and in PJ's eyes, the show must go on. God bless her for having that mentality.

--Jamie Foley, Chicago - JackieTreehorn40@aol.com