There are many elements which contribute to a concert experience, not limited just to the performer or their talent. For me these include the venue, the audience itself, my frame of mind, the set list, sound and lighting, opening acts, and other intangibles that come into play. Last night's Dar Williams concert at Hurricane's in Mission Beach was a serendipitous recipe for a delightful evening.

My friend and I arrived early, checked out the venue, listened briefly to some sound checks, and then found a place to eat amid the food stands around The Plunge, an indoor public swimming pool, and the old wooden Mission Bay Coaster, which had been fully restored and was thriving again. We settled on a hole-in-the-wall Chinese take-out meal, and after the Teriyaki bowls with rice, walked along the beach admiring the volleyball and over-the-line practices, and musing about life. The plan was to get back to the venue early, buy our tickets, and stake out a good seat. Plans often go amiss.

On the way back to Cane's, we passed a Mexican eatery with patio dining and a sign taped to the railing that said "Dar-List", and were invited to join a small group at one of the tables of other Dar Williams fans who are members of an Internet mailing list. It is always fun talking with other people about their music tastes. One of those was Jim, who had heard Dar twice previously in San Diego in 1995 and early 1996, once with Lui Collins, and more recently with Joan Baez. I had also attended those two concerts. In addition, he had seen Dar perform in Reading, England on a recent trip. The five of us were going over lists of our favorite performers, over plates of burritos with hot salsa. We were so involved with our conversation, that no one noticed Dar pass by on the sidewalk outside! She would comment about seeing us during her performance. Soon it was time to go inside to the concert.

Cane's is a very large venue. It is right on the Pacific Ocean, facing the beach, and has a rooftop dining area, and restaurants with terrace seating that go on and on. The concert area is a multi-level room, decorated with black walls painted with fluorescent black light images of waves, surf, and tropical fronds. Three large mirrored disco balls spun lazily from the ceiling. There were also a few potted palms, a walk-up bar along the side wall, a blue glowing neon sign for Heineken's, small circular tables, railing with ledges for drinks, and not enough bar stools, which served as seating. Somehow, though we arrived later than planned, I managed to find two seats five feet from the center of the stage. I estimated that the crowd was about 300 strong. Eventually the overflow audience found seats on the floor and stairs, off in the wings. It is not an ideal venue, but is was smoke-free and well ventilated. The audience spanned a wide range of ages, with women in the majority. They turned out to be a superb crowd - attentive, focused, and quiet during the sets, but roaring their approval afterwards.

Two local San Diego artists opened for Dar: Mary Dolan, who looks a little like k.d. lang, and has a powerful, clear resonating voice accompanied herself on guitar; and Randi Driscoll, another female artist, had three backup men on drums, base and guitar. Originally from New Jersey, her songs were wry comments on television and societal prime time violence, love gone astray, and other issues. I thought that she was very beautiful and graceful, with long, delicate fingers that were constantly moving, but it was difficult to understand much of her lyrics. She did use a lot of "scat" repetitive phrasing which was melodic and riveting. I couldn't take my eyes away from her. You can listen to her new album Wriggle by clicking this link.

Just as I was returning from the bar with my one Drambuie of the night, Dar took the stage. She looked so different from her previous two concerts. Her hair was longer and much lighter, and she was wearing dark, loose-fitting slacks, with a midnight blue shirt over it. She was playing an acoustic guitar, backed up by Peter Mulvey her accompanist, who sat on her right. Her complexion looked pale and fresh, but as someone later pointed out to me, there was a tinge of road weariness about her, perhaps the effect of having performed last night in Salt Lake City to a tough audience, disappointed by the 1-point loss of their Utah Jazz basketball team to the Chicago Bulls in the NBA playoffs. Though not lacking energy, she seemed needful to draw more upon the abundant love and support coming back at her from the audience. This symbiosis worked well for everyone.

She was on stage for over 1-1/2 hours, gave two encores, and performed 17 songs. Here is her set list for the evening, with notes in parenthesis about her stage chatter:

First Encore

Second Encore

It was an amazing performance. Dar was always at ease on stage, and her introductions and asides seemed genuine, spontaneous and unrehearsed. To be sure, there is a vulnerability about her, and as my friend pointed out, her need for approval and acceptance is more apparent. She is not really the "Flinty Kind of Woman" that she satirizes and sings about on her Honesty Room album, and which though requested, was missing from tonight's performance. I was touched personally by several of her songs, and the feelings they evoked, but I think the high moment was during the Alleluia set. Peter Mulvey sounded like a clone of Leonard Cohen, and the harmonizing by Mary Dolan and Randi Driscoll with Dar was eerily beautiful. It was a very moving experience. Everyone seemed both drained and energized from the concert, which ended just after 11 p.m.

If you have a chance to catch her live, please go and have this experience yourself.

Revised, 18 June 1997