Thao Nguyen (left) is as charming off stage as on. Photos by .
I’ve begun to think altitude sickness is a figment of the imagination, something performers coming through Colorado use as a cover for hangovers, lingering colds and general road fatigue. Standing outside of the around midnight on Thursday with a visibly exhausted but healthy and hangover-free pre-show, I suddenly felt sympathy for a non-native.
I watched a typically animated Thao teeter on the brink of listlessness and strive for air as she explained that the altitude wasn’t helping the fact that people already think she’s stoned most of the time (which for the record, she isn’t.) But once she stepped on the tall stage and joined her band, The Get Down Stay Down, Thao lifted from the mountain haze and came to life.
Opening with “What About,” Thao stomped around in her trademark cowboy boots and bare legs, a simple shift dress hanging off her tiny frame hidden behind the body of her guitar. Thao was her usual flippant self, making smarty-pants remarks and throwing pretend objects in bass player Adam Thompson’s direction as he made exaggerated moves to dodge them.
This is what makes seeing Thao Nguyen a unique experience to the usual song-and-dance of a singer/songwriter routine; she is equal parts musician, comedienne and stunning beauty, a performer who is no different under stage lights than when she is sitting next to you on a bar stool. Attraction to her music is magnetic, and only amplified in her live shows, which mix her trademark stand-up routine with complex songs about love and chemicals.
Rocking back and forth through “Geography” and crowd favorite “Bag of Hammers,” Thao hung behind her instrument like a rag doll, beads of sweat gathering on her face in the almost unbearable heat. Speaking on the problem and annoyance of panty lines, she announced that the next song, “Big Kid Table,” was dedicated to those who could brave wearing thong underwear. Cocking her head, Thao twisted her lips into a knot at the side of her mouth and sang the words, “You are strong, strong, strong. Stronger than me.”
Midway through the set, Thao invited her friend and opener, Merrill Garbus, known as , up on stage to sing and play some electric ukulele. Banging out “Beat (Health, Life, and Fire)” and “Feet Asleep,” Thao turned her back to the crowd, her ponytail spastically flipping about as she pulled and pushed vocally with Garbus and Thompson. Unfortunately, Garbus’ playing and vocals were dodgy at best, and her contribution was virtually inaudible.
With eyes squinted and mouth puckered and contorted, Thao’s near-transparent twang and vocal dips on “Swimming Pools” and “Fear and Convenience” were a nice conclusion to the set. Though she only played 11 songs, Thao heaped on her classic charm and between-song quips, satisfying the small but devoted audience with her frank and lucid delivery. If altitude sickness is a real phenomenon, Thao used it as a perfect prop for a splendid show.
is a Denver-based writer and regular Reverb contributor. Check out her and interview with Thao Nguyen on her .
Sarah Cass is a bomb-ass photographer and regular Reverb contributor. Check out more of her photography .
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