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This Issue 07/05/2001

Also in this issue

• Dido headlines but Travis takes the stage
• MOVIES: Scary Movie 2
• Another corporate scheme

While it was the better-known Dido that most came to see at Camden's Tweeter
Center last Friday, special guest Travis gave a surprisingly impressive
performance to the full amphitheater comfortably filled with faithful "chick flick"
movie-goers.

Together, the two acts made the concert's price of admission worth its cost.
First-up Travis gave a performance with a genuine feel to it. The band, best
known for its song "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?," played its mellow rock
genre, which is both upbeat and, at times, pop-like, yet remains at all times, with
at least a touch of folk.

Lead singer Francis Healy, casually dressed in a green tank, jeans and
sandals, freely interacted with the audience, talking of how he wrote the song
"Turn" for his grandfather whose picture sat on a stage amp.

Having already learned how to command the tricks of the stage, Travis'
members allowed themselves to be consumed by their music and moved with its
flow, knowing the appropriate moments to add pauses for crowd screams and
rhythmical jumps. During their performance, no elaborate set was present nor
needed; the band's energy and natural spontaneity was enough to draw the
audience into the rhythm of the music.

While Travis' performance could best be characterized as "natural,"
Dido's performance was much more seemingly choreographed. After almost
three minutes of smoke, lights and technotronic music, Dido finally appeared on
stage, only to emerge stiff, hesitant and robotic (maybe that would explain the
concert's unnecessary techno theme). She seemed to be "going through the
motions" of what a performer should do, gesture with her arms, move about the
stage, dance and converse with the audience, to try to connect with her
audience in some way. Even her bright pink halter with "Philadelphia" written
across it (she must have taken the hint from the 76ers/Destiny's Child fiasco)
indicated the intense superficiality.

Yet, her choreography did little to reach her audience on the personal,
emotional level her songs required. As a result, her emotionally-charged music
-- while still complemented by her powerful voice -- seemed two-dimensional
during the first several songs. Fortunately, Dido's facade seemed to thaw during
the second half of the show.

After "Honestly Ok," she actually started to look like she was having fun --
smiling, moving about the stage with much more ease and even moving the
microphone away from her mouth when she wasn't singing. From that point on,
Dido's music seemed to find the depth and richness required for a live
performance that had been lacking in the first hour.

After being called back out on stage for an encore by applause, Dido did what
she called "an experiment" -- she sang a new song "Do You Have a Little Time"
while playing solo on a keyboard for accompaniment. Dido hit her pinnacle with