A perfect choice of venue. The acoustics and sound at QPAC were flawless for a glorious two hour musical, magic-carpet ride with Joanna Newsom and her band of crack musicians. On the last night of her Australian tour backing her most recent treat, the Album Divers, Joanna was running around like a small child in a big lolly shop, showing no sign of stopping.

Joanna chose a different support act in each city and in Brisbane it was her Drag City label mate Meg Baird who opened the show. Meg took a few songs to warm up and then confidently found her stride and intrigued the audience. Then all too soon her 30 minute set was up and like ethereal mist she drifted into the evening. Check out the doom folk troupe Espers which Meg also fronts.

A short interval and then Joanna and her band casually wander on stage.

Surprisingly QPAC was almost full (great venue but a bit of a gamble for the promoter considering the hire cost and subsequent ticket costs – fortunately an online ticket discounter was selling half price tickets prior to the show…). 

Joanna had two other women playing violin, viola, keyboards, thumb piano and on backing vocals. Portland based composer and multi-instrumentalist (and long time member of Joanna’s group Ys Street Band) Ryan Francesconi was playing guitar, banjo, thumb piano and a variety of other instruments. Ryan had rearranged a lot of Joanna’s songs for this tour and this added an extra dimension. Joanna even brought her husband Tom Newsom along to play drums and some keys.

Joanna seamlessly glided from full size concert harp (which she has been playing since age 7) to keyboard and piano. She played a fair selection from the new Divers album (which sounds great on vinyl), some old favourites and a few rare tracks. Peach, Plum, Pear was pitch perfect but the emotional treatment of her song Monkey and Bear was a highlight of the performance. Joanna looked about 20 years old and was brimming with confidence (on other tours she peeked at your from behind her harp and almost apologised for being there). 

This is the first time I have seen anyone get two standing ovations at QPAC - the whole house stood up and demanded more. Joanna delivered two encores and promised “It won’t be six years before I come back.” She is in a field of her own. Enchanting.

- Donald Gunn