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The crowd at the Sapphire was older than you would find at one of the more trendy alternative shows (say about 35-45 on average) as John Cale and his band took the stage. I had never seen him before, so I really had no idea what to expect, although I knew the guy was something of a legend. This left me with a pleasant sense of unfocused expectation.
The first number instantly drew me in, with Cale's confident stage presence and his excellent backing band. The songs, mostly chosen from Cale's new album, Walking on Locusts, were wonderfully diverse, ranging from rock to ballad to shuffle. Through it all, there was an almost operatic quality as Cale's passionate vocals took on many different flavors. He jump-started the crowd (who seemed to be eating out of his hand before too long) with a strong rock tune, after which he brought the tempo way down through several moody yet beautiful numbers. (Check out some audio samples from the album.)
At this point, Cale brought the energy up to a simmering boil, grabbing his telecaster and rocking in a way that proved he still has all the raw energy of his earlier days. Songs climaxed with a dissonant screaming that brought the crowd to as thunderous an applause as a crowd that size could possibly muster. I walked away from the club feeling that deep satisfaction that can only come from being held in the grip of a truly masterful performer.
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