Paula Cole

[Owen]

OMG, that set!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!

[Nick]

Yeah, Strong Beautiful Woman is the only clunker for me, but I know she likes that song herself so that's fine, and my boyfriend seemed to like it so I made my peace. The rest of the set was a dream. I wanted boyfriend (who didn't join for the This Fire shows) to hear Tiger or Mississippi, but I didn't miss them with the set we did get. I'm glad he got to hear her rock out since his first show was very quiet/subdued on the "7" tour.

I will say, I never heard her NOT end with Jolene, so that was kind of a surprise. Every setlist I've seen on paper since 1996 had that as the closer. She did mention before Our Revenge that the set was intentionally political, and she and the band all came out in pink hats from the women's march for the encore. Maybe Jolene didn't fit the tone she was going for The "love one another" ending of God Is Watching into the Lennon medley was clearly pretty intentional.

[Nick]

Weird show tonight at City Winery; her guitarist dropped out two days ago after a trip to the ER for asthma, and her dad is in the ER/hospital now she said, so the three-show run got close to being canceled. She ended up coming out with just one bandmate on upright bass (except for an additional guest on guitar/vocals for Carmen and Cowboys). The songs definitely sounded a little thin without any guitar but she still managed to pull it out for the most part with that incredible voice of hers. Set started out favoring Ballads (which I thought would be snoozy but I liked all the songs she picked), had a nice variety in the middle (including playing a little guitar herself on Billy Joe... an instrument I've never seen her touch before), and then ran through all the This Fire ballads/singles (which was honestly the weakest part given the lack of a full band).

During Feelin' Love it got weirder when two dudes got in a fight (one started walking to get security and the other guy ran after him and pushed him to the ground from behind - the audience just clapped at the stage to keep Paula going amidst the turmoil). She cracked a bit of a smile during Me when the red and blue lights from the cop car started lighting up the stage and the shover got taken outside. Not gonna lie - dying to know wtf there is to fight about at a Paula Cole concert.

Oh, and the highlight was a cover of Nothing Compares To U which I hadn't seen her do live before; lovely end to a pretty odd show.

ETA: she did mention that she's been feeling lately like the project she's working on for 2019 needs to be what she called "Amen, Part 2"... which could be great or awful (I'm a little terrified after that Seven Deadly Sins song she released, which sounds semi-Amen'y but not in a good way).

Setlist:

Ode To Billy Joe
God Bless The Child
I Wish (I Knew How It Feels To Be Free)
Elegy
Mississippi
Throwing Stones
Amen
Billy Joe
We Don't Know (Where We Are Going)
Carmen
Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?
Feelin Love
Me

I Don't Want To Wait
Nothing Compares To U

[entropy]

During Feelin' Love it got weirder when two dudes got in a fight (one started walking to get security and the other guy ran after him and pushed him to the ground from behind - the audience just clapped at the stage to keep Paula going amidst the turmoil). She cracked a bit of a smile during Me when the red and blue lights from the cop car started lighting up the stage and the shover got taken outside. Not gonna lie - dying to know wtf there is to fight about at a Paula Cole concert.

Me too!

[Nick]

Is anyone else on the mailing list? She is wrapping up ballads shows and preparing for 2019 and a number of Harbinger and Amen anniversary shows!!! Color me intrigued by both. The versions she did of God Is Watching and Our Revenge in Jersey City have me salivating for more deep cuts from those two albums. She also references the new album which should be out next year.

I'll be looking at my social media sites for requests, as I'll be performing songs from my Ballads album and of course, favorites from the ever-growing catalog of PC songs. Since next year (2019) will be more focused on anniversary tours of my Harbinger and Amen albums, and celebrating a new release of originals (the first since 2015) this will be the some of our last opportunities to hear me singing the gorgeous Ballads classics along with diverse material across my catalog.

[pancakefrompele]

I just wanted to show some love for Paula's album "7". She kind of fell off my radar after or around Courage. That album was just too MOR for me, and I kind of forgot about her. I got a wild hair the other day and listened to Raven and 7. Raven was ok, but 7 is such a beautiful record with some of her most heartbreaking but beautiful songs ever. The songs have such a despairing wisdom, especially Glacouster Harbor Shore. Just stunning, haunting, and an instant classic. I'm just in love with this album. Regarding the Amen tour: I would love for her to sing the b-side "Night". It's one of my favorites from her and easily should have been included on Amen.

[Gale]

New album Revolution out September 13. On her preorder page you'll find a new interview. I like how she described each album in her life/career:

But Harbinger was the doorway to my process and This Fire really was a turbulent time. Sexual awakening, rebellion. I was rebelling against my parents and my staid New England background then. Amen was my wanting to express feelings of social justice and spirituality. Then I took seven years off, I came back with my daughter and I was mid-divorce proceedings while Courage was released. I spent two years in New York State divorce court, I was in an abusive marriage and it was a terrifically difficult time in my life. I was given sole custody and the ability to relocate and Courage was my mantra just to get out of that marriage and get my daughter and me safe and happy. Courage, courage, courage. It was every password I was using at the time, it was my mantra.

And then Ithaca was about me returning home [to New England]. The Odysseus cycle. I’ve gone out in the world and gotten beaten up, and I moved back to the very New England town I rejected in my twenties, Ithaca. I’m still singing about a lot of battle wounds that I’ve been through in previous years. Then I went off major labels and kind of flew independently with Raven. That represented freedom to me, because labels have been a negative experience for me. 7 is a gentle and reflective album looking at a lot at my life psychologically. It’s very understated and overlooked, but I’m really proud of that one. Ballads was something I just needed to get off my chest my whole life. Early on I was offered a deal with a jazz label and I turned it down.

[Nick]

The first single is... something lol. Clips are already up on Amazon and it sounds like a mixed bag, but definitely some nice moments. The best track in the EPK is Saint Cecilia but apparently it's a vinyl-only bonus track.

[waitressboy]

The first single is... something lol. Clips are already up on Amazon and it sounds like a mixed bag, but definitely some nice moments. The best track in the EPK is Saint Cecilia but apparently it's a vinyl-only bonus track.

WHY IS IT ELEVEN MINUTES LONG!?
This needs a radio edit ASAP.

[Joey]

The first single isn’t even on the album?

[Owen]

I hope the releases St Ceclia on streaming like she has with Hope Is Everywhere, because it's odd that the vinyl is what has the exclusive tracks.

Speaking of exclusive, I just saw that Courage has FOUR exclusive tracks. Love of a Lifetime, Hero's History, Don't Miss Me and Peace. What the heck? And, of course, they aren't available digitally.

[Nick]

Yeah that was like the peak era of bonus tracks. I'm glad we've gotten away from that. Like, really, Barnes & Noble and Borders need a special track each?! Doesn't help that none of them are particularly memorable - though Don't Miss Me is probably the best of the bunch.

[Owen]

Oh that's frustrating. I can't even find them on YouTube to listen to. Grrr. Bonus exclusive tracks are PEAK corporate greed.

[Nick]

NVM

[Andyland]