On the Road Again
Live Reviews:

PJ Harvey
October 30, 1998
The Warehouse, Toronto, ON

There was something sinister in the air this evening and it sure wasn't teenage punks egging cars in Devil's Night celebrations. Tonight, the modern day Jezebel, Polly Jean Harvey, whisked into town showing us a tambourine, a guitar and a slither of the most enticing variety.

Sure, the night was mostly "hit" free (no "50ft. Queenie," no "Down By The Water," no "To Bring You My Love") and it was also missing most of the overwrought dramatics which accompany those hits, but where PJ denied the not-quite-capacity Warehouse crowd in singalongs, it was mostly made up for by the generous candies she did dole out.

Churning through various marks in her back catalog, Harvey made it difficult to latch onto one particular theme or mood. This shotgun attack, however, made it more obvious how incredibly talented Harvey is.

The subtle beauty of "Angelene" certainly made its mark, and with the dirty thump of "Meet Ze Monsta," Harvey was able to keep the (surprisingly well-aged) crowd thoroughly enraptured. Still, it would have been nice to hear a triple blast of "Down By The Water," "The River" and "The Wind" though.