Now Playing: 'Metropolitan Glide' from Glitter And Doom Live by Tom Waits

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When that video press release hit the web in 2008, it felt like a holiday and a celebration all rolled into one. Tom Waits was hitting the road for his first full-length theater tour in years and, right away, the devotees, parking lot sages, those that hoped and those that had waited for so long were twitching n fits of ecstasy. Tom Waits on tour – not some faraway one-off show! Tickets for the entire tour were gone as quickly as they were made available and those that were left in the cold (I know this, from personal experience) could feel that chill down to their marrow; particularly as word and praises were parceled out about the sets. The Glitter & Doom Tour was called the event of the season and it only felt like salt in the wounds for some.

There is some consolation to be found in listening to ANTI–'s compilation of some of the songs from some of the nights on the tour though – at the very least, no one was overstating the quality of the shows. In fact, if Glitter & Doom Live is any indication, the shows really were that fine, the sets were really that satisfying and the sights really were something to behold.

The two disc collection of songs and stories (disc two of the deluxe edition is comprised of a single track that compiles some of the stories the singer told while sitting on his piano bench during the sets) released by ANTI– will have those fans that weren't able to procure a golden ticket to see Tom Waits up close and in person at least cracking a wry smirk of resigned satisfaction because at least the magic wasn't lost with the moment.

For fans, listening to the songs on Glitter & Doom Live is a bit of magic but even more fascinating is to watch the uninitiated listen for the first time; they will sit agape, trying to absorb what is certainly an otherworldly experience.

Backed by a six-piece band that includes (by turns) guitar, banjo, organ, chamberlain, melotron and upright bass, Waits grinds, stomps howls and croons out augmented and updated performances of classics including “Singapore,” “Get Behind The Mule,” “Fannin Street,” “Metropolitan Glide” “Goin' Out West” and more to audiences that know they're witnessing something rare and great, and the intangible fact that the audience is savoring it seems to bleed through headphones as, when Waits performs, they don't make a peep. If they did, it would be impossible to miss; each song has been retrofitted here to resemble the airy grooves that characterized Real Gone and so, while each song remains hard to hold, there's still enough space in each arrangement to let the audience (both those that were in attendance and those that are peaking in now with headphones) take each song in and find some space to call their own.

As the set moves its way along, the grooves get deeper and more hypnotic (“Metropolitan Glide” should come with a prescription that will calm frayed nerves) and, by the time the set reaches “I'll Shoot The Moon,” there comes a sublime, macabre chill that no singer other than Waits could ever hope to achieve and have listeners find comforting. After that, the snakes (both instrumental and vocal) slither out and coil around the collective cerebellums of listeners thereafter (“Green Grass,” “Make It Rain”), exerting a gentle but increasing pressure until listeners beg for more (they do – at the end of “Make It Rain”).

The set ends on the best possible note – both a high and a low one – with one of Tom Waits' famous stories and a warm, heartfelt and beautiful ballad (in the Waitsian sense – full of romance and anachronism), “Lucky Day.” It's the sort of song and emotional moment that will make you look down as your spirit goes up, and long-time fans will be reminded why Tom Waits has held them captivated for so long. The singer has a manner that will draw you in and hold you gently because, as caustic as any song might get, there's love in it. In the case of Glitter & Doom Live, that love is repaid in kind and without hesitation by those in the theaters caught on the record and those in the comfy seats at home. From Glitter & Doom Live, everyone walks away satisfied.

Artist:
www.tomwaits.com/
www.myspace.com/tomwaits

Album:
Glitter And Doom Live comes out on November 24, 2009 on ANTI– Records. Pre-order it here on Amazon .