I've been trying to come up with some way to describe Joanna Newsom and her music succinctly, but so far, nuthin. She plays harp and piano (harpist/pianist?) and, of course, sings. Her vocal stylings range from angelic to a little grating. Her lyrics are whimsical and random and often feel very stream of consciousness. Her music doesn't follow traditional pop patterns. Her songs don't have a regular chorus and are often more than ten minutes long. In short, it's a pretty unique experience. Check out some of the videos on YouTube for a taste.The show I saw last night was the first time I've seen her perform live. On stage with her were several other band members (I'd guess you call them) with one guy playing several different stringed instruments like guitar, banjo, recorder (which isn't stringed, obviously) etc, two violinists, a man who played trombone and jaw harp, and a percussionist. The songs as played sounded pretty much just like their recorded versions, which is good. I am always curious to see how something that most likely takes place in many many individual takes in a recording studio translates to a live performance.
The only real downside to the show is that I'm not sure her music really makes for a great show. It's generally pretty chill music and since it all kind of seems to ramble it's easy to lose where you are in the song and yes, I even found myself drifting off a few times. There just wasn't enough happening to keep my attention. I'm not faulting Newsom at all, I just realized it isn't the sort of show I can easily sit through.