Slideshow
Ingrid Michaelson with Greg Laswell
Deluxe at Old National Centre
Tuesday, July 17
At last week's O.A.R. concert, the band didn't play my favorite song of theirs, but in the end it didn't matter because I enjoyed the rest of the show so much. The same thing happened at Ingrid Michaelson's July 17 concert at Deluxe at Old National Centre; she didn't play "Breakable" off her album Girls and Boys, but I didn't care because the show was just that good.
The opening act was Michaelson's husband, Greg Laswell. For most of his set, he didn't have a full band; it was him and a piano or guitar, which is how Laswell's songs were originally composed at his home, or as he put it, "You're going to be in my bedroom tonight!" Laswell was so engaging that there were times when I almost forgot that he was the opening act and that Michaelson was actually coming on after him. Highlights of Laswell's set included a slower, sadder version of Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" (a cover of his version was actually featured on Glee last year), an acoustic version of his song "How the Day Sounds," and "Landline," a duet with Michaelson; when he introduced the latter, Laswell quipped, "This woman means more to me than the average bear." Laswell and Michaelson share a hilarious sense of humor that unfortunately doesn't translate too well to text because it's based on vocal inflection and facial expressions, so I'm just going to go with a "you had to be there."
Most of the songs Michaelson played during her own set were from her newest album, Human Again; she played nine out of the record's thirteen songs (excluding bonus tracks). Human Again is definitely more rock-influenced than her previous albums, so the show had a bit of a different vibe than I was expecting. I enjoy both softer pop and harder rock music, though, so I loved the mix of songs that she played. Along with the newer material, she tossed in a few old favorites, like "The Way I Am," "Maybe," "Be Okay" and "You and I." She did another duet with Laswell called "The Light in Me," and joked, "We're using one microphone for maximum cuteness." Michaelson also covered Bon Iver's "Skinny Love" and Rihanna's "We Found Love"; I'm pretty sure I like the covers better than the originals!
Throughout both of their sets, Laswell and Michaelson chatted with and told stories to the audience like we were all old friends. The room soaked up the warmth they exuded, so by the end we were all singing along at the tops of our lungs, as if we'd all known each other forever and had come together for a reunion. Part pop serenade, part rock concert, Laswell and Michaelson put on a wonderful show that will be fondly remembered for a long time to come.
Related Locations
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Deluxe at Old National Centre
- 502 N. New Jersey St., Indianapolis Downtown Indiana 46204
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317-231-0000
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