Spring Break
Lavin brings company to Slosberg
by Sarah Bayer
Assistant Arts Editor
Arts | 3/10/09
Posted online at 12:09 AM EST on 3/10/09
The atmosphere at the knitting circle held before folk singer Christine Lavin's concert on March 6 had all the familiarity of an extended family celebration. Middle-aged women sat on couches knitting, needlepointing or crocheting while young children ran around and played games. At the center of the action was Lavin herself, working a sparkly strand of yarn into an afghan and chatting with fans who approached her to introduce themselves.
Before she left to warm up for her concert, Lavin handed out CDs as prizes to her industrious companions. "It's okay to knit during the show, because that's what I'd be doing if I didn't have to play guitar," Lavin told them. At least one audience member took her up on that offer.
When she appeared on stage Lavin had changed out of the white cable-knit sweater she wore before the show into a black lacy top with long sleeves. She joked that the outfit made her look like an ex-nun but that since turning 50 she no longer felt self-conscious about her appearance. The audience laughed appreciatively-it seemed most of them could relate.
Lavin was quite congenial throughout the show, giggling at her own jokes and beaming when the audience shared her amusement. She also has a talent for the dramatic eye-roll and broadcasted her sarcasm to the back rows of Slosberg whenever she sang about Republicans, such as in the song "What Was I Thinking?"
Lavin gave her listeners a friendly impression and made a point of including them in her performance. Several times she called for the house lights to be brought up so she could find out who in the audience was celebrating a birthday or how many people had seen her play before. For her song "Sometimes A Mother Really Does Know Best," she incorporated the names of a real-life mother and daughter sitting in the audience and asked the audience to vote on how the song should end. Toward the end of the show, she invited men from the audience onto the stage to doo-wop in the background while she sang about "Sensitive New Age Men."
Before she left to warm up for her concert, Lavin handed out CDs as prizes to her industrious companions. "It's okay to knit during the show, because that's what I'd be doing if I didn't have to play guitar," Lavin told them. At least one audience member took her up on that offer.
When she appeared on stage Lavin had changed out of the white cable-knit sweater she wore before the show into a black lacy top with long sleeves. She joked that the outfit made her look like an ex-nun but that since turning 50 she no longer felt self-conscious about her appearance. The audience laughed appreciatively-it seemed most of them could relate.
Lavin was quite congenial throughout the show, giggling at her own jokes and beaming when the audience shared her amusement. She also has a talent for the dramatic eye-roll and broadcasted her sarcasm to the back rows of Slosberg whenever she sang about Republicans, such as in the song "What Was I Thinking?"
Lavin gave her listeners a friendly impression and made a point of including them in her performance. Several times she called for the house lights to be brought up so she could find out who in the audience was celebrating a birthday or how many people had seen her play before. For her song "Sometimes A Mother Really Does Know Best," she incorporated the names of a real-life mother and daughter sitting in the audience and asked the audience to vote on how the song should end. Toward the end of the show, she invited men from the audience onto the stage to doo-wop in the background while she sang about "Sensitive New Age Men."
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