Regina Spektor and Aimee Mann Deliver Deep And Beautiful Sets For A Sea Of Fans

Regina Spektor? I remember being in high school, watching VH1 music videos before I went to catch the bus. “Fidelity” played every morning and it always got me in a really chipper mood to hear the playful tune. Admittedly, I haven’t listened to Regina too much since then, so when I caught wind of her coming to my neighborhood I jumped on the show. 

Wolf Trap. Sounds a little scary or dangerous, right? Nope. One of the most beautiful venues that I’ve ever been to, and this was my first time! Seriously a hidden gem, I was extremely impressed with every aspect of this place. It’s like a massive wooden castle with a few wall panels removed to allow a cool breeze to sweep over the crowd during a show. Not to mention Wolf Trap is the only national park dedicated to the performing arts. You can catch a variety of genres at this venue, but tonight I’m here for Aimee Mann and Regina Spektor. I get settled in literally just in time, the second I find my spot and snap open my camera bag, Aimee takes the stage. 

Aimee is a Grammy award-winning indie alternative artist who over the course of four decades has put out over twelve albums. After a quick web search, I learned that she’s known for singing about dark topics and this piqued my interest. I’m going in blind here as I’ve not listened to her music before but that’s always very exciting for me. Aimee and her band take the stage and immediately begin to create magic. A single from her tenth solo album named “Suicide Is Murder” was really powerful and beautiful. She cradled an acoustic guitar as she swayed and sang, her band following her lead. “Save Me” is performed and seconds after it begins, the audience comes alive with applause and wooing. She concluded her set with a tune called “King of The Jailhouse” that I really took a liking to, the chorus felt relatable for me. 

“Baby there’s something wrong with me, that I can’t see” 

Aimee and her band thank the crowd and depart from the stage and the stagehands quickly take their places to begin setting the stage for Regina. There’s a half-hour intermission between artists which the crowd takes advantage of to chit-chat, stretch their legs, and grab refreshments. Something unique about Wolf Trap is that they don’t have people walking around and settling into their seats during songs. Of course, you can leave to use the restroom if you need to but they like to keep movement in the crowd to a minimum while a song is being performed. Once it ends, they help people back to their seats. At first, I found this odd but I came to really appreciate this about them. Kudos, Wolf Trap! 

A stunning shiny ebony grand piano is wheeled out to center stage and the lighting becomes very dramatic. Regina Spektor appears and the audience rejoices, clapping and shouting to express their excitement. Regina is wearing a beautiful silver layered dress that is very attention-grabbing. She plops down onto her piano bench and lowers her head and begins to play. I’m caught off guard by just how lovely the entire scene is. Her dress, the gorgeous decorative and dramatic lighting, and her impressive piano skills. Did I forget to mention her voice? Her vocal range is jaw-dropping. Highs and lows, she hits every note effortlessly. 

She makes a joke about her next song being from her “toddler album” because it’s only one year old. The crowd collectively giggled. “Loveology” is that song, one that I feel like I’ve heard before, and it felt very nostalgic. “Let’s go to the movies. I will sing you a song about nothing at all” she crooned as her silver dress bounced the purple and white lights off of it. Of course, she’s wearing her signature red lipstick. Her dedication and passion for her music are apparent as she makes all sorts of faces into the mic, singing with such emotion.

She takes several opportunities to use her mouth as an instrument, making different sounds that fall in line with the song she’s performing. Between songs, she taps on the piano wood creating a neat echoing sound, and she tells us the sound should be sampled and that she could make a whole song with it.

The cool evening breeze that’s coming off the light rain travels through the venue, carrying some of the stage fog with it. It’s creating a really beautiful visual. I’ll say it a million more times, the lights are stunning, cross-crossing each other in different colors drawing patterns behind Regina. 

She steps away from the piano to sing a hybrid song, a blend of herself, Billie Holiday, and Erykah Badu. She positions herself right in the middle of the stage and delivers one line, and then tells us she forgot the triple hybrid. She decides to go back to just her and Billie Holiday, which the crowd is more than satisfied with judging by the roaring applause that follows the tune. 

Regina then moves over to some sort of table that she starts to tap on with a drumstick, and sings her song “Poor Little Rich Boy”. The crowd is SO excited about this one, after the first note they’re cheering loudly. She’s drumming on what I now discover is her piano (it looked like a table from where I was sitting) with her right hand while she plays piano with her left hand. She’s keeping tempo perfectly AND singing. It’s seriously impressive. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this before, I’m completely captivated as I watch her nail the song without missing a beat. I hang out for another song or two before scurrying off to check out merch and catch a glimpse of this beguiling venue from the lawn. In daylight it was great but wow, all lit up and full of people? It’s truly a sight to see. 

I head back to my car and listen to Regina perform “Two Birds” from afar. It’s like a sweet, distant lullaby that I enjoy with my seat back and my eyes closed. The song ends and I sit back up. I know Regina’s set is nearing the end and while I’m enjoying myself, there are a TON of people here and I’ve got a bit of a hike to get back home. So in an effort to skip out on the concert traffic, I head home. I’ll admit, this isn’t my typical scene or genre even but man was I surprised at how much I enjoyed the evening. 

Catch Aimee and Regina together again at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, CA on August 10th!

See the Full Gallery Here!

If you happened to capture any shots of the night, feel free to tag us on social media at Shutter 16 Magazine and throw in #Shutter16 and #TwitFromThePit for the world to see. 

Regina Spektor Online

Aimee Mann Online