Feist at Capital City Music Hall, Ottawa, Jan. 19 2006

A couple years back, when Feist and Chilly Gonzales, her friend and music collaborator sat down at a diner somewhere in Europe, they argued about the sound of Feist's undecided-music-album, they made a deal: The album would not have any of Feist's preferred rock guitar sound, nor would it have any of Chilly Gonzales's preferred electronic beats. Which is why Let it Die ended being a delightful and surprisingly engrossing mixture of folk, soul, 70's disco and French Pop.

Well, Feist likes her electric guitar. She likes it a lot. To see her prowling the stage of the Capital City Music Hall in Ottawa, guitar in tow, and to see her stomping her feet as she cranked up the amp and delivered a more muscled show than would be suggested from her album, one could see that this was her natural state. On this night, the french chanteuse would have to make some room for the rock goddess.

And so, songs like When I was Young and Secret Heart were given a more aggressive, rawer treatment to good effect. Secret Heart was notable for the intro she gave when she pointed out her capo was like a portal to a different universe, one where Ron Sexsmith popped out. But at the risk of portraying Feist live as nothing more than a rock show, her showmanship and creativity was in full display when she was by herself on stage. Playing a couple of tracks to appear on the new album due to be recorded in a month's time, Feist was a one-woman show with her mixing of vocals sung on two different microphones, a main one and a amped-down one used for backgrounds, and guitar loops which she would record on a pedal mixer and use as background as each song grew in body. Each song is literally being constructed on the spot and while one is skeptical at first of what is about to transpire, the end product was music with an organic, primal need to be heard.

The price of going back to her roots in guitar-based music was that a couple of more poppy songs like One Evening and Leisure Suit were left off the playlist, and Inside and Out was given toned down to a solo ballad with the three guys from the band singing backup vocals to great effect. However it was a small price to pay for a whirlwind show that did not lack emotion, intensity, creativity and a dash of whim.

She concluded the show with a second encore performance that she , a song from Broken Social Scene, either 7/4 (Shoreline) or Windsurfing Nation I'm not sure, a raucous affair and perfect ending to a brilliant show.

It might have been the immediacy of the show or the fact that I got back to Kingston at 3AM and have had only 4 hours of sleep but I would say this could be the best show I have ever witnessed. EVER. Here's an updated top 10 shows ever (estimated year in parentheses give or take two years):

1. Feist - Capital City Music Hall (2006)
See review above

2. Sarah Harmer - Grant Hall (1999)
Her first big show. Hit the right notes at every moment.

3. Les Colocs - Plaines d'Abraham (1996)
St-Jean Baptist Day, thousands of quebecois and quebecoises, best Quebec band of the last 15 years, nuff said.

4. Coldplay - Corel Centre (2003)
Only big arena show I ever attended. Surpassed my expectations of what a Coldplay concert was going to sound like

5. The Weakerthans - Clark Hall Pub (2001)
Amazing display of musicianship and band cohesion

6. Sarah Slean/Tory Cassis - Clark Hall Pub (1999)
Great interviews, even better shows

7. Bran Van 3000 - AJs (1996)
Sadly this Montreal music collective is no more but at their peak, they could put a joyous, raucous show like no other.

8. Sloan - Jock Harty Arena (1998)
The venue could have been better but this quartet delivers pop rock bliss.

9. Stars - Grad Club (2003)
Torquil Campbell's slightly pretentious adoration of the Ideals and Amy Millan's raw guitar playing makes for a dangerous combination in the intimate setting of the Grad Club

10. Great Big Sea - Ottawa Tulip Festival (2000)
Best kitchen party ever.