Robyn runs a marathon in Vancouver

Swedish teen-pop survivor makes a thrilling connection with her fans

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      At Venue on Friday, November 19

      Robyn could have been forgiven for crossing the finish line Friday night with nothing left in the tank.

      After all, the Swedish teen-pop survivor did more than just show up and sing at Venue. As much as she was happy to rock the mike, what really made Robyn a thrill to watch was her extracurricular activities. Like the way she unleashed her inner cartoon character during “With Every Heartbeat”, using Looney Tunes inspired miming to suggest that her love-swollen heart was pumping triple-time. Or the way that she suddenly went Turkish-style whirling dervish at the end of a spine-chillingly monumental “Dancing on My Own”. Or the way that, from the moment she hit the stage to the moment she triumphantly left, Robyn showed that that her oversize Kodiak work boots weren’t going to stop her from throwing her own one-woman dance party.

      There’s no denying that the artist known to the Swedish motor-vehicle branch as Robin Miriam Carlsoon is a little out-there. When’s the last time you saw someone snacking on a banana in the middle of a song? But goddamn it, the woman knows how to connect to with a crowd. The atmosphere at Venue was nothing less than electric, the night being one of the all-too-rare ones where the performer is feeding off the crowd as much as the crowd is feeding off the performer. If you weren’t there for what was easily one of the most magical shows of the year, start kicking yourself now for not biting the bullet on Craigslist.

      Off the top, there was nothing to suggest that the show was going to be a spectacle. The simple stage setup consisted of two drum kits, two banks of synths, and a giant banner backdrop that simply read “Robyn”. Obviously into the idea of providing a united look, the singer’s four crack backing musicians took the stage in matching, gleaming-white lab coats. Robyn’s labcoat appeared to have lost a fight with a woodchipper; what was left of it was attached to the bottom of a sawed-in-half jean jackets, the ensemble rounded out by a one-piece beige unitard and a made-for-duck-hunting brown hat.

      Ultimately, though, this one wasn’t about the clothes. It was about an almost insane full-blown love-in. The night’s opening number was enough to make you wonder if there was some sort of contest on the night to see who would be crowned Robyn’s number one fan. The disco-burnished “Fembot” started off with tape loops of robotic vocals promising that we’d be all taking off in T minus 10 seconds. And take off the assembled faithful did.

      Ever been to one of those shows where the crowd not only sings along to every song, but does so loud enough to completely drown out the entertainer on stage? That’s exactly what happened right off the top, the fever pitch, impossibly, kicking up a couple of notches for the night’s second number, “Cry When You Get Older”.

      And so it went for the duration of a set that had the band ripping into everything from vintage new wave to chill-out–room jazz to robots-on-a-rampage techno. Through it all, Robyn gave a clinic in the art of entertaining, whether busting out eye-popping dance moves in “Love Kills” or engaging in some good old-fashioned crowd surfing at the end of “Dancing on My Own”. As for her audience, the dance floor looked like Mardi Gras on the world’s most excellent batch of ecstasy, the energy never flagging.

      One of the best shows of the year ended with a two-song encore. Smart money would have bet on the Tinker Toy hip-hop of “Konichiwa Bitches” taking home the crowd-pleaser-of-the-night award. But just when you thought things couldn’t get any better, they did.

      Her head matted in sweat, Robyn capped it off by starting her own “Show Me Love” with a couple of verses from ABBA’s “Dancing Queen”. With the possible exception of the bouncers and the bartenders, there wasn’t a single person in the place who wasn’t singing along. Amazingly, considering how it had been giving it up on the dancefloor for Robyn, Vancouver still had something left in the tank.

      Comments

      3 Comments

      Michael C

      Nov 20, 2010 at 4:36pm

      truly one of the best shows of the year. It was hell getting a ticket but worth all the effort. She really is a modern day pop icon. With the (now) three Body Talk albums and a stellar '05 release to boot, she's so impressively transgressing genre's to arrive at a sound that attracts pop fans and pitchfork acolytes alike.

      R2

      Nov 22, 2010 at 12:20pm

      One of the Best Concerts of the Year?
      No offense but you kids got to get out and broaden your musical horizons.

      JK

      Nov 22, 2010 at 2:20pm

      Whatever your taste in music, it's a rare show that creates an absolutely electric connection between the performer and the crowd. Robyn put on a show that went off in a way that definitely makes it one of the best of the year.