Last night I went to see Feist perform on the waterfront in Boston. As the lights dimmed and people took their seats, I noticed a 6 foot pop up screen, a projector and the image of a lantern being manipulated by hand displayed on the back wall … this was going to be more interesting than I thought.

Feist kicked off her set by elusively looping her voice into a perfectly harmonized melody from behind a back lit screen. It was at that point that we noticed visual artist Clea Minaker. This innovative Canadian performer used projectors, paint, cut out objects and even her hands to create a stimulating and enticing display that moved and shifted on a giant screen behind the band. But even more amazing was the ability of both Feist and Clea to sync the tone, speed and texture of their performances – leaving the audience both aurally and visually delighted.

Feist herself was gracious and quirky. At one point she commented on how ‘wide’ the arena was and asked if everyone would do her a favor and do the wave!! The audience graciously complied. Shortly after that a very excited fan in the front row handed Leslie an interesting musical instrument that is best described at a miniature xylophone. There was a awkward pause after she took the gift and then she looked at the audience and said, ‘Ok, everyone else bring your gifts to the front now.’ The joke sent the audience into thunderous applause. Getting into her playful vibe she then challenged her multi-talented band mate, Bryden Baird, to incorporate the instrument into the performance at some point in the evening – which, to everyones delight, he did.

The show was beautiful, funny, unusual and interesting. The tickets (4th row center) were CHEAP at $35 and the size of the venue was perfect for an intimate show. Hats off to Feist and Clea for providing a phenomenal evening of entertainment that this music fan won’t soon forget.

If you like the quirky, singable sounds of Feist then check out Molly Marlette. For an artist that uses similar looping to create her own band before your eyes then check out Theresa Andersson and her video ‘Na, na, na.’ Both artists are featured on the playlist below.