Review: Magnetic Fields plays ’69 Love Songs’ at Thalia Hall, a long and epic romance

It’s asking a lot of an audience of a certain age — ahem — to return two nights in a row for one performance. Specifically, a performance of a masterwork so sprawling, its 69 songs must be played in two consecutive shows, 35 songs or so a night. I’m not talking Wagner’s “Ring” cycle. I’m talking an indie act from Boston that, in a Doug Flutie-like Hail Mary for the college-rock-radio ages, released an album 25 years ago of 69 tracks requiring three CDs .

A lot comes out of that unassuming corner of the stage and his flat center-of-the-earth-deep baritone of a voice. He’s not alone, of course: Magnetic lifers — Claudia Gonson , John Woo , Sam Davol , Shirley Simms — rounded out the band, arranged in rows, like a modest orchestra. Merritt described this band as the “original cast” of “69 Love Songs,” and that wasn’t a quip.

But something like “69 Love Songs” requires complete obsessiveness, a live monument to endlessly fretting on a theme.

Merritt, who has admitted “69 Love Songs” sprung from an admiration of Sondheim and composer Charles Ives, originally imagined the album as a theatrical revue of sorts. He has also said the songs are not about love but the semiotics of love songs, the love song as a medium itself.The venue is full for a performance by The Magnetic Fields at Thalia Hall, April 17, 2024, in Chicago.

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Using Magnetic Fields to Boost Electrocatalysis for Sustainable Fuel ProductionResearchers have discovered that magnetic fields can enhance the movement of reactants in electrocatalysis, improving the efficiency of energy-related reactions. This finding is crucial in the pursuit of sustainable energy sources and the development of green-energy technologies.
Source: ScienceDaily - 🏆 452. / 53 Read more »

Magnetic fields can boost sustainable hydrogen fuel production, new study showsThe key is boosting electrocatalysis which accelerates electrochemical reactions with the help of catalysts.
Source: IntEngineering - 🏆 287. / 63 Read more »

Here’s how magnetic fields shape desert ants’ brainsExposure to a tweaked magnetic field scrambled desert ants’ efforts to learn where home is — and affected neuron connections in a key part of the brain.
Source: ScienceNews - 🏆 286. / 63 Read more »

Stunning image shows the magnetic fields of our galaxy’s supermassive black holeThe Event Horizon Telescope collaboration, the group that took the historic first ever image of a black hole, is back with a new stunning black hole image.
Source: DigitalTrends - 🏆 95. / 65 Read more »

New View Reveals Magnetic Fields Around Our Galaxy's Giant Black HoleFresh imagery from the Event Horizon Telescope traces magnetic fields swirling out from the black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy.
Source: universetoday - 🏆 297. / 63 Read more »

Astronomers unveil strong magnetic fields spiraling at the edge of Milky Way's central black holeA new image from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration has uncovered strong and organized magnetic fields spiraling from the edge of the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*).
Source: ScienceDaily - 🏆 452. / 53 Read more »