CRYSTAL TAYLOR
Staff Writer
Judy Garland, the star of “The Wizard of Oz,” was one of Hollywood’s biggest stars with one of the most tragic stories. Her career slowly faded away as drugs, alcohol and severe depression took over her life. In 1961, however, she gave the concert of her life at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Garland put on a three-hour performance of all her trademark songs at the venue, which was packed with more than 3,000 people.
Forty-six years later, on Sept. 23, Rufus Wainwright accomplished a feat similar to Garland’s ‘61 show (using hers as a model) at a sold out Hollywood Bowl. Wainwright, an acclaimed performer and devoted fan of Garland, hardly changed a detail of the concert, sticking to the original set list used for the Carnegie show. He was accompanied by the world-famous Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.
Dressed in a velvet jacket with a rhinestone-studded broach and white shirt, which Wainwright admitted “[bordered] on the ridiculous,” he had the audience’s devotion with the first few bars of, “When You’re Smiling,” the opening song. As he moved through the first half of the set list, dancing around the stage and joking with the audience, it was easy to tell that he was having fun.
The first half of the show ended with “San Francisco,” the song in which Wainwright had the most enthusiasm. The opening was meant to be a jab by Garland at Jeanette MacDonald, a more operatic singer from her time, so he sang it with mock emphasis. Wainwright started the second half of the show with special guests. His sister, Martha Wainwright, absolutely ruled the stage with “Stormy Weather.” With a voice that sounds like it belongs in the 40s, she hit every note and made the audience feel the blues deep in their bones, almost upstaging her brother and garnering the first standing ovation of the night.
Wainwright’s mother, Kate McGarrigle, joined him on piano for Garland’s signature song, “Over the Rainbow,” which went off without any mistake. It was visually emphasized with the stage lighting up in a fluorescent rainbow.
Finally, Garland’s daughter, Lorna Luft, joined him in singing “After You’ve Gone,” one of the best performances of the night. Her voice was very powerful and reminiscent of her mothers. The crowd reacted as soon as they saw her, even though she was not introduced.
The best and most noteworthy part of the show was the encore, Deviating from Garland’s original show (since she didn’t do an encore), Wainwright came out dressed in Judy drag with a tuxedo jacket, lipstick, fedora, diamond earrings, seemed black stockings and high heels. As soon as he sauntered onto stage, the audience went crazy. He performed “Get Happy” in the attire.
Martha Wainwright then graced the stage to sing “Someone to Watch Over Me,” which she dedicated to her new husband. With another amazing performance, she earned her second standing ovation of the night.
Luft ended the show by thanking Wainwright for “celebrating [her] mother’s musical legacy,” and it was easy to tell by the audience’s standing ovation that they echoed her sentiments.
10-04-2007