fAr 'H ART CENTER
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tion that explores the way icons of pop-
ular culture are given visual form.
IN:ktiTsma
Monday f
August 3, 1998 7
Verve
,succeeds
without
McCabe
By Brian Cohen
Daily Arts Writer
Shrouded in a sky full of storm
clouds involving rumors about break-
ups and poor ticket sales, The Verve
made a noticeably nonchalant entrance
into Pontiac's
S P h o e n i x
Amphitheater last
Wednesday for
The Verve the second date of
Phoenix the most impor-
Amphitheater tant tour in the
July 29, 1998 band's eight-year
career.
The casual
American audi-
ence member
could never
guess the tur-
moil the group is
currently endur-
ing. Prior to The Verve's stateside
departure, lead guitarist Nick
IcCabe initiated an indefinite split
1vith the band and decided not to par-
ticipate in any of the group's future
live dates.
And even though this was not the
first time McCabe had distanced
himself from the group (the band
already went through an official
breakup following the 1995 release
of its second album, "A Northern
Soul"), this time, he had left his
.and-mates stranded with a string-
full of touring commitments, with no
wav of renroducina his unique sound
Curtis 'soulfully'
enters hearts of fans
By Amy Barber
Dilyty Etor
Listening to Catie Curtis is more
like having a conversation with
your best friend. Her honest, intro-
spective, story-
telling style
makes her one
of folk's most
Catie pr o mi s i ng
CurtiS artists.
The Magic Bag So it is not
August 7, 1998 surprising that
relationships
with people
inspire Curtis to
write.
"Whenever I
connect with
people - like
when I have a
really good conversation - that's
when I write songs," Curtis said.
And she looks forward to connect-
ing with many new people this week
as she joins summer sensation Lilith
Pair.
"I'm totally thrilled," Curtis said.
"And I'm a Sarah McLachlan fan, so
I'm pretty excited about meeting
her."
But Curtis is taking Friday off from
Lilith Fair to play one show at The
Magic Bag in Ferndale.
She makes appearances in Michigan
fairly often, the last time being at The
Ark just two months ago.
Curtis even lived in Ann Arbor at
one point.
"I was (in Ann Arbor) for about a
year and a half, and I actually loved it,"
Curtis said. "It really felt relaxed, yet
there were plenty of people. And I +
loved The Ark.
"It also seemed like a pretty strong
women's community. It seemed really
cool but not arrogant."
Now, Curtis spends much of her
time on the road, playing mostly in
See CURTIS, Page 10
- - S EEE 'T/' ai' y
Guitarist B.J. Cole takes the place of Nick McCabe, who was crucial to The Verve's
success. But the band proved that it doesn't need McCabe to put on a great show.
responsible for the unmistakable
appeal of the band's award-winning
album "Urban Hymns."
So, what to dot
The Verve was already forced to
scrap plans for a previous U.S. tour
back in April when lead singer Richard
Ashcroft's haunting gaze graced the
cover of Rolling Stone.
So instead of postponing another trip
to America, Ashcroft decided that the
show must go on, seeing that the band
had yet to fully tap into its American
commercial success.
This tour marks the first time The
Verve has played live without
McCabe.
In hooes of filling his tremendous
void, veteran pedal-steel guitarist B.J.
Cole was drafted into the lineup, noted
for his guest work on "Urban Hymns,"
as well as with Spiritualized, Elton
John and Beck.
But due to McCabe's departure,
opener Massive Attack decided to
leave the tour as well, since original
venues such as Madison Square
Garden and the Chicago's Rosemont
Horizon were canceled in favor of
much smaller theaters and ball-
rooms.
Wednesday's stop in Detroit was
originally scheduled to take place at
The Palace, but was then switched to
the outdoor Phoenix Amphitheater in
Pontiac about a week before the
show.
Despite a slightly tinkered set-list
and a few stretches of noticeably
absent guitar solos, the band man-
aged to keep things on the plateau of
divinity for virtually the entire
evening.
From the opening sal o of;"Space
and 'lime" on through to the chilling
rumble of "Lucky Man," Ashcroft
became obsessed with pouring his
soul into each word, realizing oh so
clearly that this could be one of the
last times The Verve plays on
American soil.
The audience svas treated to virtually
all of "Urban Ilymns,' plus majestic
renditions of "On Your Own" and
"Iistory" from "A Northern Soul,"
beefed up with Peter Salisbury 's
chunky drum beats and Simon Jones'
acrobatie bass.
Simon Tong earned his keep as well,
splitting time on keyboards and guitars
making McCabe's absence all the more
See VERVE, Page 11
If Catie Curtis ever gets out of the water, you can see her perform at The Magic
v-.d - Ferndale this Friday.
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If Richard Ashcroft, lead singer of The Verve, opene4 his eyes, he would see a
packed Phoenix Amphitheater jamming to his songs.
I
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