The first time I ever saw PJ Harvey live was at The Spectrum in Toronto in 1993. It was on the "Rid of Me" tour, and it was an awesome show that fully solidified my admiration for Harvey's work as an artist, as a songwriter, and as a performer.
Harvey's first album "Dry" was an excellent collection of songs that presented her and her band as serious musicians and it received a lot of interest and support from the music press at the time, with a lot of reviewers and critics declaring Harvey as an especially significant artist. "Dry" suggested a lot of potential, but her second album "Rid of Me" was the album that fully displayed Harvey's gifts, a strong and mature artistic vision that would set the course for all of her records to come.
The show at the Spectrum
ably recreated that vision with a passion that I've rarely
ever seen on stage, and throughout the show I was completely spellbound by
Harvey's immense ability. Songs like Rid of Me and Yuri G were delivered with an energy and
intensity that impressed greatly, and Naked
Cousin was all fuzzy distortion and screams, a loud and furious noise that seared itself into my memory like white hot light. The whole set was incredible
really, a raw and emotional performance that alternated between ecstasy
and exorcism.
I've seen PJ Harvey a number of times since then,
and every one of those later shows has added to my appreciation and respect for her artistry and talent,
but this first time seeing her live? This is the one that stands out the
most for me, an introduction to a powerful performer with full command of
her craft and her abilities. Later concerts may have been more polished or
may have shown a further sophistication and growth in her
songwriting skills, but it was this first time seeing her live at the Spectrum that demonstrated the pure essence of PJ Harvey as an artist to me, a show that solidified my standing as a long time fan.
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