Image by Camille Ikalina-Robles
Showing some love
Fans shower Sia with gifts as she rocks San Francisco's Fillmore
By Camille Ikalina-Robles
Published: February 19th, 2008 | 11:14pm
February 18, 2007, in San Francisco — You know you’re in for something different when the woman you’ve come to see play some heart-wrenching, soul-shaking music struts on a stage strewn with stuffed animals to the theme of Rocky, wearing a glowing mask and a neon costume. But in the end, this is quintessential Sia — both the dark writer of love's hopes and losses, and a big kid who never plans on severing ties with her inner child. She’s what surrealists would have called a “femme-enfant,” with her ability to bring modern relationships to life with the imaginative comparisons of giants and humans alike.
Sia and her band wore these costumes for only the first song, the poppy and upbeat “Buttons” from her new album Some People Have Real Problems (Hear Music). Soon enough, the black robes, white gloves, and neon masks were discarded to reveal Sia in full form as she danced her way into “Little Black Sandals” in fitted pink denim and a printed blouse, blonde bob moving with the music. Neon flower-like fixtures blinked and shined, changing hues as the shapes of light illuminated the stage. Sia’s vibrato was in great form as she moved her way through “Lentil” and “Day Too Soon,” in one moment singing about disappointing a lover and the next about finding someone so good you want to stitch them right onto your little heart. About a third of the way through the show, Sia introduced us to her “superhero of humanity” alter-ego, the H Crusader, who delivered the poppy new song “The Co-Dependent.”
The music and dramatic entrance were much loved by the attendees at the Fillmore on this Monday evening, but it was the witty banter and exchanging of gifts that put it all over the top. When some fans got the attention of the crowd-friendly singer after she finished “Sunday,” Sia realized they were offering her gifts.
“If you would excuse me, I have to go receive a present,” she said before she went to the corner of the stage. Inside the gift bag: glitter suspenders, a mask, and a whoopee cushion. “This will be very useful on the tour bus,” she exclaimed as she showed the whoopee cushion to the crowd. Sia then spent the entire next song unwrapping and trying out her new sparkling suspenders.
But that wasn’t the end of it. As soon as Sia finished, she realized that she had another gift. This time it was a bag full of Lush soap, to which Sia said, “OK, OK … we can all have a bath together later!” A few bangle bracelets, a tiara, and with a bag of chocolates later, Sia delved into “Breathe Me” to close the set before the encore. The song was received with intense excitement from the crowd, as it filled the auditorium with a building storm of music and Sia’s intense vibrato.
When Sia and the band returned for their two-song encore, a few fans upped the ante on “pressies” for Sia. Before she started “Death By Chocolate,” a female fan offered Sia her leggings, warm and freshly worn. Sia kindly accepted them, and wrapped them nicely around her guitarist's neck. A male fan topped it off for the night, though, when he took off his pants and passed them on to the excited singer. She neatly tucked them in to the waistband of another band member, who suddenly appeared to be wearing different pants altogether. Sia, truly impressed with San Francisco’s generosity, proudly exclaimed, “This is the best gig ever!”
Sia closed the show with “Somersault” replacing the original final song, “Distractions,” when a fan chimed in his request. Overall, the night was an exchange of love from Sia to her fans, and back again. I left the venue a happy and giddy woman, skipping and letting my inner child run free, dancing down the street to the theme of Rocky.
Issue #35
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