Wainwright Is Heavenly At Avalon

Rufus Wainwright once said that he felt “out of step” with his generation. That’s no big surprise considering that he’s a classically trained pianist with a penchant for pop songs that are older than his parents. The 28-year-old singer/songwriter shuns most of today’s conventions in favor of a nice waltz or a lyrical, imaginative ballad that has more than just three chords. Occasionally he bursts into French mid-song, a trait that would seem to alienate most audiences. So why did people line up halfway down Lansdowne St. to see him perform at the Avalon this past Friday? In a word, charm.

Like the great Tin Pan Alley songsmiths he adores, Wainwright’s charm spills out of him and into his music, melting hearts and wooing even the harshest of critics. As he swaggered onto the stage alongside his five-piece backing band he looked the part of Bohemian poet meets rocking sex star, dressed in blue jeans and a tight black shirt, with untamed, dark, shoulder-length hair. The only thing out of place was his embroidered, flowery jacket that he stole from his mother (folk singer Kate McGarrigle).

“I feel like a middle-aged lesbian,” Wainwright confessed, looking down at his ensemble. Launching into the first song of the night, “Grey Gardens,” from his second and most recent album Poses, Wainwright seemed at home despite Avalon’s disco ball and dance club setting. He warned the audience right away the night would be a bit of a rehearsal, Boston being the first stop on his tour. His warm, lazy tenor filled the venue, with his sister Martha and lead guitarist Teddy Thompson providing sublime backup vocals.

Most of what he performed was pulled from his latest release, although he interspersed both older songs and lesser-known pieces throughout. He performed his cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” which he originally recorded for the Shrek soundtrack for the first time. As evidence of his inexperience, he was forced to use lyric sheets while he sang, although it didn’t hinder his performance in the least

His solo rendition of the French cabaret song “Complainte de la Butte,” off the “Moulin Rouge” soundtrack, was both melancholy and sweet, reminiscent of 1930s chanteuse Edith Piaf. His guest appearance on soundtracks has been extensive recently; Wainwright also tried out his cover of the Beatles’, “Across the Universe,” a track on the “I Am Sam” soundtrack. On this he was not as lucky, botching the first verse entirely, proceeded by expletives and another attempt (and sympathetic laughter from the audience). At that point, about an hour into the show, it was likely the Heinekens that never left his hands didn’t help his memory much either.

Despite his apparent intoxication, he continued to entertain the audience with his flamboyance and lilting love songs. Fond of casual, on-stage banter, he had a hard time resisting any opportunity to talk, even mumbling to himself during his own piano solos.

After playing for an hour and a half, he left the stage and then returned for two encores. Rather than playing his usual closer, “Imaginary Love,” he opted instead for a newer, unreleased song called “Little Sister,” which has a late 18th century feel and playful lyrics about the pressures of living up to one’s proposed talent. This was followed by the last and perhaps best song of the evening, “Nuits de Miami,” a French rendition of the Eddy Duchin depression-era classic “Moon Over Miami.” With just Wainwright at the piano and his sister at the center mic, the two siblings exchanged verses in perfect form, their voices different as night and day (his nasal tenor to her wispy soprano), but complimentary all the same.

Although Wainwright has created a genre more or less his own, that of the folky cabaret singer, he has done it with such style and charm that he is followed from city to city by a cult of obsessed fans. Between breathy verses of “Foolish Love” one could hear cries of “Rufus is God!” And while he lacks many qualities of a deity, his music is certainly heavenly.