Regina Spektor dazzles The Fillmore on a snow day eve

Regina Spektor | photo Michelle Montgomery for WXPN | michellemontgomeryphotography.com

Singer-songwriter Regina Spektor graced the stage at The Fillmore on Monday night to play a stellar set to a sold out crowd. Spektor is currently touring across the country in support of her new album, Remember Us To Life. As soon as she walked on stage and took a seat at her beautiful Steinway grand piano, the crowd went wild with excitement.

Spektor kicked off the night with her hit song “On the Radio,” off 2006’s Begin to Hope, followed by a few of her newest songs. The ensuing setlist impressively included at least one song from all of her studio released albums. Spektor performed most of Remember Us To Life and a selection of songs off 2012’s What We Saw from the Cheap Seats, 2009’s Far, as well as Begin to Hope and her 2004 breakout, Soviet Kitsch. The song selection was excellent and flowed well throughout the show. After a four-year break, it was great to see Spektor perform so much new music. Known for her quirky and clever songwriting and impressive piano skills, the audience was entranced throughout; the backing band of a cellist, keyboardist and drummer was fantastic and produced a range of sounds from lush and orchestral to upbeat and poppy.

Midway through the set, the band left the stage, and Spektor performed a beautiful cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Chelsea Hotel No. 2.” She then performed “Après Moi,” which was simply amazing; it was definitely a personal and crowd favorite of the night, especially during the Russian lyrical section midway through the song. Throughout the show, Spektor talked to the crowd and encouraged clapping along; even though The Fillmore is a large venue, Spektor’s interaction with the crowd gave the show a more intimate feel.

Spektor then performed “Ballad of a Politician,” which she dedicated to better days in reference to current political events. After a short solo set, the band rejoined Spektor on the stage and performed a few more new songs, including the haunting song “The Trapper and the Furrier” and the imagery-heavy song “Sellers of Flowers.” Spektor then headed to the other side of the stage to perform the quirky and humorous song “Silly Eye Color Generalizations” a cappella.

Another standout moment was their performance of the energetic single “You’ve Got Time,” which included an awesome, fast-paced instrumental break midway through the song, which moved nicely into the catchy single “Small Bill$.”

Spektor made shout-outs to Philly throughout the night, including at the end of “Don’t Leave Me (Ne Me Quitte Pas)” where the refrain “I love Paris in the rain” was appended with “…and I love Philly in the snow!” Spektor closed out the set with her popular song “Us” before encoring with “The Visit,” followed by three of her most popul songs off Begin to Hope: “Fidelity” and the catchy “Hotel Song” were performed with the band, and after they left the stage, Spektor ended the show with an emotional solo rendition of “Samson.”

It was an incredible and memorable show, and I highly recommend seeing Regina Spektor live if you have the chance. In the meantime, you can check out the setlist and photos from the show in the gallery below.

Setlist
On the Radio
Grand Hotel
Older and Taller
Blue Lips
Tornadoland
Bleeding Heart
Better
The Light
Chelsea Hotel No. 2 *Leonard Cohen cover*
Après Moi
Ballad of a Politician
The Trapper and the Furrier
Sellers of Flowers
Silly Eye Color Generalizations
Obsolete
Sailor Song
You’ve Got Time
Small Bill$
Don’t Leave Me (Ne Me Quitte Pas)
Us

Encore:
The Visit
Fidelity
Hotel Song
Samson

---

---

---