Juliana Hatfield

I have heard of Juliana Hatfield over the years but never really listened to her music until I heard a track from Become What You Are on Radio Paradise a couple of years ago. I can't recall the specific track but it made an impression strong enough for me to buy (and it was hard to find) the CD. That album is very strong from start to finish and I regularly boast it to my friends as a release to check out as an opportunity to experience a gal with various and very unique talents. So I caught an announcement in the Boston Globe about the JH3 joining up for the first time since that release and I scooped the tickets. I was pleased, to say the least, that Juliana announced that they would be playing the entire Become What You Are release that night. The album has very good engineering & production and there are of course some vocal overdubs but when played live I really liked how Juliana improvised using her vocal chops, suddenly changing pitch and loudness. After that first half of the show, the band came back on to perform tracks from the new release entitled Whatever, My Love. After 21 years the band has that characteristic JH3 sound and it is a sound all their own. But there were a couple of tunes that had a notably harder/faster edge. The change in tempo and edginess took me by surprise but I really liked it and especially how Juliana laid into some raucous guitar work. So needless to say that I will be purchasing the new release. And for what it's worth, I bought a poster after the show and I give kudos to the artist. Juliana herself possesses very unique talents and it is that uniqueness with the ability to make good music that makes her stand apart. I recommend catching this gem of an artist and I will also say that she has a very likeable and yes, dare I say "cute" stage presence. She appreciated her fans and she poked some fun at her band members which brought on some laughter from the crowd. I felt fortunate to experience Juliana, her JH3 and to be in a venue well suited for the trio. She of course has Boston roots, stated that she loved the venue and is able to walk there from her home. Locality aside, she is a world class act.

Awesome - go see them - band is tight, she sounds great and plays great.

I LOVE Juliana Hatfield and have attended many shows, of which I loved every one previous to this one. It was Evan Dando that really just spoiled the show for my husband and I (it was our first show together and if it weren't for our awesome hotel, we would have been LIVID at the wasted trip!). He seemed high or something and very unintelligent. This was the worst show I've EVER been to! Juliana doesn't need that deadbeat, get rid of him. I mean musically, of course, I don't know what kind of person he is. It really was boring and it was the only show I've ever left early. The opening band was horrible as well. Dando kept saying, "how about those [whatever they were called]?" Figures. They were so bad that we waited in the bar for it to be over. Unfortunately, we could still hear them enough to know all the songs sounded the same and none of them could sing. Oh wait, that's why we left... They really SUCKED.

It was great to see Juliana reunited with her bandmates from her second album, "Become What You Are". They opened the show playing that album in its entirety, and it was a real thrill hearing all those songs again live, a great many for the first time in 20 years. After that, they played a few more from Juliana's catalog, including her new album, "Whatever, My Love". And though the show started a little late due to inclement weather, it was all well worth the wait.

Ms Hatfield played her Become What You Are album from start to finish as her main set, which I thought was a great idea. It showed how her voice has improved, and even her technical chops on the guitar. Loved it! Then she played some new stuff for her first encore, which I liked very much. She closed the show with "Nirvana", which I think is the song that might have ended her career in the mid 90's.

Juliana had not played since Feb. 28 1994. The performance she gave last Saturday sounded like she had never stopped performing. Her voice sounded as amazing as it did 21 years ago. Her guitar playing was excellent. Her interaction with the crowd made me feel like she really appreciated that we were all there to see her. The bass player and the drummer were also excellent. I am very happy that she is back. I would definitely go see her again,hopefully soon.

The Juliana Hatfield Three played in Portland ME and they were great. I was surprised that despite releasing a new album they played almost all old music including songs from Juliana's first solo album Hey Babe.

Great to see Juliana rocking again and she's never sounded better! You could tell she was really enjoying playing. Jenny Dee and the Deelinquents were a pleasant surprise.

She was stunning. Sounded great. Loved the venue. Loved the song sequence. Thanks for coming out, JH, it was a pleasure to see you and listen to you.

The show was good enough. I don't know how to describe it any other way. Power trios are a tough format, and the rhythm section was playing well enough, but her voice was off in the mix somehow. But it was definitely rock. Obviously something else was going on at the show too, as my friend who came with me, "lost it" a bit, from the loud bass and her lyrics. He couldn't take the music in the least, it made him physically sick. I hope she's happy now.

Juliana was great. Real highlight of the night for me was the opening act, Aunt Martha. They have their own distinctive sound, superb interplay, and overall dynamics. Super exciting band to watch out for. Looking forward to seeing them again here in Boston.

Fantastic show! very talented musicians! Beautiful singing! Totally worth the trip out in the Pre-Irene precipitation.

The venue was a tiny place that made you feel as if you were in a large basement with a band that perhaps you grew up with - in a good way. You had close access to the band, there was plenty of dancing or being-yourself room, and the bar was only a couple steps away. Juliana Hatfield and Evan Dando themselves were great, though the set was a little slow for this southern country boy. I've listened to quite a bit of Juliana Hatfield to say it was slower than usual, but still got an amazing crowd response. They were quite obviously inebriated, but I think it added to the event as there was a lot of audience direct communication, a few song-restarts which endeared the artists to the audience, and gave those present a feeling of oneness with the musicians.

Although I love Juliana Hatfield and have always been a huge fan, I was un aware that this was an acoustic show. Maybe if I had been more familiar with Evan Dando I would have known this. I went under the assumption I would be hearing some of her old stuff. She has a great voice and the music was great as acoustic always is. I just wasn't expecting it to be all acoustic. They also didn't start until 11pm which was kinda late for a week night show.

wow, what a boring, lame, lazy show. both voices were great but the set list couldn't have been worse. what a missed opportunity to hit a home run.

I have seen Juliana a number of times over the years, and had never seen the Lemonheads but always liked them so I was psyched for the show... It seemed like Dando was chemically compromised right from the start. A lot of missed chords, bad notes on guitar then the songs started stopping in the middle whether someone forgot the rest or Juliana thought it was out of tune, then the songs got restarted over again... Somewhere in the middle of the set Dando started to become very verbal and was funny, and then as if a switch went off Juliana (who was fine for the first half) suddenly seemed very disoriented and was practically slurring... This was a ridiculously unprofessional show, very disappointing. There were a few people around me throwing around the term "train wreck" pretty freely...

I have to say I'm a huge Juliana fan going back to the early 90s (still have my concert shirt from when she opened for Jeff Buckley at Roseland!) but I was dissapointed with this show. It felt like both Evan Dando and Hatfield were simply going through the paces, didn't seem particularly thrilled to be there(someone from the audience actually kept asking if they were having any fun), and their performances suffered as a result. Their guitar work was all over the place, and the vocals weren't in sync together. I'm not sure how much the fanbase for each artist appreciated the other's music either. At one point Evan was mumbling something completely incomprehensible into the mic in between songs, very strange.

One of the single greatest shows of my life - the pairing of Juliana and Evan, on stage, together...amazing. Too much emotion. Just too amazing. And seeing it at such a small venue - unforgettable.