Nellie McKay

I drove up to Villa Montalvo and it was dark! I was told the power was out and we would wait to see if it would come back on. We waited for a half hour mingling outside until it was announced that Nellie would play anyway! So only bathed in a small amount of candlelight she did her complete solo show. She was amazing. Only the second time I have seen her but I plan to see her as often as she plays in the Bay Area. Not that I really saw her!

When we first arrived for Nellie McKay's concert, we were told it would likely be cancelled. There was an area-wide power outage, including the Montalvo theater Carriage House. But minutes later we were informed that the artist had arrived and was willing to do the concert acoustically in the dark anyway! Lit by several large candles, she took to the piano and gave us a spectacular performance in the small, intimate space. She sang all of her more popular pieces, including encores, and left a satisfied, autograph-sated audience. Highly recommend her....with a microphone her soft voice would have been enhanced, but I loved every minute of the show!

Imagine if you had the opportunity to have one of your favorite artist come to your home and perform a concert just for you... that's exactly what my experience was like when I attended Nellie McKay's show last week. It was no accident that I came away feeling that way, it was all by design. The audience seating on the stage made it an intimate affair, and if being so close to a great artist with such wit and talent choked you up... well, then there wash a bar on stage as well to loosen everything and everyone up. Being just feet away from her while she sang and let her fingers dance across the piano keys or while she strummed on her ukulele was more than I could have ever imagined when I bought my ticket. Great show Nellie McKay!!!... and thank you.

So smart, so funny, so hip, so fun, so astute, so musical. Nice to do the concert on stage club/cabaret style. Loved the Rachel Carson tribute @ Feinstein's in March, but this performance was exemplary in so many ways. Nellie IS "In a fine way with a Steinway"

As usual, Nellie was fantastic. I did not know what to expect from the show title but I trusted that I would be glad that I attended. She did not disappoint. I have seen her four times and would have been happy to just hear her go through her usual insightful and fun songs. She surprised us all with a whole new approach to her stage show and increased our appreciation of her talent.

Like Nellie herself, Ms. McKay's recent show at the Birchmere was quirky and enjoyable. She spent most of the ninety minutes on stage in the character of Barbara Graham, a hard-living woman who was imprisoned and sent to the gas chamber,possibly wrongly, for murder in 1955. Part play, part concert, the evening was a great showcase for Ms. McKay, who has acted on Broadway and has a penchant for writing songs that sound like they are part of a musical score. At the end of the "play," she returned to the stage as herself to perform a few encores, including a track from her newest CD, Home Sweet Mobile Home. She is an engaging, offbeat performer, but more than that, she is an actual musician who can play piano and ukelele as well as sing with a lovely, clear voice that is sometimes at odds with the darkly funny or sarcastic lyrics of her songs.

I had heard her sing before, she has a beautiful voice. SHe is clearly a talented young woman but the overall feeling of the night was kitsch, not class. Two beautiful numbers at the piano, the rest? completely and hopefully... forgettable. She referenced Doris Day on many occasions. Doris was soft and breathless yes, but serious and commanding when singing. Nellie made many jokes that were tired and missed the mark. The overall feeling of the event was a Seniors Holiday Party.

I just love Nellie McKay. She has such a biting sense of humor and amazing voice and is lovely to look at.

Nellie is so talented. Beautiful voice, wonderful sense of humor, keeps you guessing. It would a wonderful night of music. I could have listened to her all night. She has gained a lifelong fan.

Nellie McKay and her 3 band members put on a great show! The Ark was an intimate place to see these performers.

Venue (The Ark) was perfect for this type of event. McKay was very personable and related well to the audience. She signed autographs and took pictures after the concert for free.