Wonderful to know that Liz Phair is still Liz Phair.

Nice write-up. Love the last line, speaking about "Exile in Guyville." "The album evokes, as Phair put it, the 'magical, liminal space' between childhood and adulthood." For those of us who are all growed up, it's good to be able to recapture the spirit of that time in our lives, without getting stuck in the past, and even knowing that for many of us that wasn't such a great time in our lives.

Too nervous to say “cunt”, no one was singing, not much emotion? … we were def at different shows. Liz even stopped singing to let the audience take over, & we did her proud. Maybe best to have let one of us ‘50-something’s’ write this review. I think we may have had a better connection to the show.

I get what you’re saying, but…she really does look fucking phenomenal.

2 - word. "Ah, right, they are primarily 50-somethings who are too nervous to say the word “cunt.” " - This 50yo was singing every word from my cheap seats at the back, and you're welcome for making it possible to sing lyrics like "I just want your fresh young jimmy/Jamming, slamming, ramming in me" without shame. Gen X made that possible for you, and we were singing it loud and proud. Freaking great show, and super painful memories it brought with it. "I wish I could see what stories are in your heads right now" she said - and someone in the back yelled "no you don't!" And they were right.

"There was immediate talk amongst the crowd about how “great” she looked. And she did—it was hard to see any signs of aging from the day that Guyville came out 30 years ago. Yet, whenever a woman walks onto a stage and the crowd's first thought is “how young” she looks “for her age”—I find myself wincing."

So why did you indulge in it in this piece?

At the very end of 1993 I was in Chicago and a friend had tickets for Phair's NYE show at the Metro, so we all went.

At some point in the middle of Phair's set I realized that the clock wasn't near midnight so I wondered how the time would be filled until the new year appeared.

Then when her set was over and everyone was slowly pushed out I realized she was actually doing two sets that night. My friend never told me the tickets were for the early set. I don't think I said anything about it to her but I was massively disappointed that I wouldn't be ringing in the new year with Liz.

Ugh. "Sing-along types." No one paid $100 to hear the person next to them sing, especially at a theater show. Glad you had fun, Audrey, but maybe read the room.

@7: Depends on the show. For Rush, we always sang along to “Closer to the Heart.” For U2, we sang every song, including the iconic “40,” and kept singing long after the band had departed, until the crew threw us out of the venue. For Seattle/Bellingham’s own Posies, the rule was singing during the electric songs, but mouthing the words during the acoustic songs.

(Yes, keeping with the theme of fifty-something show attendees.)

@8 U2 hasn't played a theater since War. Rush since, uh, the Ford administration?