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Cat Power performs at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on April 26, 2025. Photo by Kevin Winter\/Getty Images.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\tCat Power performs at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on April 26, 2025. Photo by Kevin Winter\/Getty Images.<\/p>\n
OAKLAND \u2014 Cat Power is back on the road, marking the 20th anniversary of The Greatest by performing the album in full. The artist, born Chan Marshall, recently kicked off the North American leg of the tour, and Thursday night\u2019s stop at the Fox Theater was just the sixth date.<\/p>\n
Released in 2006, The Greatest was written entirely by Marshall and recorded in Memphis with a cast of veteran soul musicians. The Memphis Rhythm Band helped frame her voice \u2014 raw and hopeful \u2014 in a more polished, soulful setting that broadened her sound without diluting its vulnerability.<\/p>\n
Dim blue lighting set an intimate tone as the band, dressed in black, took their places in the background. Marshall walked out in a flowing white suit to match her platinum hair. The look was striking, but the focus was her voice \u2014 intuitive, restrained and emotionally direct. Her songs demanded introspection, and her voice delivered raw emotion throughout the show.<\/p>\n
The title track opened the set. Its familiar piano motif introduced the melancholic ballad as Marshall gripped the microphone stand and delivered the opening lines with measured control: \u201cOnce I wanted to be the greatest.\u201d The band kept a slow, waltz-like tempo, allowing the vulnerability to land.<\/p>\n
\u201cLiving Proof\u201d followed, steeped in Memphis soul. The piano and guitar carried the song\u2019s steady pulse as Marshall swayed across the stage, her raspy phrasing emphasizing survival and resilience.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you have your answer? I am your answer, I am living,\u201d she announced at the end, lifting her hand as the crowd responded with shouts of support. When someone yelled, \u201cWe love you, Chan!\u201d she softly replied, \u201cI love you, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLived in Bars\u201d unfolded with warm, gospel-tinged keys. Marshall\u2019s delivery felt conversational yet intimate as she sang, \u201cWe lived in bars and danced on tables,\u201d dancing across the stage. The song faded with a drifting piano and bass line, her howl lingering.<\/p>\n
The upbeat \u201cCould We\u201d brought a lift in tempo. The poppy, soulful arrangement prompted clapping as Marshall stepped away from the mic stand and danced. \u201cMuchas gracias,\u201d she said in appreciation.<\/p>\n
On piano ballad \u201cWhere Is My Love,\u201d Marshall leaned into her smoky lower register before rising into higher notes with ease. The repeated refrain \u2014 \u201cWhere is my love?\u201d \u2014 closed the song in hushed repetition.<\/p>\n
The set continued through the remainder of The Greatest, including an Auto-Tuned \u201cThe Moon,\u201d the honky-tonk sway of \u201cEmpty Shell,\u201d the narrative-driven \u201cWillie,\u201d the slide-guitar shimmer of \u201cIslands,\u201d the rock-driven churn of \u201cAfter It All\u201d and the spare ache of \u201cHate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLove & Communication\u201d closed the album set.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwenty years ago I didn\u2019t know how to ask for help,\u201d Marshall said as an introduction. \u201cI\u2019m glad to be here today with my friends.\u201d <\/p>\n
The song\u2019s themes of addiction, truth and recovery resonated as she moved across the stage, arms raised, before bowing and exiting as the band carried the outro.<\/p>\n
There was no pause. Under dim floor lights, the band launched into a nearly 10-minute instrumental jam that showcased the players\u2019 musicianship, building an atmospheric bridge to the encore. After the jam session, Marshall returned in a black blazer.<\/p>\n
The encore opened with a cover of James Brown & The Famous Flames\u2019 \u201cTry Me.\u201d Marshall slowed the gospel classic into something slower and powerful, her voice textured and commanding as she repeated, \u201cHold me.\u201d The band maintained a restrained groove, letting the tension build before the final swell.<\/p>\n
\u201cManhattan\u201d followed, driven by drum machine and piano. The electro-leaning arrangement saw Marshall dancing in silhouette, punctuating the rhythm with hoots and ad-libs while maintaining vocal precision. A hand on her hip while singing the final verses, she showed some infectious attitude, as the band to continue to rip, but in a subdued manner.<\/p>\n
She also revisited honky-tonk territory with \u201cGood Woman\u201d from 2003 album You Are Free and a cover of \u00a0J.D. Miller\u2019s \u201cIt Wasn\u2019t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.\u201d<\/p>\n
The night concluded with the Sammy Fain standard \u201cI\u2019ll Be Seeing You.\u201d Marshall\u2019s voice \u2014 raspy, deep and smoky \u2014 recalling that of Louis Armstrong as she switched from a low baritone to a higher soprano.<\/p>\n
Marshall has a generational voice. It\u2019s loud, raw, honest, and real. It was on full display in Oakland.<\/p>\n
About The Author<\/p>\n
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