“This venue reminds me of this country” Rufus Wainwright said to the audience, arranged like a capital L in the basement of the Ludlow Garage, “completely divided and yet we’re stuck here in the same place”
It felt like a strange venue for the singer-songwriter, but what do I know.
I’d only seen Rufus once before, recreating Judy Garland’s set at Carnegie Hall. He captivated the audience then with humor and a voice so powerful it reverberated every fiber of being. That feeling was heightened in a basement that held 500.
The whole evening was a series of laughter, chills, and melancholy from all the folks walking during songs to get drinks or go to the bathroom — so many that Rufus forgot the words to Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk and had to start over.
He did it with aplomb.