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I try to keep an open mind as I watch Cirkestra set up their upright bass, accordion and piano, violin, two sets of reed instruments, and drums. I mean, I might still like it, right? And in truth, I like it better than I thought I would. But it's fundamentally circus music, which okay, it's not like they didn't warn us right there in the name, but still, it's kind of twee and cloying for me. Besides which, we're hungry and we're hoping to miss the middle band, so we take in about four of their short, noodly songs and then head upstairs for some dinner.
After a nice after-dinner constitutional while the aforementioned middle band finishes, we come back for Count Zero. Like the last time we saw them, they are a five-piece tonight, but it's a different five. So tonight, I miss Brendan's slide guitar, but get instead Elizabeth's lovely, breathy harmonies. These are achingly beautiful, especially on "Heaven's Balloon." Peter is a wild man tonight, even by his own high standards, trilling around the melodies and jumping around the stage. The mic cord can't always keep up with him, and there's really not room for a proper jeté in the Lizard Lounge, but these are practicalities, and not to be allowed to get in the way of art. They play a bunch of songs from their first album (when they were a five-piece for real), which are nice to hear again, and close with their Joni Mitchell cover. The late hour, the dwindling crowd, and the difficulty of reconfiguring their songs for the occasion all argue against an encore, but there is a hard core of about half a dozen of us who will not be denied, and they pull off a kick-ass unpracticed "Bachelor Number 3," which is probably my favorite song of theirs and a great way to end the night.
