Aimee Mann preview

Aimee Mann
Vic Theatre, Chicago
Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Merry Christmas and a happy new Aimee Mann holiday tour! Last year’s inaugural holiday trek, a mix of music and standup comedy, apparently went well enough to convince Mann to give it a go again.

Though the Chicago show lacks some of the star power (Ben Gibbard, Grant Lee Phillips, “SNL” comedian Fred Armisen, The Decemberists, Ben Lee, Josh Ritter) there is still enough diversity to avoid the trap of typical Christmas concert schlock. The night’s star, of course, is Mann, who put this whole thing together last year after releasing her holiday record, One Drifter In The Snow (Superego). On that album Mann and her crack backing band (led by producer Paul Bryan) hit the usual targets – “I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” “Winter Wonderland,” “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” – but are at their best when they stray from the snowy, path for material like the Mann/Bryan original “Calling On Mary” and the Dr. Seuss classic, “You’re A Mean One Mr. Grinch.”

These will surely all be visited Tuesday night, but Mann will also give stage time to fellow singer-songwriter Nellie McKay and comedians Morgan Murphy and Paul F. Tomkins (“Mr. Show,” VH1), who also hosts the night’s proceedings.

– Trevor Fisher

Click here to stream samples of Aimee Mann.

Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly