Imogen Heap 10/26/05 - The Hotel Cafe, Hollywood, CA.

From the archives.

I first heard of Imogen Heap earlier in 2005 when she was rumored to be an opener on Tori Amo's tour that summer. Unfortunately, that ended up falling though due to monetary issues, but I still went and picked up her latest release anyway (Speak For Yourself) She ended up being added to The Hotel Cafe's first national touring show, but the Los Angeles date at the El Rey sold out before I decided whether I wanted to go or not. However, another opportunity to see her was added, as sort of an industry showcase/way to appease the fans who didn't get to attend the El Rey gig.

The story behind this show is one in of itself. The afternoon of I didn't really know what to expect or the extent of Imogen's popularity at the time, so deciding when to arrive posed a bit of a challenge. If I remember correctly, I got there around 6 or so, about an hour before doors opened, and was probably one of maybe ten people already in line. (including a couple of people who had driven down from the Bay area just for this show) Waiting in line seemed to be a pretty calm and orderly affair - until the last 20-25 minutes before the venue was supposed to start letting people in.

In that time, the line had grown exponentially since then, wrapping around the building, spilling onto the sidewalk and down the block. (I remember afterwards hearing from an acquaintance that he drove by the venue in anticipation of attending the show, and upon seeing the line gave up and kept driving) To make matters worse, before opening doors, the doorman came out and announced that only the first 10-15 people in line not on a guest list (there where two - an "industry" one and another that you had to sign up for on Imogen's website) would be getting in. Naturally, this caused some annoyance among people - although, I heard later that a little before/after she started playing, they let some more people in that stood in the back (and others simply pressed their ears up against the wall and listened to show outside)

When I got inside, it already seemed like it was going to be extremely packed quarters - most of the tables and chairs were taken away. Luckily, the people whom I stood in line with kindly let me sit at their table with them (if any of them happen to stumble onto this blog, thank you still, almost four years later ha ha) As predicted, by the time Imogen started the show, the room was overflowing, some of which can be heard on the recording.

After (sorry) a ridiculously bad opening act, Imogen hit the stage and delivered a fantastic performance. Setlist was very heavy on Speak For Yourself material, but that was to be expected, considering the album had been recently released stateside. In homage to her previous side project Frou Frou, she performed their two biggest hits "Let Go" and "Breathe In." Her first album I Megaphone was not forgotten though - the two songs "Come Here Boy" and "Sleep" represented it. Plus, we were treated to a rare performance of the B-side "Blanket." All in a all, a wonderful show.

1.) "Intro" FLAC MP3
2.) Just For Now FLAC MP3
3.) Headlock FLAC MP3
4.) Let Go FLAC MP3
5.) Clear The Area FLAC MP3
6.) The Walk FLAC MP3
7.) Blanket FLAC MP3
8.) Hide and Seek FLAC MP3
9.) Come Here Boy FLAC MP3
10.) Loose Ends FLAC MP3
11.) Goodnight & Go FLAC MP3
12.) Sleep FLAC MP3
13.) E: Breathe In FLAC MP3
14.) E: The Moment I Said It FLAC MP3
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