We know Mandy Moore as the sweet pop-princess whose catchy but forgettable singles just did not cut it against the likes of scandalous and scantily-clad Britney and Christina. Now, we are supposed to forget that ‘Candy' ever happened and take Mandy seriously as a singer-songwriter. On Saturday night at the grand opening of the revamped Majestic Theatre, Mandy Moore played songs that she wrote herself and attempted to prove that she has matured as an artist.
Two acoustic opening acts, Chris Stills and Ben Lee, set the stage and prepared the crowd for the new Mandy (though their use of language and questionable song content was rather innappropriate for the 10-year-olds in the front row). Moore appeared in a conservative black dress and sang most of the songs from her new album, Wild Hope , sweetly enduring shouts of "Mandy! Play ‘Candy!'" between each number. Many songs sounded alike, but the addition of actual instruments is a definite improvement from her teen-pop days.
The crowd was comprised mostly of 20- and 30-somethings on dates and girls who seemed both excited and embarassed to be there. However, no one seemed more embarassed than Moore when she first appeared onstage to sing with Chris Stills; her hair hung in her face and she did not make eye contact the entire time. During her set, her shyness seemed to dissolve into utter amazement that she was actually singing songs she wrote in front of people who actually liked them — at least a little. She raved about Madison and asked the crowd, "How about those Badgers?!" generating a loud and positive response.
Though this is Moore's "first proper tour," Wild Hope is her fifth album. Moore has also appeared in several films, including "The Princess Diaries," "Saved!," "License to Wed" and "A Walk to Remember," for which she recorded several songs.
On Saturday, however, Moore sang songs from her new record, Wild Hope>, which she wrote herself. During the first two songs of her set, Moore rocked out with her band; however, her attempt at being a gritty, tough rocker chick just made her look awkward.
Although most of Moore's ballads sounded alike, songs that stood out included "Looking Forward to Looking Back," and a sultry rendition of "Wild Hope," on which the whole band grooved. Moore claims not to have "sexy music," but if she did, this song would be it. She does have a quiet sex appeal — maybe the reason there were so many older men lurking by the bar.
After stopping to sign an autograph, Moore sang several songs that sounded similar, including "Extraordinary," the first single from her new album (sample lyric: "And now I'm ready to be extraordinary"). A few darker songs were followed Moore playing guitar on the cheesy, "Can't You Just Adore Her?" which she apparently wrote because she loves the word "adore."
The last worthwhile song of her own was "Nothing That You Are," a rather angry number during which Moore seemed overcome with emotion and left the stage. A percussion solo was perhaps the heaviest moment of the set. One thing was apparent throughout her entire performance: this girl can sing. Strong, clear vocals balanced out generic songs and made the show more enjoyable.
Unfortunately, the most well-received songs were the two which Moore did not write: a slow cover of Rihanna's ‘Umbrella,' which was much better than the original, and, of course, ‘Candy.' Moore referred to ‘Candy,' as a "song with a sweet sentiment that doesn't really mean anything," and gave it more of an arena-rock feel by adding real instruments. For the most part, the audience reacted positively, Moore and her band seemed to be having fun, and the music was not awful.
Mandy Moore still sings pop songs — they are just more grown up. Though she is not entirely believable as a singer-songwriter, she deserves some credit for trying, for taking the high road as opposed to her former pop counterparts, and for writing her own songs — even if they all sound the same.
