How will Elliot Smith, troubled bard, anti-star, reluctant hero, and the man you're most likely to dream about playing songs to you perched on the end of your bed, fare in the Forum's less than intimate surroundings?
Smith and his band come on and begin without a word. No hello, no introductions, no frills. All scruffy jeans and understatement, they look every inch the American alt-rock heroes. It's a shame the first two songs fail to ignite.
Only with 'Son Of Sam', (tellingly off his latest and greatest album, 'Figure 8'), do things actually kick off. Smith truly does possess a most wonderful voice, whether it's on the relatively upbeat 'Son Of Sam', or the beautiful 'Can't Make A Sound', where he's joined by members of the support group Oranger -a band who proved they weren't afraid of ludicrous guitar solos or ear splitting drum fills, and who were great tonight.
The soaringly articulate Smith's problem certainly isn't sounding like anyone else. If anything, at times he sounds a little too much like Elliot Smith, his songs blending into one somewhere in the middle of the set. They have the same guitar sound, same keyboard sound (piano or strings) and the same rhythms.
The fact that songs such as 'Baby Britain' (a standout track from his album before last, 'XO'), and 'Wouldn't Mama Be Proud' (from 'Figure 8') were passed over in favour of older, less dynamic songs suggest that this is less a concert to promote the new album, and more a celebration of a remarkable and heartwarming career in progress.
The question now is, where can he, happily, go from here? He only just appears to come to terms with playing such a large venue near the end of the set, and the full house and two deafening encores seem to suggest the days of a small cult following are drawing to a close.
His finest moments tonight remain the simplest - the haunting, beautiful refrain of 'Everything Means Nothing To Me' and the stark velvet voiced 'Say Yes'. Songs you wish were written for you, and songs you continue to dream of long after the show is over.
