Sinead O'Connor Great Woods Mansfield, MA Aug 18th 1990
The day before the concert, Sinead O'Connor breaks up with her boyfriend, who also happens to be opening for her on the tour. Ex-boyfriend and band are fired on the spot, leaving a pretty big hole in the show. Scrambling, the promoters book O Positive, a local Boston power pop band (and acquaintances of mine) to open and they do a great job, their first big break, the crowd appreciative. So far, so good.
Out comes Sinead, clearly still fuming over the breakup. This was right after her second album was released, and she was getting a lot of Top 40 radio airplay. The 12-14 year old girls were attending in droves, accompanied by their slightly puzzled parents. There is lots of screaming when Sinead sings any of her hits, which seems to make her even more angry. Right before the intermission, Sinead sits on a stool, the lights come down, and she starts in with "The Last Day of Our Acquaintance". As she goes through the song (check the lyrics online), you can see she's reaching her boiling point, and the last verse comes out as "But this is the last f--king day of our f--king acquaintance" and she's fairly spitting out the words, her face red with rage.
Parents are standing all over the venue, incredulous, first covering their daughter's ears, then grabbing their hands and making a mad rush for the exits. As Sinead repeats the last verse, now standing herself, spewing the same words as if poison, those of us who remain and understand what is happening rise to see her off for the intermission, a thunderous ovation for an artist baring her soul not as performance, but as real life, intersecting as a demolition derby with her art.
The second set was listless, uninspired, and Sinead apologized toward the end of the show. We gave her a standing ovation anyway; she deserved it. She gave us everything she had on that day, both good and bad. What more can you ask from an artist?
David
