Minnie

I went to see Minnie Driver perform last night at Cafe du Nord. Because I was reluctant to pay a $5 service charge on the Web, I showed up expecting to buy a ticket at the door. Naturally, they were sold out. As I stood in line a bit dumbfounded (you never know who's going to sell out in this town) the man in front of me turned around and offered me his extra ticket. Plus he had reserved a seat!

Aside from two horrible opening acts, it was a lovely evening. Minnie's voice is very sweet (she had a recording contract before she did her first movie), her band was excellent. She's funny, charismatic and fun to watch.

She was a bit harsh on Ryan Adams, with whom she recorded half of her new album. She said working with him was like "sprinting a marathon." She admitted she couldn't handle it. The Cardinals play with her on the album. They are thanked profusely in the liner notes. Ryan is not.