I went to see Regina Spektor in her second of two shows at Town Hall. She is a Russian born singer/songwriter and a darling of the NYC anti-folk scene. I love Town Hall; it’s intimate, old-timey, and cozy. The first act was a local NYC band called Only Son. To me, they sounded like a mix of those alterna-pop bands from the 90’s or maybe Death Cab for Cutie minus the thing that makes DC4C so great. They weren’t bad and they weren’t amazing, they were just there, though I did enjoy the “advertisement” at the end of their set for their myspace page.

Finally, Regina Spektor came out. She is earnest, dorky, and adorable; sincerely humbled by the adoration of her rabid fans. It would be easy to compare her to Tori Amos, Bjork, Ani Difranco, and Nina Simone; so I will, as she does have a lot in common with and has obviously been influenced by these women. However, I think the thing that easily distinguishes her from them is her sense of humor and her playfulness. She doesn’t take herself too seriously. She is effortlessly charming and hilarious and this was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen.

I had such a great time that I already checked her website to see where else she would be playing on this tour. FYI - If you’re a fan and you missed the New York shows, you could still catch her in Philly on Sat at Electric Factory.