Nancy Sinatra (The Knitting Factory - Hollywood, 15 October 2004)

Beer Rating: 3-4 beers


It's always a great thing when you get a free ticket to a show. Especially, if it's a show that you are even interested in. Well, thanks to Elaine's friend Dave, her and I got into the Knitting Factory for gratis to see Nancy Sinatra. Prior to going to her show, I knew three things about Nancy Sinatra: (1) she's a woman; (2) her dad is Old Blue Eyes, Mr. Chairman of the Board Frank Sinatra; and (3) she sang that "boots" song. Well, now add another fact to that list: Nancy Sinatra is hip to the scene.

I had my reservations at going to this show. First, the over 40 yr. old crowd is not too appealing since it reminds me that one day, I'll be like one of these guys. However, the crowd was a good mix of young (as young as 6 yrs. old) and old (infinity). Second, I know nothing about Nancy Sinatra's and her songs. Like I said in (3) above, that's the only song I knew of. Finally, will this whole 60s/70s era nostalgia music keep me up? Well, it actually did.

Nancy Sinatra isn't the hip "IT" girl that she was back in the 60s or when she posed for Playboy. No short one piece outfits or high heeled boots in this show, but instead Nancy sported jeans, plain looking shoes, and a sweater that looked like my old J. Crew mock crew neck. However, for being as old as she is, she still is a beautiful woman with a great voice.

Her great voice and on-stage presence was evident throughout the show. She opened up with "Bang, Bang" off the Kill Bill soundtrack. Then she played a slew of songs from her new album which included "Two Shots of Happy, One Shot of Sad" written to her by Bono and The Edge of U2, a song composed by Thurston Moore, another song composed by Jarvis Cocker, and she did a cover of Morrissey's "Let Me Kiss You."

Of course, what's a Nancy Sinatra show without "Boots..."? Well, she played it and it was a terrific live version of it. Everyone in the crowd was dancing at this point (which is surprising since I didn't know Angelinos dance at live shows). After the show, she had a meet and greet where she signs autographs and chats with fans. I have her autograph and gave her a good handshake. She's a very nice woman.

Overall, a good show that could have been better if I knew more about her.

Then, as I walked outside the venue, I saw We Man from Jackass. Priceless.