Guest
Regina Spektor plays her song “Prisoners“ live in concert before a sold-out crowd at The Warfield in San Francisco, California on March 5, 2023. During the second verse, she forgets the words and handles it with her typical self-deprecation and humor (“Why do I write so many words?“). Prisoners appeared on Spektor's second studio album, Songs (2002). Regina Spektor is a Russian-American singer, songwriter, and classically-trained pianist who grew up in Moscow and New York City. This was the fourth night of Spektor's Feeling Better Spring Solo Piano Tour, which had to be rescheduled from the fall after her bout with Covid. ===================== Feeling Better Spring Solo Tour dates (2023): March 1 — Ithaca, NY @ State Theater March 2 — Toronto, Ontario @ Massey Hall March 3 — Ann Arbor, MI @ Michigan Theater March 5 — San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield March 7 — Los Angeles, CA @ Walt Disney Concert Hall March 8 — San Diego, CA @ The Magnolia March 11 — Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle March 13 — Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium March 15 — Washington DC @ Warner Theater March 16 — Port Chester, NY @ Capitol Theater March 18 — Montclair, NJ @ Wellmont Theater ===================== Summer Tour dates (2023): May 21 — Guadalajara, Mexico @ Corona Capital July 15-16 — London, UK @ Royal Festival Hall July 18 — Rättvik, Sweden @ Dalhalla July 28 — Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside Theater July 29 — Evanston, IL @ Out Of Space July 30 — Cincinnati, OH @ Brady Music Aug. 1 — Rochester, NY @ Kodak Center Aug. 2 — Philadelphia, PA @ Keswick Theatre Aug. 3 — Vienna, VA @ Wolf Trap Aug. 5 — Woodinville, WA @ Chateau Ste. Michelle Aug. 7 — Saratoga, CA @ Mountain Winery Aug. 8 — Anaheim, CA @ House Of Blues Aug. 10 — Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre Aug. 24 — New York, NY @ Central Park SummerStage Aug. 25 — West Hampton, NY @ WHBPAC Aug. 27 — Martha’s Vineyard, MA @ Beach Road Festival =============== Prisoners lyrics: All of the prisoners serving life sentences Wait for the earth to suddenly shake For the walls to somehow suddenly come crumbling, tumbling and For the bars to somehow magically break Aw, there's nothing wrong with them That a thousand bucks can't fix That a thousand arms can't hold down In the ground they're tattooing the stones with Cusses like cavemen, “Your momma was here“ They want to run through the air with no barriers or obstacles Gunmen or guard dogs or priests And to rise from the mud and start over and over With the people all dead, ah-ah-ah-ah-ah If Hans Christian Andersen could've had his way with me Then none of this shit would have ever gone down In my cell, I'm tattooing myself with Mermaids and swallows and though I do swallow My mama thinks I'm grown but I'm really just little and Someday I will remember Someday I will remember Someday I will remember ===================== Regina Spektor official bio: Born in the Soviet Union, Regina Spektor (Регина Спектор) began studying classical piano when she was six. Her family emigrated in 1989, landing in New York City, where she continued her classical training. Spektor eventually studied composition at the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College where she graduated with honors. She began writing pop songs in her late teens and made her recorded debut in 2001 with the self-released 11:11, a collection of songs heavily influenced by jazz and blues. Songs followed in 2002 and Soviet Kitsch in 2004. Spektor’s commercial breakthrough came in 2006 on her fourth LP, Begin to Hope. The gold-certified album included the singles “On the Radio,” “Better” and “Fidelity,” which climbed the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Spektor’s fifth album, Far released in 2009, and sixth album, What We Saw From the Cheap Seats released in 2012, both debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Spektor’s songs have appeared in TV shows and movies including Orange Is The New Black, Grey’s Anatomy, Weeds, How I Met Your Mother, Veronica Mars, The Good Wife and (500) Days of Summer. Spektor played for the Obamas and guests at the White House and performed as part of philanthropic campaigns for Tibet, Doctors Without Borders, and many more. Her most recent tours included her first concerts in her native Russia plus sold out shows at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, The Royal Albert Hall in London and two nights at Sydney Opera House in Australia. Spektor’s seventh album is entitled Remember Us To Life. The album has received extensive critical praise. Rolling Stone declared that Remember Us To Life wraps underdog storytelling in brilliant songcraft” and Esquire described Regina as “our generation’s Joni Mitchell” adding that “[Spektor] has long made a habit of spinning fictional, winding tales into songs that utilize humor and absurdity for the purpose of pointed social commentary. Her new LP is no different.”
