Tom Waits plays the Palace Theatre in Louisville, KY

We often imagine the tribal celebrations of various cultures as reaching entrancing summits of rhythm and frenzy and dream-like daze, which modern imitation cannot summon. Those days and those cultures are gone or changed to a point that such immersion in their musical fire cannot be reproduced. However, our modern era has it’s own version of this. It exists, in my opinion, in Tom Waits. His mastery of rhythm is hypnotizing and exhilarating, working every seemingly chaotic and random sound into a perfectly orchestrated structure of sound. His music creates a tribal trance representing the shack-dwelling, blues-howling river rats of times long gone, the box-car riders of the 40’s, the beatniks of the late 50’s, the diner-flies of the 70’s, and the modern mechanical and electric cities.

Add to that the brilliant lyrics, with their elastic interpretations of language and their tangible humanity, the undulating and enthralling melodies, and his laid-back yet animated stage presence (if you can forgive my over-use of adjectives) and you have the magic I experienced last night. I was fortunate enough to partake in a feast for the senses at the Palace theatre, when Waits graced the stage and gave me the best concert of my lifetime. Thank you, Tom, for coming to Louisville. Thank you for creating a profuse collection of genius oeuvres. You’ve made a mark on the history of all things creative, and I can’t possibly explain what a thrill it was to witness it all live.