Rufus Wainwright! Rufus Wainwright! Rufus Wainwright!

I saw Rufus Wainwright's final European performance for his Release the Stars tour last Friday night in Lille, France. Wow. Wainwright and his band were incredible. A Scottish friend of mine turned me on to Wainwright a couple years ago. I liked his voice and musical style (he fuses pop, opera, the Beatles and a little Cole Porter), but hadn't given much thought to seeing him perform live.

This September, I had the opportunity to see Wainwright perform his tribute to Judy Garland's 1961 Carnegie Hall concert at the Hollywood Bowl. I was blown away. He did the entire show front to back- no small feat for even the most seasoned performer (2 acts; 33 songs) and his onstage banter was camp and pure snide. Some of the highlights include The Man that Got Away, San Francisco, Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye (with his mother, Kate McGarrigle, on piano) and Stormy Weather, performed by his sister, Martha Wainwright, which received a standing ovation.

I loved it and him. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that he's famously outre and travel expenses, I might become a groupie. Believe it or not, being infatuated with a gay musician wouldn't be the most unrealistic crush I've ever had. At least he's a gainfully employed artist in addition to being dreamy.

Turns out, the show in Lille was festival seating, which I usually avoid (don't like lines). However, it turned out great because my companion and I scored front row center seats. It was unexpected and certainly made the evening all the more special. He played most of the tracks on Release the Stars, opening with the title track as well as two very special songs from the Garland tribute: A Foggy Day in London Town and If Love Were All. When he sang Foggy Day at the Bowl, I cried. I've wanted to live in London for a long time and his voice paired with the lyrics brought tears to my eyes. Did I mention he performed both songs wearing lederhosen? A Von Trapp family joke, I think (he comes from a musical family).

Another interesting number was Macushla, an Irish folk song written by Josephine Rowe and Dermot MacMurrough. Rufus and his horn section performed it with no microphone amplification also in lederhosen. This was equally fantastic. His voice has tremendous range and sounds like warm, honeyed whiskey.

After a standing ovation, he closed the evening in full Garland drag singing Come On Get Happy (great legs, by the way) and then Gay Messiah. It was another fab performance. In fact, my roommate and I are catching his cabaret show on New Year's Eve. Can't wait.