My fourth time seeing Nika Roza Danilova play live under the Zola Jesus moniker, and, finally, everything seemed right.
Always a big fan of her records, I had yet to feel the music fully captured in a live performance. I’ve enjoyed the previous shows if for no other reason than watching someone express something that is real, and genuine always trumps perfect instrumentation or the right mix. But this show at the Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan captured the power of Zola Jesus as none before.
If you’ve been before, you know the Guggenheim is a beautiful, spiral, white building famously designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, an aesthetic fitting with Zola Jesus’ blonde hair and all-white attire; most notably consisting of an eye-catching LED-lit neckpiece designed by Jenni Hensler that drew immediate cheers.
