Listening to: PJ Harvey at the Beacon Theatre, NYC 10/10 (playlist I made copying the concert set list)Magic. PJ Harvey at a sold out show at the Beacon, one of two shows she’s doing in the US. And just Polly, too. No back-up band. Just her, a piano, a harp, two guitars and a voice distortion/beat machine of some sort. She was mesmerizing. She taps into such a primal place with her music and voice and presence. I’m like 93% straight, but I’d make out with her just to get some of what she has, or at least to get closer to it.She sang Shame, one of her more sad, soft (yet still driving) songs, and let the applause fade. Her head was down, looking at her guitar and adjusting it around her dress while she waited for total quiet. Then she took a deep breath into the mic and ripped into Snake. It was perfect. My hair blew back from the power of it. I had not heard that song live before and I was floored. It’s always been one of my Catharsis Songs that I put on and scream along to when I’m feeling misunderstood or taken advantage of, and now that I’ve experienced the full power of it I realize the depth of her past emotional pain. My sister! This was my favorite part of the show. I also was particularly moved by Desperate Kingdom of Love, the last song of the show. Gorgeous.To make this concert even more special, I ended up with 7th row orchestra seats, on the side of the stage where her piano was. She was right there! Incredible considering I had found out about the show (much to my ire) on Monday, well after it had sold out. I spent the next two days in agony, checking craigslist and my email neurotically. One guy said he’d sell the ticket to the person who could make him laugh. I told him about my visit to my parents’ place, how I survived the unironic ultra-rightwing-christian atmosphere with less psychological damage than in the past, but still desperately needed the scream therapy of a PJ concert to take the edge off. He found it amusing, but I was too late. Someone beat me to the ticket. But a chick named Jenny Applebaum came through the morning of the show. And thanks to her I had Tribe Called Quest running through my head all day.I ran into friends after the show (will the wonders of this night never end?!) and we went down to the West Village for drinks (lindemans framboise for me), gushing about the show and PJ in general. Brian even drove me back to Summit so I didn’t have to catch the train. A completely perfect night.That show, coupled with the massage I got today to pound out the family-induced tension in my neck and shoulders, has transformed me. I almost feel like working.Photo by Jenny Applebaum