The TV Addict 

Those of you who are regular readers probably know that I have a massive crush on the adorable Zooey Deschanel. It should come as no surprise then that when I heard that she and M. Ward (making up the band She & Him) were going to start off their month long tour at the Opera House in Toronto, I had to be there.The day of the concert (Wednesday, July 23^rd) I warned all of my friends that if they didn’t hear from me for a while in the subsequent days they shouldn’t worry because most likely it would mean that Zooey and I fell madly in love with each other and ran away to some exotic and romantic location.

Sadly only a third of that fantasy was realized. It was only me who fell madly in love with her. Then again, it would have been impossible not to, and I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only one in the audience to do so.

If you think Zooey is charming and cute in her films, just times that a hundred and you’ll get an idea of what she’s like in person. When I previously wrote about her I mentioned that with her you get the sense that her on and off screen persona is actually pretty close to her real one. Standing just a few feet away from her on stage, that assumption feels all the more true now. There is this aura that radiates out of her, one that has nothing to do with her being a celebrity, but the kind of aura that surrounds remarkable regular folk.

In some ways she isn’t so regular though, because she is stunningly gorgeous. That word is often used hyperbolically or extremely loosely, but I mean it exactly the way it is in the dictionary. It’s those piercing eyes that just jump out at you, even in a dimmed concert hall. And that smile. Oh man, that smile. I’ve always sort of rolled my eyes at poets who wax poetical about the luminous quality of certain people’s smiles, but now I know exactly what they mean.

What was most endearing though was that throughout the concert she acted just like any of us probably would if we suddenly found ourselves in a band, taking the stage in front of an audience that lovingly applauds you at every opportunity. She was at times awkward, overwhelmed, and a little insecure. Initially she was visibly stiff and nervous in between songs, but as soon she started singing with that phenomenal voice she just projected complete artistic confidence. Soon enough it spilled into her on-stage demeanor and she relaxed considerably, and before long she was bopping along to the music, and skipping between microphone and piano, all the while dazzling the crowd with her sweet brand of charm. That included the occasional endearing enthusiastic newbie moment, whether it be having to run across stage every now and then because she forgot her tambourine, apologizing about having not practiced a cover of Joni Mitchell’s “You Turn Me On (I’m A Radio)” a lot before nailing it, or responding to a fan song request by honestly answering: “That’s coming later. I saw it on the set list!” (as if she were just a fan who had snuck a peek at her favorite band’s song list and thought herself so cool because she had the inside info.)

Combined with her beauty, grace, talent and charm, it was those kind of moments that feeling she conveyed of “Aw shucks, I can’t believe I’m doing this and people are liking it, and this is so awesome” that made the concert such a joyful experience for everyone, including (I imagine) her and the rest of the band (all who were excellent, especially M. Ward who I almost wanted to see sing more).  

It’s also one of the many reasons I did end up falling so hopelessly and desperately in love with Zooey Deschanel and the rest of She & Him. Though mostly Zooey (no offense, guys).

P.S.: Please check out She & Him’s website, their MySpace page, and buy their album. It’s awesome.

Photo: Gabi Porter