About halfway through her rollicking, glorious set at 54 Below on Thursday night, the singer, songwriter, author and sui generis entertainer Storm Large—born Susan Storm Large—noted the aptness of her name, musing, “I’m a blowhard.” It was the only sentence, spoken or sung, that rang false all evening.
In fact, Large, who was likely being self-effacing, is the opposite of a blowhard: Her formidable power springs from candor, not bluster, and from a charisma rooted in both lavish talent and earthy, overflowing warmth. All these qualities were on abundant display from the moment that Large, resplendent in a backless black dress that showed off her generous tattoos, made her entrance, sashaying through the audience and seductively banging a tambourine as she sang Matthieu Chedid’s valentine to Paris, “La Seine.”
Before launching into her second number—a muscular, sexy reading of Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood’s “Stay With Me”—Large recalled how she had almost been arrested just hours earlier, while driving in a storm. Her characteristically breathless, hilarious account was as blue as her indigo-dyed hair, littered with F-bombs; she delivered them strategically, though, with the skill of an expert standup comedian—which Large might have been, had she not been endowed with that singing voice.
That voice is known to those who discovered Large on television series such as “Rock Star: Supernova” and “America’s Got Talent”—occasionally, some good arises from the vapid, cynical enterprise that is reality TV—and to anyone who has caught her cabaret and theater performances. It’s a lustrous, rangy instrument, with a rasp worthy of Janis Joplin but also a limpid beauty that extends from her lower range to a piercing belt.
The songs Large chose for this performance, the first of three scheduled at the venue, proved excellent showcases, veering from originals like the deceptively earnest “Woman’s Heart” and the scathingly satirical “Formaldehyde” to a tear-the-roof-off-the-joint reading of the rock band Boston’s 1976 hit “More Than A Feeling.” Nick Lowe’s “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding,” which Elvis Costello covered to blazing effect just a couple of years after that, became a shimmering, mid-tempo plea to “Penis Americans,” as Large referred to men—with obvious affection.
Large’s band, whom she identified just as fondly as The Balls—the name of the Portland-based group she put together more than two decades ago—delivered supple support throughout, with guitarist Scotty Weddle, bassist Matt Brown, drummer Greg Eklund and pianist and music director James Beaton also fielding the frontwoman’s gleefully randy remarks with their own mischievous (albeit usually tamer) wit.
There were also the kind of openly emotional appeals that might have seemed maudlin in the hands of a lesser artist, or a less genuine one. Before performing Brandi Carlile’s “That Wasn’t Me,” Large spoke briefly of her own journey to sobriety; during the song, she circled the audience once again, touching and locking eyes with individual members.
Two joyous singalongs followed: a crackling rendition of the Queen/David Bowie duet “Under Pressure” and, for an encore, another original: “8 Miles Wide,” a signature tune extoling the great size—metaphorically, Large insisted—of her most private of parts. “If you can’t be a good influence,” she quipped, “be a good cautionary tale.” I’d propose that Large is the former, and then some; she’s an inspiration.
Storm Large opened April 4, 2024, at 54 Below and runs through April 6. Tickets and information: 54below.com
