Rufus Wainwright Live on KCRW

I was in tears for a good part of Rufus Wainwright’s performance on Morning Becomes Eclectic today. His voice is so beautiful and full of emotion, every single note. And this performance was extra special because he was joined by his sister Martha on a few tracks, including a cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” – which he introduced by saying he had decided not to perform it for a long time and then he saw it had millions of hits on You Tube and changed his mind. I’m so glad he did. They also harmonized on a French song their mother, singer Kate McGarrigle, taught them.

He talked to Jason about the recent death of his mother and how both he and his sister dealt with it by dedicating themselves to their work. Rufus and Martha both have new albums and are touring together, but he said he plans on taking a big break after this tour to finally “chill out” and deal with what’s happening. The entire interview and performance is really worth listening to and below is a song he sung for his sister.

The Grammy winner will perform at The Greek Theatre in support of his latest release All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu TOMORROW Friday, August 20 with Martha. This show is sure to be extraordinary.

RR